The police record "expired" three days before submission

A client was preparing to apply for a residence permit in Portugal and decided to do everything early. In March he obtained a police record, immediately had it apostilled, and ordered a sworn translation. Submission was set for June. By that day the Portuguese consulate considered the record invalid: for immigration purposes they accept a record no older than 90 days from the date of issue, and almost four months had passed. The apostille and translation cost money, and the record had to be ordered again — with a new apostille and a new translation, because the document is translated together with the fresh stamp.

Why a police record has a special regime

The document itself has no expiry: it records a state as of the date of issue, and that fact does not change. But receiving bodies want a current picture, so they set a "freshness" period. Most often it is 90 days; for some countries and authorities six months; for individual consulates only 30 days. The count usually runs from the date the record was issued, but sometimes from the date the apostille was affixed, and that is important to clarify in advance. Neither the translation nor the apostille extends that period.

Add to that the time to obtain the record itself. In Russia a police record through the Ministry of Internal Affairs takes up to 30 calendar days; through the state services portal it is usually faster, but still weeks. So the window between "record in hand" and "documents submitted" is narrow, and filling it with an apostille done in advance is a direct risk of rework.

The correct order

First clarify with the receiving side the exact permitted age of the record and the date it counts from. Then build the schedule backwards: submission date → minus the time for translation and apostille (3–7 working days) → the latest date to obtain the record → the date to file the application for the record, allowing 30 days for issue.

Ideally, by the time of submission the record should be no more than half its permitted age old — that is a margin for a rescheduled appointment, a reworked package, a courier delay. And do not do the apostille and translation "while there is time": with a police record, time works against you, not for you.