How to Get a Background Check in South Sudan for Ecuador Visa

The Certificate of Good Conduct is the official criminal background check document issued by the South Sudan National Police Service through the Ministry of Interior. It certifies that the applicant has no criminal record or pending prosecution in South Sudan.

Ecuador requires this document for all visa applicants over the age of 18. You must submit a background check from South Sudan (your country of citizenship) and from every country where you have lived for the past five years.

Important context: South Sudan is the world's youngest country, having gained independence in 2011. Government institutions are still developing, and the process for obtaining official documents can be significantly more difficult than in other countries. This guide provides the best available information, but you should expect delays and be prepared to adapt.

Many South Sudanese nationals applying for an Ecuador tourist visa are not currently living in South Sudan. Due to ongoing instability, a large South Sudanese diaspora exists across East Africa (particularly Uganda and Kenya), as well as in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere.

This creates two very different application scenarios:

If you are currently in Juba: You can apply in person at the National Police Service headquarters. The process is described in the steps below.

If you are living abroad: You cannot obtain the Certificate of Good Conduct from a South Sudanese embassy — embassies do not issue this document. You must either: 1. Travel to Juba to apply in person, or 2. Contact your nearest South Sudanese embassy for a recommendation letter, then coordinate with the National Police Service headquarters in Juba to process your application (this may require a trusted representative in Juba to handle submission and collection on your behalf)

South Sudan has approximately 30 diplomatic missions worldwide, including embassies in the United States (Washington, D.C.), United Kingdom (London), Kenya (Nairobi), Uganda (Kampala), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), Egypt (Cairo), South Africa (Pretoria), India (New Delhi), and China (Beijing). There is no South Sudanese embassy or consulate in Ecuador.

If obtaining the certificate proves impossible: Consult directly with Ecuador's immigration authority (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana) or the nearest Ecuadorian consulate. Ecuador may accept alternative documentation or make case-by-case exceptions for applicants from countries with limited institutional capacity. Do not assume — ask directly.

This is the most important thing to understand before you start.

Ecuador is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. South Sudan is not.

For countries inside the Hague Convention, a simple apostille stamp is enough to authenticate a document for Ecuador. For South Sudan, apostille is not available. Instead, your Certificate of Good Conduct must go through a longer chain of authentication called consular legalization:

1. South Sudan National Police Service (Juba) — issues the certificate
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (South Sudan) — authenticates the police service's signature and seal
3. Nearest Ecuadorian consulate or embassy — legalizes the document so Ecuador's immigration authority will accept it

Skipping any step in this chain will result in automatic rejection of your visa application.

Where to get Ecuador's legalization: South Sudan has no Ecuadorian embassy or consulate. The nearest Ecuadorian diplomatic mission is the Consulate General of Ecuador in Nairobi, Kenya (Mpaka House, Mpaka Rd, Westlands, Nairobi; phone: +254-20-2722382). You will need to send or bring your authenticated certificate to Nairobi for this step.

Where to apply: South Sudan National Police Service Headquarters, Juba. The issuing department is the General Administration of Criminal Investigation Department, Personal Identification Administration.

Mailing address: Ministry of Interior Affairs, P.O. Box 119 Juba, Juba 211, South Sudan.

There is no online application system. All applications must be submitted in person at the Juba headquarters.

Required documents: - Original passport (valid, not expired) - Copies of visa or permits showing proof of legal residence in South Sudan - A detailed covering letter stating your period of stay in South Sudan and the reason you need the certificate (state that it is for an Ecuador tourist visa application) - Two proofs of your current address - An attested document confirming you have been living in South Sudan for more than 6 months - Recent passport-sized colored photographs (borderless, white background) - Completed application form (obtained at the police headquarters)

Fingerprinting: All applicants must submit a complete set of 10 fingerprint impressions, taken by a qualified fingerprint officer at the headquarters during your visit.

If applying from abroad: Contact your nearest South Sudanese embassy first to obtain a recommendation letter. The embassy will provide a letter of introduction addressed to the National Police Service. You or a trusted representative must still submit the application in person in Juba.

Fees: The official government fee is not published online and may change. Confirm the current fee directly with the National Police Service when you apply. Budget approximately $20–50 USD equivalent in South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) for the certificate itself.

Processing time: There is no guaranteed processing time. Reports vary from 2 weeks to 6 weeks or longer depending on staffing and institutional capacity. Plan for significant delays.

After receiving your Certificate of Good Conduct, it must be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of South Sudan in Juba.

What this step does: The Ministry verifies that the signature and seal on your certificate are genuine and belong to an authorized official of the National Police Service.

What to bring: - Original Certificate of Good Conduct - A photocopy of every page of the certificate and any attachments - Your passport and copies - A secure self-addressed envelope with return address (if submitting by mail)

Fees and processing time: Confirm directly with the Ministry. Authentication fees and turnaround times are not reliably published online.

Output: The Ministry applies an official authentication stamp, reference number, and signature to your certificate.

After Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication, you must have the certificate legalized by the nearest Ecuadorian diplomatic mission. This is the step that makes the document legally valid for Ecuadorian immigration authorities.

Nearest Ecuadorian consulate to South Sudan: Consulate General of Ecuador in Nairobi, Kenya Mpaka House, Mpaka Rd, Westlands P.O. Box 76626, Nairobi, Kenya Phone: +254-20-2722382

What to bring: - Ministry of Foreign Affairs authenticated original certificate - Photocopies of your passport - Completed consular application form (obtain from the consulate) - Legalization fee (contact the consulate in advance to confirm the current fee)

Important: Contact the consulate by phone or email well in advance to confirm they handle South Sudanese document legalization, confirm current fees, and secure an appointment if required. Do not travel to Nairobi without confirming first.

Processing time: Varies. Confirm with the consulate when scheduling your visit.

Ecuador requires all documents not in Spanish to be translated by a certified translator. Your Certificate of Good Conduct will be in English (or possibly Arabic) and must be translated into Spanish before submission.

Requirements for the translation: - Translated by a certified or sworn translator - The translator's signature and certification must appear on the translation - Some consulates require the translation to be notarized

Timing: Get the translation done after the full authentication and legalization chain is complete. Translating before legalization may require you to translate again if the document receives additional stamps or annotations.

Service option: EcuadorTranslations.com provides certified English-to-Spanish translation and notarization for foreign documents, with a standard rate of approximately $150 per document. This service handles the standard format of police clearance certificates and can work with documents from any country.

Ecuador requires that your Certificate of Good Conduct be issued within 180 days of your visa application date.

Critical rule that most applicants get wrong: The 180-day clock pauses while Ecuador is actively reviewing your application. The certificate does not expire during processing. If Ecuador takes 45 days to review your application, those 45 days are not counted against the 180-day window.

This means: - If your certificate is issued on Day 1 and you submit your visa application on Day 60, you still have 180 days of validity remaining — none of which is consumed during the review period - The 180-day limit applies to the window between issuance and the date you submit your application

Practical implication: Given that the South Sudan process can take significantly longer than in other countries, start as early as possible. Aim to submit your visa application within 90–120 days of your certificate's issuance date to build in buffer time.

Warning: If institutional delays in South Sudan push your certificate past the 180-day mark before you can complete authentication and submit your visa application, you may need to start over. This is a real risk with South Sudan's processing times — plan accordingly.

Ecuador requires background checks from every country where you have lived in the past 5 years, not just your country of citizenship.

For many South Sudanese nationals, this means obtaining police clearance certificates from countries such as: - Uganda — where the largest South Sudanese refugee population resides - Kenya — another major host country - Ethiopia — significant refugee population - United States — if you hold TPS (Temporary Protected Status) or have resided there - United Kingdom, Germany, or other European countries — if you have lived there

Each certificate must go through its own authentication process (apostille if the country is a Hague Convention member, or consular legalization if not). Some of these countries have much faster and more reliable processes than South Sudan — consider starting with your South Sudan certificate since it will likely take the longest.

If you have lived in a country with a well-functioning online PCC system (such as the FBI Identity History Summary for the U.S., or the ACRO system for the U.K.), apply for those certificates in parallel with your South Sudan application to save time.

This is a real possibility that must be addressed honestly.

South Sudan's institutional infrastructure is still developing. Civil conflict, displacement, and limited government capacity mean that some applicants will face genuine difficulty obtaining official documents — or may find it impossible within a reasonable timeframe.

If you cannot obtain the certificate, consider these options:

1. Contact Ecuador's immigration authority directly — Explain your situation to the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana. Ecuador may accept alternative documentation, statutory declarations, or make exceptions for applicants from countries with documented institutional challenges.

1. Consult the Ecuadorian consulate handling your application — Ask specifically what alternative documentation they will accept if the Certificate of Good Conduct is unobtainable.

1. Obtain a statutory declaration or affidavit — Some immigration authorities accept a sworn statement from the applicant, made before a notary or commissioner of oaths, declaring that a background check was unobtainable and explaining the circumstances. This is not guaranteed to be accepted by Ecuador but may be worth preparing as a supplement.

1. Engage an immigration attorney in Ecuador — A qualified attorney can advise on precedent cases and the most current policies regarding applicants from countries with limited document issuance capacity.

Do not fabricate documents or use unofficial intermediaries who promise certificates without proper process. Fraudulent documents will result in visa denial and potential immigration bans.