PHILIPSBURG:---In its effort to further streamline the application process of certificates of conduct, the Ministry of Justice has sought to deepen its cooperation with the Public Service Center (PSC). The new process that is being adopted is similar to that which takes place in Curacao. Initially, the Prosecutor’s office maintained the mandate to provide certificates of conduct, however, earlier this year, the mandate was retracted on March 27, 2020.
After careful review and deliberation of the entire process, the necessary steps have been taken to give the Public Service Center the mandate of providing the certificates of conduct to the applicants in cases of a positive review. During the discussions, there have been delays in the handling of requests. However, it is expected that as soon as the process is completed, a start will be made with reducing the existing backlog. Momentarily, owing to the urgent need of students who are travelling abroad to pursue their tertiary studies requiring certificates of conduct, applications for this group are being processed.
PSC is responsible for the intake process which involves the applicants submitting a completed application form with all relevant documents. Thereafter, PSC submits a completed file of the applicant’s information to the Prosecutor’s Office whom by law, is responsible to provide the Minister of Justice with judicial documentation of the applicants. Once no existing concerns have been found, PSC may then provide the applicant with a certificate of good conduct. However, in the event that the judicial documentation indicates a criminal record, the application then goes through a further review process for a final decision.
In order for persons to request a certificate of conduct, they are advised to book an appointment online and submit their application by visiting appointments.sintmaartengov/services. Once the application process for certificates of conduct is in full operation, the general public will be informed via the Government’s website and Facebook pages.
