A overlooked item that may be required when changing jobs is your criminal record covering the time you were living in China. Most of us will have had to deal with obtaining a criminal record check from our own countries when going through the Chinese work visa process, but a lot will forget that the Chinese criminal record check may also be vital!
This article explains how you can obtain your Chinese criminal record certificate in China and, for those who have already left the country, we outline how you can obtain it if you aren’t in China anymore.
Obtaining a Criminal Record Certificate in Chengdu.
Police will provide a certificate to anyone holding a Work (Z), Student (X) or Journalist (J1) visa. Holders of other visa type can apply, but the process may be slightly different.
The process is relatively simple. First, you need to go to your local Public Notary Office (this is not necessarily at the same location as the Public Security Bureau) with the following necessary documents:
Passport (containing Chinese visa)
Passport copy
Passport photos
Residence Permit
Work Permit
A letter from your school or employer which confirms your employment
Your employment contract
The application fee
With these documents ready, you simply submit an application, along with payment, and your certificate will be produced. Normally it takes about a month to process.
This service is offered to Chinese nationals and foreigners alike, so there’s a strong chance that most of the process will be done in Chinese, rather than having any helpful English guidance at any point. You may want to take a Chinese friend along to help out.
Required Documents
- Passports
- Registration Form of Temporary Residence
- Alien Employment Permit, Foreign Expert Permit or Foreign Work Permit (Optional)
- Graduation Certificate or Degree Certificate (Optional)
- Letter of Authorization
With these documents ready, you simply submit an application, along with payment, and your certificate will be produced. Normally it takes about a month to process.
This service is offered to Chinese nationals and foreigners alike, so there’s a strong chance that most of the process will be done in Chinese, rather than having any helpful English guidance at any point. You may want to take a Chinese friend along to help out.
Information for other cities in China
Chengdu
In Chengdu, a foreigner who needs a China police certificate must apply to a local notary office with the power to issue foreign-related notarisations. Upon accepting the application, the notary office will request the Division of Exit and Entry Administration of Chengdu Public Security Bureau (PSB) to run a criminal record check and return the check result to the notary through an internal channel. The notary will issue a notarial police certificate based on the check result. Applicants cannot apply to the PSB directly.
While there is a number of such notary offices in Chengdu, we always file applications with Chengdu Notary Public Office which is the biggest notary office in the city. Please use the search function on our website (www.chengdu-expat.com) to find other options.
Shanghai
In Shanghai’s district (including Shanghai Municipality and the provinces of Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang), the local Notary Public is responsible for issuing such a certificate.
Chongqing
In Chongqing’s district (including Chongqing Municipality and provinces Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan), the nearest police station (to be visited first) and the local notary public are both responsible for issuing such a certificate.
Shenzhen and Guangzhou
In Guangzhou and Shenzhen, the local Notary Public is responsible for issuing such a certificate.
Beijing
In Beijing you could reach out to a company called Shuang Xiong which offers this service for current or former residents of Beijing; it takes approximately 6 working days, and two copies are issued – one each Mandarin and English.
Obtaining a Criminal Record Certificate from Outside China
Most cities and locations will allow you to appoint a representative to apply on your behalf. For this, you need a friend or contact in China that is willing to go to the PSB on your behalf. Then, the required documents and process is identical to the process above with addition of the following. When your representative applies on your behalf, they also need to bring with them the following:
- His or her Chinese ID card
- A signed authorisation letter from you. You can print this out and sign it in pen then scan the letter and email/ send them the letter to print out in China
As with all regulations and jurisdictions these will change slightly according to location and time of applying. The above is a guide to show you the general process and should point you in the direction of getting your no criminal conviction certificate from China.
Translating the Certificate into Another Language
You can have the certificate translated at the Public Notary Office. To do this, you need to provide the following:
Your original Chinese criminal record certificate
Your passport (containing visa and residence permit)
With these documents, your certificate will be translated.
