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Our law firm routinely assists clients in obtaining China police certificates for purposes such as immigration (to the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries) or employment background checks. Our clients include foreign nationals, including former Chinese citizens, and residents of Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.
What Is a China Police Certificate?
Generally speaking, a police certificate is an official document issued by law enforcement or a government agency that verifies whether an individual has a criminal record in a specific jurisdiction. A police certificate is sometimes referred to as a police clearance certificate (PCC), or no criminal record (NCR) certificate.
In China, applying for a police certificate is a two-step process.
Step 1
Apply to the public security bureau for an 无犯罪记录证明 (No Criminal Record Certificate).
Unlike most countries, in China, a city will only issue to a foreigner a No Criminal Record Certificate covering the time you resided in that city. As a result, if you have lived in multiple locations, you may need multiple certificates. (There are some exceptions, where the public security bureau may issue a certificate covering your residence in other cities).
Requirements for issuance of a No Criminal Record Certificate vary from city to city. A list of the requirements may not even be published, especially in smaller cities. Some cities will issue police certificates to cover only periods that a foreigner:
- has the passport used during residence in the city;
- held residence permits (居留许可) issued in that city issued by the local public security bureau’s exit-entry administration. Such cities will not issue police certificates to cover periods you held short-term visas such as L (tourist), F (visitor), M (business), Q2 (visiting relatives), or X2 (short-term study); and/or
- has temporary residence registration forms (TRRFs) evidencing completion of the temporary residence registration (临时住宿登记) process in that city. Note that if you did complete the process but have lost your TRRFs, our firm can request copies from the public security bureau.
Procedures to apply for a No Criminal Records Certificate also vary from city to city. Most commonly, to apply, the applicant or another person with a power of attorney (委托书) signed by the applicant must first visit the local public security bureau to apply for a police certificate.
Step 2
Apply to a notary public for a notarial certificate of no criminal conviction. A notarial certificate is a white A4-sized booklet with the title 公证书 （notarial certificate) and the name of the notary office.
The contents of the booklet will differ depending on the intended use of the certificate. For example:
- Sample notarial China police certificate for submission to U.S. immigration authorities
- Sample notarial China police certificate for submission to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada
What Periods Should You Apply for China Police Certificate to Cover?
- United States: According to U.S. State Department rules at 9 FAM 504.4-4(B), an immigrant visa applicant 16 or older must present an original or certified police certificate for:
- Their country of current residence if they have lived in that country at least six months.
- Their country of nationality, if they have lived in that country at least six months at any time.
- Any countries of previous residence in which they lived for one year or more since attaining the age of 16.
- Regardless of age, any country where the applicant has ever been arrested or the consular officer has reason to believe that a police or criminal record which would render the applicant ineligible to receive a visa might exist.
- Canada: The period you should apply for a police certificate to cover will depend on the visa program you are applying through. For example, for Express Entry, you need a police certificate for “every country you stayed in during the last 10 years for 6 months in a row or longer.”
Note on Unobtainable Police Certificates
There are cases where a China police certificate is unobtainable because you don’t meet one or more of the local requirements.
The United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries will waive the police certificate requirement upon presentation of proof that the police certificate is unobtainable. For instance:
- United States: “In the event that the immigrant establishes to the satisfaction of the consular officer that” a police clearance “is unobtainable, the consular officer may permit the immigrant to submit … other satisfactory evidence of the fact to which such document or record would, if obtainable, pertain.” 9 FAM 504.4-4(F) (emphasis added). Such other satisfactory evidence that a person has no criminal conviction may include, for example, “proof of membership in or affiliation with a reputable religious organization in a religious capacity during periods of foreign residence may be accepted as such evidence.” 9 FAM 504.4-4(B) (emphasis added). In our experience, an individual’s own affidavit or an employer letter may also be satisfactory evidence that a person has no conviction.
- Canada: Rules require that an applicant show proof that they requested a police certificate from the correct authorities and explain why it cannot be issued.
- Australia: If you are unable to obtain a police certificate, you should demonstrate with documentary evidence where possible, that you have made a genuine attempt to obtain the certificate. The police certificate requirement may be waived if you demonstrate that, given the circumstances, it is unreasonable to require a certificate.
- New Zealand: The police certificate requirement may be waived under INZ Operational Manual A5.10, where an immigration officer who holds the position of immigration manager or has Schedule 3 delegations or above is satisfied that such certificate is “not available” (for example, where authorities of a country do not generally provide such certificates) or “unduly difficult to obtain” (for example, where “circumstances beyond the control of the applicant” prevent them from obtaining the certificate).
Unfortunately, in many situations the public security bureau and notary will not provide documentation showing that an application was made and why it was refused. Our law firm will request that the agency put this decision in writing. If the agency refuses to put the decision in writing, we will document this refusal. We will provide a declaration explaining that the police certificate has been denied and that the denial cannot be overcome through reasonable efforts. The declaration will be accompanied by supporting evidence, relevant Chinese rules about issuance and notarization of police certificates, and certified English translations.
Get a Quote from Our Law Firm
Please follow these three steps to get a quote from our law firm:
1. Client Questionnaire: Each person seeking a police certificate should fill the below Client Questionnaire. We will treat your information confidentially.
2. Pay the Research Fee: The research fee is USD 150 (RMB 1050) for each police certificate you want a quote for. You can find payment instructions here.
3. Submit Your Documents: Please provide to us scans of the documents listed here.
Your quote will include:
- The key local public security bureau and notary public office rules that will apply in your case. Our research about this is important because local requirements and procedures vary, and they are subject to change.
- A prediction as to whether you can meet each of the requirements of those local rules.
- A list of the steps we will take in your case.
- The strategy we propose for dealing with any potential difficulty.
- If our prediction is that you cannot meet all requirements for the police certificate, we will outline the strategy for proving to foreign immigration authorities that the police certificate is unobtainable.
- The legal fees we will charge:
- Each police certificate application: USD 450 to 800 per police certificate application. (The fee may be more if, for example, we need to visit more than 2 government agencies.)
- Additional fee for proving that a police certificate is unobtainable: USD 1200
- Discounts apply if you are applying for multiple certificates or if multiple family members are applying at the same time.
- Estimated processing time: Our processing times vary by city but are typically 4-6 weeks if the police certificate is issued, or 7-10 weeks if we need to prove that the certificate is unobtainable. After the police certificate is issued, we will send it to you via international courier, such as FedEx.
We Can Assist Nationwide
We can assist with applying for police certificates anywhere in Mainland China, including but not limited to the following cities:
- Anhui (安徽): Hefei (合肥)
- Beijing (北京)
- Chongqing (重庆)
- Fujian (福建): Fuzhou (福州), Quanzhou (泉州), Xiamen (厦门)
- Gansu (甘肃): Lanzhou (兰州)
- Guangdong (广东): Guangzhou (广州), Shenzhen (深圳), Shantou (汕头), Dongguan (东莞), Foshan (佛山), Zhuhai (珠海), Huizhou (惠州), Zhongshan (中山)
- Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Zone (广西壮族自治区): Nanning (南宁)
- Guizhou (贵州): Guiyang (贵阳)
- Hainan (海南): Haikou (海口)
- Hebei (河北): Shijiazhuang (石家庄)
- Heilongjiang (黑龙江): Harbin (哈尔滨)
- Henan (河南): Zhengzhou (郑州)
- Hubei (湖北): Wuhan (武汉)
- Hunan (湖南): Changsha (长沙)
- Jiangsu (江苏): Changzhou (常州), Nanjing (南京), Nantong (南通), Suzhou (苏州), Wuxi (无锡), Xuzhou (徐州)
- Jiangxi (江西): Nanchang (南昌)
- Jilin (吉林): Changchun (长春)
- Liaoning (辽宁): Shenyang (沈阳), Dalian (大连)
- Shaanxi (陕西): Xi’an (西安)
- Shandong (山东): Jinan (济南), Qingdao (青岛), Yantai (烟台)
- Shanghai (上海)
- Shanxi (山西): Taiyuan (太原)
- Sichuan (四川): Chengdu (成都)
- Tianjin (天津)
- Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Zone (新疆维吾尔族自治区): Urumqi (乌鲁木齐)
- Yunnan (云南): Kunming (昆明)
- Zhejiang (浙江): Hangzhou (杭州), Jiaxing (嘉兴), Jinhua (金华), Wenzhou (温州), Ningbo (宁波), Shaoxing (绍兴), Taizhou (台州)
Client Testimonials
Thank you for your professional and timely management of my application for a China police clearance.
Gary Chodorow and Pete Zhang were a great help to me in getting an immigrant visa at the U.S. Embassy in London. The Embassy initially denied my application because the public security bureau in China refused to issue me a police clearance on the grounds that I lacked sufficient evidence of my residence there long ago. Then I hired Chodorow Law Offices. With attention to detail and expertise, Gary and Pete prepared evidence that persuaded the Embassy to waive the China police clearance requirement and approve my visa application. Thank you!
Pete Zhang, the paralegal who helped with my application for a Nanjing police certificate, was exemplary in every way. He introduced himself at the beginning; responded to questions and requests promptly; showed initiative to track down the right people; and was patient and reassuring, building trust and confidence in his competence and the professionalism of the firm.
Mr. Chodorow was able to prove to a U.S. consular official that it was impossible for my wife to obtain a Chinese criminal record certificate, so the official waived the requirement. He was the only attorney we could find who was capable of handling our complex case. All other attorneys referred us to him after seeing our case.
Further Reading
China Police Certificates: Frequently Asked Questions
Sample notarial China police certificate for submission to U.S. immigration authorities
Samples of selected China immigration documents
New Police Certificate Rules Issued by China’s Ministry of Public Security (Dec. 2021)
Getting China Notarial Certificates for Your U.S. Immigration Case
AmCham Asks Chinese Government to Streamline Issuance of China Police Certificates to Foreigners
China: Foreign Nationals Must Register Their Residence with Local Police within 24 Hours
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