China Police Certificate is also known as China Police Clearance Certificate, Certificate of Character, Good Conduct Certificate, Police Check, Clearance Certificate or Criminal History Record Check.
You might need a China Police Certificate for many reasons abroad, including school enrollment, employment, residence, adoption , and immigration.
Who Needs a China Police Clearance Certificate?
1. Individuals currently working, studying, or living in China for more than six months for applications of Chinese work visa or permanent residence.
2. You may need a Chinese police clearance certificate for some work visa, immigrant visa or citizenship applications for some countries such as United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Spain, South Africa, France.
3. People working or volunteering with vulnerable groups i.e. children, medical patients, the elderly might be asked by employer or volunteer organization to present a China non-criminal record check.
Sample of Shanghai Police Clearance Certificate
China Police Certificate
Who is eligible to apply for China Police Certificate?
Individuals have worked, studied, or lived in China for a continuous period of 6 months, or more are eligible to apply for China Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate. Generally, people have lived in China for more than 6 months with long-term visas such as Z (work), X1 (study) or J1 (journalist) visa can apply for a China Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate.
Note: Note: 6 months refers to accumulated period of residence with long-term residence permit in China, or continuous period of residence with short-term China visa.
Chinese visas fall into two categories: short-term visas and long-term visas. The long-term visa and long-term visa consist of several types, which are respectively marked as below.
Long-term Visas
- Work Visa（Z）
- Student Visa（X1）
- Family/Personal Visit Visa（Q1）
- Relatives of Foreigners（S1）
- Journalist Visa（J1）
Short-term Visas
- Tourist Visa（L）
- Student Visa（X2）
- Family/Personal Visit Visa（Q2）
- Relatives of Foreigners（S2）
- Journalist Visa（J2）
- Non-commercial Visit Visa（F）
- Business Visa（M）
- Crew-member Visa（C）
- Transit Visa（G）
Who can issue a China Police Certificate?
In accordance with the policy “Provisions on The Investigation of Criminal Records by Public Security Organs” issued on December 3 2021, for those lived in China for more than 6 months applying for Non-Criminal Record Certificate, they should request it at Exit-entry Administration Bureau of Municipal/Provincial Public Security Bureau. This policy took effect on December 31, 2021. Policy of China Public Security Ministry
Steps to apply for China Police Certificate
The Exit-Entry Administration Bureau of the Public Security Bureau conducts criminal background checks and issues China Police Certificate. The China Police Certificate will then be submitted to the local Notary Public Office for a notarial certificate of non-criminal record.
Cases China Police Clearance Certificate is unobtainable
There are cases that China Police Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate is unobtainable. You may not be able to obtain the China Police Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate if:
- You have a criminal record in China.
- You have been in China on a tourist visa, business visa, or study visa (X2) for less than 6 months; or you have not been in China for 6 consecutive months.
- You did not register the temporary residence registration form during your stay in China.
Solutions if China Police Clearance Certificate is unobtainable
In some cases, applicants cannot obtain the China Police Certificate or a police certificate covering all periods of their residence in China. Some immigration/ employment authorities in foreign countries may grant an exemption of the submission of overseas police certificate.
To apply for exemption, we can provide a declaration letter issued by our company explaining why the police certificate is unobtainable.
Processing time for applying for China Police Certificate
2-3 weeks excluding mailing time
Required supporting documents for applying for China Police Clearance Certificate are as follows:
- Scan copy of current and previous passport photo pages, the pages with China visa, the pages with Chinese residence permit and the pages with China exit & entry stamps.
(See photo page sample) (See China visa sample) (See residence permit sample) - Scan copy of the temporary residence registration form (TRRF).（See sample）
- If you are working or ever worked in China, you need to provide scan copy of work permit to apply for Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate. If you are studying or ever studied in China, you need to provide scan copy of diploma or scan copy of degree to apply for Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate. ( Sample old version | new version）
- If you cannot submit documents in person, you need to provide a Power of Attorney (POA) to nominate a representative to apply for Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate on your behalf. Sample of POA is as follows:
I, , hereby authorize the following representative to request China Police Certificate and the notarization inside the P.R.C. on my behalf. - In some cities of China, the police department may request applicants to provide the letter of good conduct issued by school or company stating that they were not informed that the applicants had committed any criminal offences during their studies or employment.
- Questionnaire in an electronic format. Please fill out the questionnaire and send it to info@intrz.com. Questions mainly include:
▸ Which country will your Police Clearance Certificate / Non-Criminal Record Certificate be used for? and for what purpose (work visa, student visa, permanent residence, immigration, court requirements, residence permit)?
▸ Which Chinese city did you live/stay in? Which city’s Police Clearance Certificate / Non-Criminal Record Certificate would you like to request?
▸ What period should a Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate cover?
▸ If you hold student visa during the period of your residency in China, please provide the name of the school you are studying or had studied before in China.
Documents requirements for China Police Certificate Request
▸ Above mentioned documents should be scanned by scanner and sent to info@intrz.com as attachment. Documents scanned by Cam Scanner and clear photos of documents are also acceptable.
▸ Minimum Resolution: at least 200dpi.
▸ Accepted formats: PDF, jpg, png.
Can applicants authorize a representative to apply for Police Clearance Certificate?
Most Chinese cities allow a representative to apply for a Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate on behalf of applicants. Applicants need to provide an authorization letter to nominate a representative to apply for Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate.
The requirements for authorization letter vary from city to city. Some cities require scan copy of signed authorization letter; some cities need the original signed authorization letter; while the others request applicants outside China to provide signed authorization letter that are notarized by Public Notary and legalized by Chinese Embassy or Consulate.
China Police certificates and IRCC requirements
You must provide a police certificate when you apply for permanent residence, citizenship or some temporary residence programs in Canada. For expats lived in China, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will send you a letter requesting a China police certificate after you submit your application for residence.
The application process of China Police Certificate differs from city to city. You may apply in person or nominate a representative to request on your behalf.
Upon you have obtained the Police Certificate, you will need to submit clear scanned copies of the original Notary Certificate of No Criminal Convictions with the notarized translation issued by the notary public office with your application for Canada residence.
If you are unable to provide a police certificate for a specific reason, or for a specific portion of your stay, this could delay processing for your application. You will need to upload a letter with the following statement: “I cannot provide a police certificate for the full time I spent in China because [insert reason].” The reason indicated will be reviewed, and a determination will be made on its relevance to the missing or required documents or information.
FAQ on China Police Certificate
There is no set period for which China Police Certificate is valid. It is at the discretion of local government officials to determine whether the police certificate is current for their purposes.
Embassies, High Commissions, Consulates, or other authorities will usually require you to produce the China Police Certificate issued less than 6 months before your visa interview or travel date.
Some countries will only accept a Police Certificate that is less than one month old. Please check with the relevant authority before making an application.
No, to maintain the privacy of applicants, the local police station or notary public office cannot disclose any information about a person’s Criminal Record by phone or email, they can only provide general information.
It depends. As the requirement of applying for China Police Certificate varies from city to city, some cities will only accept the original passport. Please check with the relevant Exit-entry Administration Bureau of Public Security Bureau before making an application.
All expats should go to the local police station to check in upon your arrival within 24 hours. This procedure is called temporary residence registration. When you register your residence, you should be given a temporary residence registration form (TRRF).
Your previous passport used in China is the required document to apply for China Police Certificate. If you cannot provide original passport or scan copy of passport, you are not eligible to apply for China Police Certificate.
Police certificate in China is a statement that you don’t have a criminal record while living in China.
You should submit the required documents to Exit-entry Administration Bureau of Public Security Bureau for China Police Certificate, then you should submit China Police Certificate to Notary Public Office for notarization.
According to the policy on applying for China Police Certificate, the city in which you live and the city in which your residence permit is issued should be the same. Therefore, you are not eligible to apply for Beijing Police Certificate since the residence permit was issued in Shanghai. Meanwhile, you are not eligible to apply for Shanghai Police Certificate as you lived in Beijing.
We can help you obtain a police certificate in following cities in China:
Is the city you are looking for not on the list? Contact us at info@intrz.com to find out if we can help you further.
Our all-encompassing service includes:
- Apply for Criminal Background Check/Good Conduct/Police Clearance Letter on your behalf.
- Have your document notarized by the Notary Public, authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and legalized by the Foreign Embassy in China.
- We have helped thousands of clients apply for the notarized certificate. Using our service gives you complete peace of mind and ensures that you get what you need in time you require in a timescale to suit your needs. Our staff are in constant contact with the government department, and as such are fully aware of the steps required to ensure that your application goes smoothly.
Why choose us?
▸ You do not need to apply in person. You just need to send us all scanned documents. We will apply for Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate on your behalf.
▸ If you have residence permit for work, study, or family reunion in China, we can help you apply for Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate.
▸ We provide services including translation, notarization, authentication of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs and legalization of Foreign Embassy or Consulate in China to save your precious time.
How do I get a Police Certificate from China?
▸ Please download the Questionnaire.
▸ Send the Questionnaire and scan copy of the required supporting document mentioned above to info@intrz.com.
▸ We will reply with the quotation and the required supplementary supporting documents.
▸ We prepare the contract for you after receiving all the required documents.
▸ You sign and send back the scan copy of contract and make the deposit.
▸ We start to process the documents.
▸ We send you the scan copy of China Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate and you pay the remaining balance.
▸ We mail the China Police Clearance Certificate/Non-Criminal Record Certificate to you.