This Guide is about how foreign nationals obtain a Certificate of No Criminal Record in Sanya, China. The certificate is also known as a police certificate/check/clearance in other countries.
Foreign nationals may need to obtain a Certificate of No Criminal Record in China for a variety of reasons including immigration, employment, etc. Typically, a Certificate of No Criminal Record is not acceptable for these purposes until it is notarized by a local notary office in China. For use in some countries, it also needs to be apostilled by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs or authenticated by the embassy representing the country where the certificate is to be used. This Guide covers the two primary steps, namely “STEP 1: Application for Certificate of No Criminal Record” and “STEP 2: Notarization of Certificate of No Criminal Record”.
STEP 1: Application for Certificate of No Criminal Record
WHERE TO APPLY?
For foreign nationals, your application for a Certificate of No Criminal Record application should be filed with the Division of Exit and Entry Administration of Sanya Public Security Bureau. For its contact information, please visit China’s National Immigration Administration (NIC) and select “Sanyan”.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
A foreigner applicant is required to provide the following documents
- Passport(s). (NOTE: If you used an old passport during the period sought to be covered by your police certificate, you need to provide both your old and current passports.)
- Power of attorney, if a third-party is appointed to handle the application.
Our experience shows that foreigners who have held residence permits issued from Sanya always get Certificate of No Criminal Records successfully. It is unclear whether foreigners holding other types of visas are also eligible for applying for the certificate. Other types of visas include M (trade and commerce) visa, F (exchange visitor) visa, and L (tourist) visa.
PROCESSING TIME
4 working days.
SAMPLE CERTIFICATE OF NO CRIMINAL RECORD
The Provisions on the Handling of Criminal Record Check by Public Security Organs provides a basic model Certificate of No Criminal Record. The model contains a QR code which is used for verification and a statement regarding no criminal record. Local police in different cities issue the certificates with slight variations in the layout.
STEP 2: Notarization of Certificate of No Criminal Record
WHERE TO APPLY?
After you get your Certificate of No Criminal Record from the Division of Exit and Entry Administration, you can submit it to a local notary office for issuance of a Notarial Certificate of No Criminal Record. As mentioned previously, only the notarial certificate can be used abroad for purposes of immigration, employment, school attendance, etc.
Currently, there are two notary offices in Sanya that are licensed to handle foreign-involved notarization. For their contact information, please visit Sanya Notary Public Office and Sanya Fenghuang Notary Public Office.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
- Passport(s)
- Certificate of No Criminal Record
- Power of attorney, if a third-party is appointed to handle the application.
In our experience, some notary officers may also require you to provide a Temporary Residence Registration Form.
PROCESSING TIME
1 to 3 working days