This guide is about how foreign nationals obtain a Certificate of No Criminal Record in Shanghai, China. The certificate is also referred to as a police certificate/check/clearance in other countries.
The rules governing the issuance of Certificates of No Criminal Record in Shanghai are the Provisions on the Handling of Criminal Record Check by Public Security Organs which came into effect on Dec. 31, 2021.
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?
Your application for a Certificate of No Criminal Record should be filed with the Division of Exit and Entry Administration of Shanghai Public Security Bureau or the branch exit and entry administration in the district of your residence.
WHO ARE ELIGIBLE?
- Have had residence permits issued from Shanghai.
- Have lived in Shanghai for 180 days or longer.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS?
- Passport(s)
- Power of attorney, if a third-party is appointed to handle the application. If the applicant lives in another country, the power of attorney needs to be EITHER apostilled by the country’s foreign affairs department OR authenticated by a Chinese consulate/embassy in the country.
PROCESSING TIME?
2 weeks.
SAMPLE CHINA 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 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.
Shanghai has more than 20 notary offices that are licensed to deal with foreign-related notarization. A complete list of the contact information of all the notary offices is provided by Shanghai 12348 Public Legal Service Platform.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS?
- Passport(s)
- Certificate of No Criminal Record
- Power of attorney, if a third-party is appointed to handle the application.
PROCESSING TIME?
1 to 2 weeks.