This post is about how foreign nationals obtain a Certificate of No Criminal Record in Tianjin, China. The certificate is also known as a police certificate/check/clearance in other countries.
Around the end of 2020, the exit and entry administration in each district of Tianjin became the police agency that issues Certificates of No Criminal Record to foreign residents within the same district. Previously, the applications were all filed with the Division of Exit and Entry Administration of Tianjin Public Security Bureau (PSB). Back in 2017, the responsible police agency was Tianjin Criminal Science & Technology Research Institute. These changes show the efforts made by Tianjin police authorities to improve their dealings with the matter.
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: Get Notary Letter
WHERE TO APPLY?
The first step is to visit a local notary office in Tianjin and get a letter titled “Request for Foreigner Criminal Record Check” issued by the notary office. This letter is a required document for applying for your Certificate of No Criminal Record with the local police.
The notary’s letter is put into a sealed envelope. You will need to deliver the envelope to the district office of exit and entry administration.
There are multiple notary offices in Tianjin. We often go to Tianjin Beifang Notary Public Office, which is probably the biggest notary office in Tianjin.
WHO ARE ELIGIBLE?
Any foreign national who has a valid passport.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS?
- Passport(s)
- Power of attorny, if a third-party is appointed to handle the application.
PROCESSING TIME?
On the spot.
STEP 2: Application for Certificate of No Criminal Record
WHERE TO APPLY?
After you get the notary’s letter, you can apply for a Certificate of No Criminal Record with the district office of the PSB’s exit and entry administration in the same district where you live. Tianjin Public Security Bureau publishes the contact information of all the district offices.
WHO ARE ELIGIBLE?
- Have had Temporary Residence Registration Forms issued by local police station(s) in Tianjin.
- Have lived in Tianjin for 180 days or longer.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS?
- Passport(s)
- Power of attorney, if applicable.
- Notary’s Request for Foreigner Criminal Record Check
PROCESSING TIME?
3 business days.
STEP 3: Return to Notary Office for Notarization
After you get the envelope containing your Certificate of No Criminal Record, you need to deliver the envelope to the notary office. Then, the notary office will proceed to issue a Notarial Certificate of No Criminal Record with English translation or other language translation as ordered by you. Typically, this final procedure takes about 3 to 5 days.