This Guide is about how foreign nationals obtain a Certificate of No Criminal Record in Hangzhou, China. The certificate is also known as a police certificate/check/clearance in other countries.
In addition to China’s Ministry of Public Security’s Provisions on the Handling of Criminal Record Checks by Public Security Organs (2022), Zhengjiang Provincial Public Security Department issued a local regulation titled the Provisions on the Handling of Criminal Record Checks by the Public Security Organs of Zhejiang Province (2022). These two regulations are very similar, while the Zhejiang local regulation has a few more details such as the specific requirements for a power of attorney.
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?
A foreign national’s application for a Certificate of No Criminal Record should be filed with a district branch office of the Division of Exit and Entry Administration of Hangzhou Public Security Bureau. The district branch office must have jurisdiction over the district where you have lived and registered your residence. Residence registration details are found in your Temporary Residence Registration Form. For contact information of the exit-entry administration branch office in each district of Hangzhou, please visit China’s National Immigration Administration (NIC) and select “Hangzhou”.
WHO ARE ELIGIBLE?
- Have lived in Hangzhou for 180 days or longer.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS?
- Passport(s)
- Power of attorney
- if a third-party is appointed to handle the application. The power of attorney must be authenticated by a Chinese consulate/embassy if you are living outside of China. However, some police officers may waive the authentication requirement if you provide a notary office’s Criminal Record Investigation Request.
- Notary Office’s Criminal Record Investigation Request (Optional)
- If you have an authenticated power of attorney, you will not need this document. You can get this document at a local notary office in Hangzhou. Note that the police will send your criminal record check result directly to the notary office if you submit this document.
PROCESSING TIME?
3 working days.
SAMPLE CERTIFICATE OF NO CRIMINAL RECORD
STEP 2: Notarization of Certificate of No Criminal Record
WHERE TO APPLY?
There are multiple notary offices in Hangzhou that are licensed to notarize Certificates of No Criminal Record for use abroad. For contact information of all the notary offices in Hangzhou, please visit the websites of the Zhejiang Notary Association or Hangzhou Justice Bureau. Some notary offices also have their own official websites, e.g. Hangzhou Guoli 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.
PROCESSING TIME?
1 to 2 weeks.
SAMPLE NOTARIAL CERTIFICATE OF NO CRIMINAL RECORD
All notary offices across China issue Notarial Certificates of No Criminal Record in the same format. Please take a look at our article, What a Certificate of No Criminal Record Should Look Like.
Our Serice
We are committed to providing foreign nationals with high-quality services for obtaining Certificates of No Criminal Record in China or preparing statements explaining why a certificate is unobtainable. If you are interested in using our service, please fill in a quote request form. Click the below button to get started.