Guide for Obtaining Your Certificate of No Criminal Record in Xiamen, China

In this article, we will briefly explain how a foreign national apply for a Certificate of No Criminal Record in Xiamen, China. The certificate is also known as a police certificate/check/clearance in other countries.

This guide was updated after the police authorities in Xiamen changed the rules for issuing Certificates of No Criminal Record according to the Provisions on the Handling of Criminal Record Check by Public Security Organs which came into effect on Dec. 31, 2021. The Provisions for Fujian Public Security Police Stations on Issuance of Certificates of No Criminal Record (Trial Implementation) (2019) may no longer be valid.

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 the Division of Exit and Entry Administration of Xiamen Public Security Bureau. For the contact information of the exit and entry administration, please visit China’s National Immigration Administration (NIC) and select “Xiamen”.

WHO ARE ELIGIBLE?

• Have had residence permits issued from Xiamen.
• Have lived in Xiamen 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?

3 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. Click here to view a sample Certificate of No Criminal Record.

STEP 2: Notarization of Certificate of No Criminal Record

WHERE TO APPLY?

There are always multiple notary offices in Xiamen that are licensed to notarize Certificates of No Criminal Record for use abroad. The most experienced notary office is probably Xiamen Notary Public Office. For the contact information of all the notary offices in Xiamen, please visit the website of 12348 Legal Services of Fujian and select “Xiamen”.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS?

Typically, a notary office will require the following documents:

• Passport(s)
• Power of attorney, if applicable.
• Certificate of No Criminal Record

PROCESSING TIME?

Typically, a notary office takes about 1 week to issue a Notarial Certificate of No Criminal Record.

SAMPLE NOTARIAL CERTIFICATE OF NO CRIMINAL RECORD

Notary offices across the country issue notarial police certificates in the same format. Please take a look at our article, What a China Police Certificate Looks Like.

Our service

At ZhaoZhao, 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.