A China Certificate of No Criminal Record (CNCR) is also known as a police certificate/check/clearance in other countries. Foreign nationals who have lived in China may need a Certificate of No Criminal Record for purposes such as immigration, employment, adoption, or school admission. In most cases, Certificates of No Criminal Record are used in connection with immigration to popular destinations such as the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
SAMPLE CERTIFICATE OF NO CRIMINAL RECORD
Below is a sample Certificate of No Criminal Record issued by the Chinese police. A standard format is provided by the Notice of the Ministry of Public Security on Printing and Distributing the Provisions on the Handling of Criminal Record Checks by Public Security Organs, which is the Chinese national regulation governing the issuance of Certificates of No Criminal Record in China. However, the format can have local variations. For example, although the format prescribed by the national regulations has a QR code, many local police authorities do not include a QR code on the certificates they issue in practice.
SAMPLE NOTARIAL CERTIFICATE OF NO CRIMINAL RECORD
Certificates of No Criminal Record directly issued by the Chinese police are generally not sufficient for use abroad. In most cases, applicants must submit the certificate to a local Chinese notary office for the issuance of a Notarial Certificate of No Criminal Record with translation of a foreign language. Notarial certificates are available in several different formats. It is important for applicants to obtain the correct format required by the relevant foreign authority. Below are a few examples of formats commonly used for immigration purposes.
Format for Australia, UK and New Zealand Immigration
Format for Canada Immigration1
The key feature of this format is that it includes a copy of the Certificate of No Criminal Record issued by the police. Previously, the format used for Canada immigration was the same as that used for Australia, the UK, and New Zealand. However, following updates to IRCC’s instructions regarding China Certificates of No Criminal Record in May 2026, we have begun recommending this format for Canada immigration applications.
Format for U.S. Immigration2
The last two pages of the format for U.S. immigration certify the accuracy of the English translation shown on the preceding page. The translation certification is required by the U.S. authorities.
SAMPLE APOSTILLED NOTARIAL CERTIFICATE OF NO CRIMINAL RECORD
In some cases, notarial certificates must also be apostilled by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) or authenticated by a foreign embassy or consulate in China. Below is a sample Notarial Certificate of No Criminal Record with an Apostille for use in France. The last page contains an Apostille issued by China’s MFA.
FAQs
Does the translation page of a Notarial Certificate of No Criminal Record need a red stamp?
Some applicants may believe it is an error if there is no red seal on the translation page of a notarial certificate. However, this is perfectly normal. We have seen hundreds of notarial certificates in which the translation pages do not bear a red stamp, and these certificates have been accepted by immigration authorities.
How long is a Certificate of No Criminal Record valid for?
A Certificate of No Criminal Record issued by the police is valid for 3 months. However, a Notarial Certificate of No Criminal Record does not have any expiration date. Whether a notarial certificate is valid depends on the purposes for which it is being used. For more information, please see our article: The Validity of China Certificates of No Criminal Record.
Footnotes
- See How to get a police certificate – China published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. It was last modified on 2026-05-28. ↩︎
- See Reciprocity Schedule – China published by U.S. Department of State. ↩︎