Japan Police Clearance from Philippines

[PhilandBel 0]

Hello,

I hope someone can help. My fiancee is in the Philippines and is about to receive the packet for the rest of the K1 visa application process. She lived in Japan for 3 years and will need to obtain police clearance. The Japanese Consulate told her that she would need a Police Clearance Request Letter from the US Embassy. Has anyone else been through a similar process, is there a form or letter she needs to request from the US Embassy?

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks,

Phil

[Delete This 0]

Hello,

I hope someone can help. My fiancee is in the Philippines and is about to receive the packet for the rest of the K1 visa application process. She lived in Japan for 3 years and will need to obtain police clearance. The Japanese Consulate told her that she would need a Police Clearance Request Letter from the US Embassy. Has anyone else been through a similar process, is there a form or letter she needs to request from the US Embassy?

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks,

Phil

My wife who is a filipina also lived in Japan. In her case she was also a legal resident of Japan so we went through the visa process in Japan. At the interview she was told she needed a second police clearance from the Philippines. The embassy kept her passport and told her they would order the Philippine police clearance through the US embassy in the Phillipines. So I would think that in your case you would make the request at the embassy in the Philippines and provide them what ever documentation you have (NAO2 should work). The Philippine embassy would contact the US embassy in Japan and they would request the police clearance.

Hope this helps, Cheers and good luck.

[RIDION 0]

Just to share with you guys what a fellow VJ'er (Countryboy) had advised about Japanese police clearance in the Philippines

"Your fiancee need to have the japanese police clearance before the interview to avoid delay for the visa processing.Your fiance can request her police clearance as soon she have the MNL CASE #. She needs to go to the USEM WINDOY X, and ask for an authorization letter requesting to obtain a police clearance from Japan embassy in Manila. It takes about two to three months, she needs to bring her noa1 and approval notice from USCIS, and her MNL CASE #. She needs to show it to the guard at USEM and tell the guard her purpose."

Hope this helps. Good luck & God bless.

Edited April 6, 2008 by RIDION

[let-it-be 36]

Hello,

I hope someone can help. My fiancee is in the Philippines and is about to receive the packet for the rest of the K1 visa application process. She lived in Japan for 3 years and will need to obtain police clearance. The Japanese Consulate told her that she would need a Police Clearance Request Letter from the US Embassy. Has anyone else been through a similar process, is there a form or letter she needs to request from the US Embassy?

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks,

Phil

http://travel.state.gov/visa/frvi/reciproc...ocity_3591.html

Police Certificates

Available. Japanese police certificates will not contain information about criminal convictions when:

1. The period of suspended sentence has ended;

2. The penalty of the crime was a fine, and the crime occurred more than five years ago;

3. The term of the prison sentence ended more than ten years ago; or

4. The conviction was vacated or the criminal was subject to a pardon or amnesty.

Persons convicted of crimes in Japan may obtain court conviction records indefinitely. The headquarters' records section of the Metropolitan or Prefectural police issues certificates which include a nationwide criminal records check.

Applicants Physically Present in Japan: Foreign nationals holding legal resident status and Japanese citizens must apply in person at the Metropolitan or Prefectural police headquarters having jurisdiction over their present place of residence in Japan. Processing time: approximately 3 weeks.

Applicants Outside of Japan: Former legal residents, former illegal aliens, and Japanese citizens, should apply at the nearest Japanese Consulate. Processing time: Two to three months.

Applicants Physically Present in Japan as Illegal Aliens: Officially, the Japanese police will not process requests for police good conduct certificates from illegal aliens while they are physically present in Japan. In some cases, however, the police will issue the appropriate police certificate, provided that the illegal alien submits to deportation proceedings and agrees to leave Japan by a date specified by Japanese Immigration.

U.S. Forces, Japan (USFJ): Criminal records of the Japanese and USFJ police are not cross-indexed. Therefore, a crime that occurred in one jurisdiction may not be reported to the police of the other jurisdiction. USFJ applicants, (civilian employees or military personnel, and family members), who are physically present in Japan under the Status of Forces Agreement, (SOFA) must show the results of a check of both Japanese and USFJ criminal records. This type of USFJ police certificate will explicitly state that Japanese as well as USFJ criminal records were both checked and give the results. Processing time: Approximately two months.

Other USFJ police agencies issue a police certificate stating that only USFJ criminal records were checked. Processing time: Approximately two weeks. Such applicants must then obtain a separate Japanese police certificate, as described above.

USFJ police certificates are unavailable to applicants outside of Japan. However, Defense Department law enforcement agencies may be able to determine if an applicant, who formerly resided in Japan under the SOFA, engaged in criminal activity.

[sugar 0]

Hi there sixfootphil... I have the same situation with you.. I've been in Japan 3 times... 2004,2005 and 2006. I went there just for visiting relatives only. The first time i went there, japan embassy gave me 3 months visa, then after that my sister applied for visa extension for 1 month. In 2005 i applied for vising relative Visa again but they just gave me 2 weeks. And after a year i applied again for visiting relatives visa and they gave me 3 months to stay in japan. Then my sister applied for another 3 months extension and they approved it. I stayed there last February 23 until August 22, 2006. Here's My question.. Do i need to get police certificate from japan since the packet says that if you live in other countries in 6 months or more that you are more than 16 years old.? In my case its just a visiting relative/tourist visa and not for work and it is one day to make it 6 months.. Is it counted as 6 months?... Hope that someone can help me too...

Sorry sixfootphil for posting this to your post.. Since we had the same situation.. Hope you dont mind...

I also hope we can find answers to our questions from other VJers member

Thanks,

Sugar

Edited April 6, 2008 by sugar

[PhilandBel 0]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your responses, so much paperwork! Phew! LOL.

Well my fiancee lives in Cebu and is not easy for her to get to Manila so we are going to try calling the US Embassy to see if we can request the authorization letter from the Embassy to be mailed to her. If she gets the letter she can go to the Japanese Consulate in Cebu who can process the request for the Police Clearance.

[PhilandBel 0]

Hi Sugar,

My guess is that it would be required since it is so close to 6 months, esp since the requirement is 6 months and not 180 days.

Anyone else have any thoughts?

Phil

[PhilandBel 0]

I called the embassy and the woman said that they do not give out police clearance request letters, she said that he heard from other callers that they had the same problem and that the Consulate may not accept the letter in the Visa packet as proof of the need for police clearance.

If we can't get police clearance before the interview, the embassy will then issue a letter that states the need for police clearance and that can be taken to the Japanese embassy and then we would still have to wait 2-3 months for them to process that.

She said that it should just be possible to mail the police clearance to the embassy and a second interview probably would not be required but it is on a case by case basis.

Just thought I'd put the information out there.

We are waiting for the packet to arrive and then we can get going on that.

Phil

[Riccar08 0]

I called the USE 3 times and they kept saying I did not need a request letter from the USE to get a Police cetificate. The Japanese Embassy will not let you apply for the Polce certificate without a request Letter from the USE, I called to confirm this. It takes 2 - 3 months to get the Police Certificate from Japan.

From what I read here on Visa Journey from others who got the request letter from the USE.

So I called the USE again. And told them I need my fiance to pick up the request letter from Window X. The Japanese Embassy will not give her the application without a request letter. I did not ask for the letter this time, I told them I need to pick it up and insisted ! They said to go to Gate 2 and show the guard your passport, and interview confirmation number. Telll the guard you are there to pick up the request letter from window X. You need to go to gate 2 between 1:00pm and 1:30 pm to be let in.

I also sent the embassy a Fax requesting the letter, but that did not help. But at least they will have record of my request.

Then you go to Japanese Embassy for the Police certificate. Bring the request letter and your passport. They will give you forms to fill out and send you for fingerprints cost 500 php, no charge for the police certificate. Then bring the fingerprints back to the Japanee embassy, with the application. I heard others who got the PC in 6 weeks.

Start calling the Japanese Embassy in 4 weeks to check if they received the PC yet. They will not call you when they get it. You will have to pick up the PC when it arrives from the Japanese Embassy. You will need to show your passport to pick up the PC.

NOTE MY FIANCE IS GOING TO GET HER PC AND MEDICAL DONE IN THE SAME TRIP TO MANILA IN 1 WEEK.

GET THE PC FIRST, BECAUSE ST LUKES WILL KEEP HER PASSPORT. WHEN YOU GO TO THE INTERVIEW ( WE SCHEDULED OURS FOR 7 WEEKS AFTER WE APPLIED FOR PC ) CALL THE JAPANESE EMBASSY. HOPEFULLY THEY WILL HAVE THE PC NOW. BUT YOUR FIANCE CANT PICK IT UP BECAUSE ST LUKES SENT HER PASSPORT TO THE USE.

LET THEM KNOW AT THE INTERVIEW YOU NEED YOUR PASSPORT TO PICK UP THE PC. OR THE PC WILL BE READY VERY SOON AND A SECOND TRIP TO MANILA WILL BE REQUIRED TO BRING THE PC FROM THE JAPANESE EMBASSY TO THE USE. THEY WILL UNDERSTAND THIS AT YOUR INTERVIEW. HOPEFULLY I WORKED OUT THIS MESS OF HAVING TO WAIT AN EXTRA 2 - 3 MONTHS AFTER YOUR INTERVIEW.

My only concern is if they will accept a medical from St Lukes if it is 6 or 7 weeks prior to the interview.

My fiance and I are planning her trip for next week to get her PC and medical done together the same week.

Allow 2 days to get the PC and 2 - 3 days for the medical. But this will save us from having to fly her to Manila twice and hotel expenses.