Police certificates from Australia, China and Italy

[noemi 0]

This is not a question. I just wanted to share how I got police certificates from Australia, China and Italy for my K-1 visa application. I hope that it may help others who have to get certificates from these countries from abroad. At present I live in Japan.

(My stay in Australia and Italy were both just slightly short of 12 months. Therefore, technically I shouldn't have had to get certificates from either country. However, since I didn't have any proof of entry/departure dates, I was required to get them.)

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Australia

Instructions are given on the Australian Federal Police website (http://www.afp.gov.au/business/national_police_checks.html). I received the certificate three weeks after I sent the following items to the AFP.

1. Application form

2. Fingerprint sheets (with my finger and palm prints)

3. Photocopy of data page of my passport

4. Bank draft for AUS 93.64 dollars

Additional notes:

The application form (National Police Check application form) is downloadable from the AFP website.

I called the AFP helpdesk and had them fax the AFP fingerprint sheets (2 pages) and had my prints taken at the local police.

Due to regulations in Japan, the police officer who took my prints didn't sign the fingerprint sheets, but I guess that didn't really matter.

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China

I flew to China and went to the notary office to ask how to get the certificate (weishouguo xingshi chufen gongzhengshu). I received the certificate (with English translation and certificate of translation) two days after I submitted the necessary documents. The fee was 260 RMB. The documents needed were:

1. Photocopy of my passport (data page, visas, stamps for dates of entry/departure)

2. Employment letter from my former employer

3. Letter of good conduct from my former employer

4. Proof of residence letter from the police station (paichusuo) where I was registered

5. Letter of good conduct from the university where I studied

Additional notes:

For me, getting the police certificate from China was very stressful. After a year of trying to work things out from Japan and getting nowhere, I finally decided to go there myself. Having gone through the process, I believe that, in my case, it would have been extremely difficult to have someone else (e.g., friend in China) get it for me. The biggest difficulty was clarifying what documents were needed and getting those documents.

The notary office initially required the temporary hukou (linshi hukou), which they say I should have had during my stay in China. I didn't have it (frankly, I don't know what a linshi hukou is), so they told me to get the proof of residence from the police station (paichusuo) instead.

I hired an interpreter because I knew I would get nowhere with my Chinese. She was a great help, especially at the notary office and the police.

From reading other people's "police certificate stories" from China, I get the impression that procedures are not standardized across the country, and that different notary offices/public security bureaus have their own procedures.

(A sample of the certificate similar to what I got can be found at http://www.hz-notary.com/DownDoc.aspx?type=6)

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Italy

I followed the instructions on the Italian Consulate in Montreal website (http://www.consmontreal.esteri.it/NR/rdonlyres/0680C8E8-58FF-4572-A246-9DB0C695DBA1/5588/casellario1.htm) and received the certificate one month after I sent the application.

I sent the following to Procura della Repubblica presso il Tribunale di Roma, Piazzale Clodio, 00100 Roma.

1. Application letter

2. Bank draft

3. Photocopy of data page of my passport

Additional notes:

The certificate is called Certificato Generale del Casellario Giudiziale.

I made the application letter based on the format found on the website (http://www.consmontreal.esteri.it/NR/rdonlyres/0680C8E8-58FF-4572-A246-9DB0C695DBA1/5597/modulocasellariogiudiziale.htm).

When I applied (July 2008) the fee was 17.72 Euros (3.10 for the certificate and 14.62 for the marca da bollo), but I made a bank draft for more than double that amount because I didn't know how much they required for postage to Japan and I wanted to make sure my application didn't get left on someone's desk.

Information on the certificate can be found on the Ministero della Giustizia website (http://www.giustizia.it/servizi_cittadino/c1-5.htm).

[kiwiana 2]

Thank you very much for the information! very much appreciated!