Obtaining police certificate *AS A CHINESE CITIZEN*

[visafrompa 9]

Have you lived in China?  My first wife and I had to bribe a teacher just to get a meeting for my step daughter to audition for the University in Beijing.  Why?  Because if we didn't the 100 parents behind us would.  I let my wife handle it.  My presence there would only up the amount because I *MUST BE* a rich foreigner (lol no... but hey, stereotypes, ammiright??)

 

Or the moving company that demanded another ¥200 after they already carried some furniture down from the apartment or they would leave.. well, that was more extortion than bribery.

 

Look.... its just the way it is.   There are dozens of social norms in China that I don't agree with (there is a reason I avoid taking anyone to a restaurant) but some you simply cannot ignore and expect to have a good outcome.

 

Feel free to not 'grease the wheels'.  But at the end of the day the IO is going to want to see that police report.  

[Hemutian 68]

8 hours ago, visafrompa said:

Have you lived in China?  My first wife and I had to bribe a teacher just to get a meeting for my step daughter to audition for the University in Beijing.  Why?  Because if we didn't the 100 parents behind us would.  I let my wife handle it.  My presence there would only up the amount because I *MUST BE* a rich foreigner (lol no... but hey, stereotypes, ammiright??)

 

Or the moving company that demanded another ¥200 after they already carried some furniture down from the apartment or they would leave.. well, that was more extortion than bribery.

 

Look.... its just the way it is.   There are dozens of social norms in China that I don't agree with (there is a reason I avoid taking anyone to a restaurant) but some you simply cannot ignore and expect to have a good outcome.

 

Feel free to not 'grease the wheels'.  But at the end of the day the IO is going to want to see that police report.  

I've lived in China for 7 of the last 10 years, and I've never had to pay a bribe, or "grease the wheels" as you say.

My fiancee has lived in China all her life, and she insists that she has never had to pay a bribe, or "grease the wheels", either.

 

She is actually under the impression that to try to bribe the PSB to give her the police certificate would be dangerous, because Xi Jinping has made bribery a high crime, and the PSB could use her attempted bribe to accuse her of a crime and refuse to give her the police certificate.

 

So you can see our 矛盾 here...

[RandyW 149]

4 hours ago, Hemutian said:

I've lived in China for 7 of the last 10 years, and I've never had to pay a bribe, or "grease the wheels" as you say.

My fiancee has lived in China all her life, and she insists that she has never had to pay a bribe, or "grease the wheels", either.

 

She is actually under the impression that to try to bribe the PSB to give her the police certificate would be dangerous, because Xi Jinping has made bribery a high crime, and the PSB could use her attempted bribe to accuse her of a crime and refuse to give her the police certificate.

 

So you can see our 矛盾 here...

 

Exactly - the mayor here in Yulin (where I've lived for 10 years this Dec.) was executed around 20 years ago for demanding bribes in the execution of his duties. My brother-in-law has been under a self-imposed exile ever since (except for a quick early morning visit a couple of weeks ago), since he was a major contributor. The word 'bribe' doesn't seem to exist around here.

 

Be careful, and FOLLOW YOUR WIFE'S LEAD.

[nosleep 130]

I'm following this post because we will need to get the police certificate soon and I wasn't sure how long it would take.  There are a few comments on this thread that i think only people who deal with China would understand.  The advice that would have to agree with most:

 

- Misinformation in the Wechat groups is very real and can cause unneeded stress

- Navigating bureaucracy is true anywhere - take your fiance's lead 

- We haven't experienced any need for bribes; in fact most people have been very willing to help

- I think a lot of the horror stories are due to misinformation or not not going to the right source

 

Just my opinions based on what I have experienced in the last two years.  I realize there scammers all over the world and maybe we've been lucky, but the only real "unethical" event I had was when a man at a florist tried to greatly over charge me for flowers 😆

 

 

 

 

[visafrompa 9]

I just got back from Shenyang and talked to my fiance about the police paper, among other paperwork issues.  She says it should not be a problem (she used to work for a company that did a lot of visa work).  But the thing is she has lived in the city for 5+ years, her huko is up to date and Shenyang is not Tier 88 but Tier 2 and has its ####### together (well, with Chinese characteristics).

 

It seems the people with problems were there temporarily, have no paperwork (like a work/student visa) that would tie them to the city at all, in a PSB sort of way.

 

So I agree that:

 

1.  You need it. 

2.  The IO wants it.

3.  Getting it is really not an issue... unless you have nothing for the PSB to look up.

4.  The Guangzhou consulate says that unless you have been there for AT LEAST a year, you don't need one.  This is the web site, not an official form though.

 

Didn't have to grease any wheels this time.. but I was only there for 5 days and spent most of the time with her and friends.  Had to eat out twice.  God I hate dinners with large groups of family.... although the huge rotating table top is always fun.. until someone does a drive by on the last pork dumpling I was waiting for.  Shu Fu Wang I'm looking at you.

 

[samnrong 52]

Agree with the posts here. Fiancee received her police report no problem. She went to the Gong Zheng Chu (notary office) in her home city (Tier 1) and asked them what documents were needed. They told her she would need a PSB report from her hometown, which she was able to have her mother gather from the local PSB and mail to her. Once all documents were collected the Gong Zheng Chu prepared the "white book" (official report with both Chinese and certified English translation) and notified her about 5 days later when it was ready for pick-up. Entire process was stress-free.

 

As I've discovered during this process, results may vary depending on what city your fiancee is in. Tier 1 cities are the model Chinese cities and the CCP has much overreach in them. In these cities, the bureacracy is orderly, similar to what you'd expect in the US. Makes sense when you think about it. The CCP is attempting to modernize the country and they start with the premier Tier 1 cities first. Government services in these cities operate in an orderly fashion and maybe even more orderly than in the US.

 

If your fiancee is from a Tier 3 city or below, it's possible that there is much less order and local bureacrucy prevails. I'd have your fiancee start by going to the Gong Zheng Chu, as this is the department that prepares the "white books" that the consulate is looking for for birth certificate and police reports. I doubt anything other than these "white books" will work.

 

Good luck!

[Hemutian 68]

19 hours ago, nosleep said:

I'm following this post because we will need to get the police certificate soon and I wasn't sure how long it would take.  There are a few comments on this thread that i think only people who deal with China would understand.  The advice that would have to agree with most:

 

- Misinformation in the Wechat groups is very real and can cause unneeded stress

- Navigating bureaucracy is true anywhere - take your fiance's lead 

- We haven't experienced any need for bribes; in fact most people have been very willing to help

- I think a lot of the horror stories are due to misinformation or not not going to the right source

 

Just my opinions based on what I have experienced in the last two years.  I realize there scammers all over the world and maybe we've been lucky, but the only real "unethical" event I had was when a man at a florist tried to greatly over charge me for flowers 😆

 

 

Thanks for the words of reassurance.

Sounds like we should any info gleaned from the WeChats with a grain of salt (or two)

 

 

[Hemutian 68]

3 minutes ago, samnrong said:

Agree with the posts here. Fiancee received her police report no problem. She went to the Gong Zheng Chu (notary office) in her home city (Tier 1) and asked them what documents were needed. They told her she would need a PSB report from her hometown, which she was able to have her mother gather from the local PSB and mail to her. Once all documents were collected the Gong Zheng Chu prepared the "white book" (official report with both Chinese and certified English translation) and notified her about 5 days later when it was ready for pick-up. Entire process was stress-free.

 

As I've discovered during this process, results may vary depending on what city your fiancee is in. Tier 1 cities are the model Chinese cities and the CCP has much overreach in them. In these cities, the bureacracy is orderly, similar to what you'd expect in the US. Makes sense when you think about it. The CCP is attempting to modernize the country and they start with the premier Tier 1 cities first. Government services in these cities operate in an orderly fashion and maybe even more orderly than in the US.

 

If your fiancee is from a Tier 3 city or below, it's possible that there is much less order and local bureacrucy prevails. I'd have your fiancee start by going to the Gong Zheng Chu, as this is the department that prepares the "white books" that the consulate is looking for for birth certificate and police reports. I doubt anything other than these "white books" will work.

 

Good luck!

Thanks for the report.

 

My fiancee lives in a 2nd tier city now, but her hometown is, I don't think it even counts as a tier city (6th tier? 7th tier?)

Anyway, today went to the Gongzhengchu in the 2nd tier city where we live, and they said they can't help, everything must be done at her hometown Gongzhengchu. So off to her hometown it is then!

 

[samnrong 52]

3 minutes ago, Hemutian said:

Thanks for the report.

 

My fiancee lives in a 2nd tier city now, but her hometown is, I don't think it even counts as a tier city (6th tier? 7th tier?)

Anyway, today went to the Gongzhengchu in the 2nd tier city where we live, and they said they can't help, everything must be done at her hometown Gongzhengchu. So off to her hometown it is then!

 

It likely matters how long she has lived in the city.

 

I do recommend that you ask the current Gong Zheng Chu whether there is any way they can issue the document if you obtaint he appropriate reports from the local PSB. In my fiancee's case, the Tier 1 Gong Zheng Chu prepared the reports after she obtained the relevant PSB documents from her hometown. This may be worth the ask, as the preparation of the document can take a week, thereby forcing you to stay in the local town for an extended period of time.

 

Does she have any family left in the local town that can help? At the end of the day, I'd suggest just doing whatever the officials tell you to do. From my experience, everyone is helpful and just doing their job. If they say go to the hometown, it's likely because that is what is required and they cannot offer you the document, but can't hurt to ask for further clarification.

 

Good luck!

[Dead8oy 18]

Hello everyone,

 

There's a lot of threads labelled Police Certificate so I chose to post here. As background, my wife is a Chinese citizen who was born, raised and has lived all her life in Shanghai - where she still stays while our immigration petition is in progress (since 2017 - we just got the I-130 approved and are awaiting NVC).

 

Today (Sunday, July 14), she called the local police station in her Shanghai district to enquire if there was a particular day or time when she could request the "No Criminal Record" certificate. They replied that this could be done 24x7, and that they would just need her ID and Hukou Bu. To be certain, she then called the Notary office and asked if there was anything in particular that the police office would need, but was told the same. In addition the Notary office offered that if she wasn't sure, they could provide her with a letter stating why she needed the certificate, which she could take to the police station. It would be a long trip back and forth so she declined. Similarly to get the notarized translation (white book), the Notary office advised that they would just need to see the same ID and Hukou Bu documents.

 

So today she waited in line for a few minutes at the police station (there was one other person there), whereupon she presented her documents and told them the reason for the request. Within 5 minutes she had the (rather blank single page ) PSB No Criminal Record certificate. This did not cost any money to obtain.

 

The trip to the notary office took over an hour and a half by bus and subway. This office was busy and most officers were on lunch break so she waited for over an hour. After providing the ID documentation once more, along with the reason for the notarization (immigration), they stated that the notarized translation would be ready for collection by Friday, July 19. This step took 3 and half hours in total. The cost for the Notary was approx 380CNY ($55USD).

 

Apart from being time-consuming, this was quite a simple process, considering all the other posts which circulate on the internet, and while all locations are different, and this is took place in Shanghai, I hope this explanation helps everyone.

 

[Hemutian 68]

8 hours ago, Dead8oy said:

Hello everyone,

 

There's a lot of threads labelled Police Certificate so I chose to post here. As background, my wife is a Chinese citizen who was born, raised and has lived all her life in Shanghai - where she still stays while our immigration petition is in progress (since 2017 - we just got the I-130 approved and are awaiting NVC).

 

Today (Sunday, July 14), she called the local police station in her Shanghai district to enquire if there was a particular day or time when she could request the "No Criminal Record" certificate. They replied that this could be done 24x7, and that they would just need her ID and Hukou Bu. To be certain, she then called the Notary office and asked if there was anything in particular that the police office would need, but was told the same. In addition the Notary office offered that if she wasn't sure, they could provide her with a letter stating why she needed the certificate, which she could take to the police station. It would be a long trip back and forth so she declined. Similarly to get the notarized translation (white book), the Notary office advised that they would just need to see the same ID and Hukou Bu documents.

 

So today she waited in line for a few minutes at the police station (there was one other person there), whereupon she presented her documents and told them the reason for the request. Within 5 minutes she had the (rather blank single page ) PSB No Criminal Record certificate. This did not cost any money to obtain.

 

The trip to the notary office took over an hour and a half by bus and subway. This office was busy and most officers were on lunch break so she waited for over an hour. After providing the ID documentation once more, along with the reason for the notarization (immigration), they stated that the notarized translation would be ready for collection by Friday, July 19. This step took 3 and half hours in total. The cost for the Notary was approx 380CNY ($55USD).

 

Apart from being time-consuming, this was quite a simple process, considering all the other posts which circulate on the internet, and while all locations are different, and this is took place in Shanghai, I hope this explanation helps everyone.

 

Thanks very much for your detailed report. Sounds like a relatively painless procedure.

 

Based on things I've read elsewhere, it sounds like the experience getting this certificate may vary based on location. It's not surprising that the process was so painless in Shanghai, seeing as Shanghai is probably the most modern and developed city in China. My fiancee's hometown is a tiny city in rural China, so the process may not be quite as smooth as it was your you guys, but fingers crossed....

 

[givionte 138]

It's only difficult for non-Chinese citizens to obtain, or Chinese living overseas.  For Chinese, obtaining the no criminal record is a breeze since it's a simple, common procedure.

[Hemutian 68]

1 hour ago, givionte said:

It's only difficult for non-Chinese citizens to obtain, or Chinese living overseas.  For Chinese, obtaining the no criminal record is a breeze since it's a simple, common procedure.

That's good to know.

It's just that there is information out there, on the Chinese internet, circulating amongst Chinese citizens, stating that this certificate is *not* a breeze, that in fact it can be very difficult to obtain since the Chinese law was changed recently to only allow institutions to obtain this certificate and not individuals. But who knows? Maybe the local police bureaus didn't get the message and are continuing to issue the certificates even though Beijing tells them not to? Or maybe the information circulating on the Chinese internets is false, or based in fear-mongering?

[samnrong 52]

1 hour ago, Hemutian said:

That's good to know.

It's just that there is information out there, on the Chinese internet, circulating amongst Chinese citizens, stating that this certificate is *not* a breeze, that in fact it can be very difficult to obtain since the Chinese law was changed recently to only allow institutions to obtain this certificate and not individuals. But who knows? Maybe the local police bureaus didn't get the message and are continuing to issue the certificates even though Beijing tells them not to? Or maybe the information circulating on the Chinese internets is false, or based in fear-mongering?

I don’t think this information is accurate. As many have posted in here, many of us have recently received police certificates from Tier 1 cities without any hassle. Surely if there was a new Chinese law that prevented this it would be prevalent in the Tier 1 cities first. 

 

I actually think the issue is the opposite. Tier 1 cities are likely to be structured bureaucracies and government institutions function in an orderly manner. Lower tiered cities are much more likely to be chaotic than Tier 1 cities when gathering documents.

[Hemutian 68]

13 minutes ago, samnrong said:

I don’t think this information is accurate. As many have posted in here, many of us have recently received police certificates from Tier 1 cities without any hassle. Surely if there was a new Chinese law that prevented this it would be prevalent in the Tier 1 cities first. 

 

I actually think the issue is the opposite. Tier 1 cities are likely to be structured bureaucracies and government institutions function in an orderly manner. Lower tiered cities are much more likely to be chaotic than Tier 1 cities when gathering documents.

Well we will be attempting to get the docs from her Tier 9 city soon, so I will report back to VJ with an update on how easy/hard it was once we know