Police Records from China

[MarkPajr 23]

My fiance and I are trying to figure out how to get her police records from China for our K-1 visa. She currently lives and works in Hong Kong, but her mother can get them in china from her home province (Hunan) when she returns there for chinese new year. The confusion we are facing is my fiance lived in another province (Canton) province during her time as a student, and that's where her family currently lives though her chinese residency (Hukou) is still in Hunan. We can't find any information about this online, but will she require police records from both Hunan and Canton province? Covid in general is making gathering these documents very difficult as she needs to rely on her family to help her.

[nelmagriffin 148]

Greetings! I hope it helps. NG

Reference: China (state.gov)

 

Police Records

Available

Fees: Varies.  Normally RMB 200 - 300  (Notarization Fee: RMB 80 + Translation Fee: Non-standard)

Document Name: Notarial certificate (Gong Zheng Shu)

Issuing Authority: Local Notary Public Office (Gong Zheng Chu)

Special Seal(s) / Color / Format:

1. There are two types of notarial police certificates: notarial certificate of no criminal record and notarial certificate of criminal record.
   • Notarial certificate of no criminal record: Certifies that the applicant has no criminal offense during his or her residence in China. It indicates the applicant’s name, gender, date of birth, ID number, and period of residence in China. NOTE: Notarial certificates of no criminal record issued prior to 2012 may not list the ID number.
   • Notarial certificate of criminal record: Certifies the applicant’s criminal offense and sentencing during their residence in China. It indicates the applicant’s name, gender, date of birth, ID number, conviction information, nature and date of conviction, and date of release. Some certificates also attest that the applicant has no other criminal record beyond the convictions already described. NOTE: Notarial certificates of no criminal record issued prior to 2012 may not list the ID number.
      
2. A notarial police certificate normally contains a watermark, seal, and red stamp.  All notarial documents must have an English translation, and be attached to a certificate stating that the English translation is in conformity with the Chinese original.

Issuing Authority Personnel Title: Notary Public (Gong Zheng Yuan)

Registration Criteria:

1. A National ID card and household registration (Hu Kou Bu).  If the applicant lives abroad, a copy of his or her passport is also required. 
2. If the applicant is a foreign passport holder, the following documents are required:
   • Valid passport, and all Chinese residence permits or visas. 
   • Registration form of temporary residence for foreigners. 
   • Chinese permanent resident card if applicable.
3. Certificate of no criminal offense, or certificate of criminal offense, issued by the Public Security Bureau. 
4. Photographs - at least two.
5. A signed affidavit or authorization certificate from the applicant if someone other than the applicant applies for the certificate on his or her behalf.  The authorized person also needs to provide his/her national ID card.   
6. Other documents requested by the Notary Public (Gong Zheng Yuan).

Procedure for Obtaining: 

1. Complete an application and submit all relevant documents to the Notary Public Office (Gong Zheng Chu).
2. The Notary Public then examines the documents.  If the application is accepted, the applicant pays all related notary fees.
3. Once the review of the submitted documents is completed, the notarial police certificate is issued. 

Certified Copies Available: Certified copies are not available.

Alternate Documents: There are no alternate documents.

Exceptions: Police records are not available for those who were in China in diplomatic status including those working for international organizations, such as the United Nations. 

Comments: While standardized procedures to apply for a notarized document exist in China, in practice, procedures vary depending on locale. Applicants should check the website or contact their local Notary Public Office to obtain specific information regarding required fees and supporting documents. 

 

Court/Prison Records

[MarkPajr 23]

@nelmagriffin Thank you for your response! I don't think we have any confusion about the process itself, we are going to have her mom get the records for us since she lives in mainland china. Our main confusion is around whether we need police records for each individual city/province she has lived within China, or for the country as a whole. The document for her interview is a bit unclear and contradictory on that.

[nelmagriffin 148]

Greetings!

"Country as a whole" Read the guidelines below. I hope it helps. Kind regards, NG

reference:  Civil Documents (state.gov)

 

If you are 16 years of age or older, you must obtain a photocopy of a police certificate from all countries you have lived in using below criteria:

If you ...	AND you...	THEN submit a police certificate from...
Are 16 years old or older	Lived in your country of nationality for more than 6 months at any time in your life	Your country of nationality
Are 16 years old or older	Have lived in your country of current residence (if different from nationality) for more than 6 months	Your country of current residence
Have ever lived in another country for 12 months or more	Were 16 years or older at the time you lived there	The country where you used to live.
Were arrested for any reason, regardless of how long you lived in that city or country, and no matter what age you were		The city and/or country where you were arrested.

Note: Present and former residents of the United States do NOT need to submit any U.S. police certificates.

Important: Police certificates expire after two years, unless the certificate was issued from your country of previous residence and you have not returned there since the police certificate was issued. If at the time of your interview the following three items are all true, you must bring a new police certificate to your visa interview:

• You are more than 16 years old;
• The police certificate submitted to NVC was obtained more than two years ago; and
• You still live in the country that issued the certificate.

[MarkPajr 23]

Hmm, That seems to have slightly different wording than the packet I've found for HK, hence the confusion. :"Lived in a different part of your country for more than 6 months"
https://ustraveldocs.com/hk/K1 Visa Instructions 16June2017.pdf

But, It's possible this one is outdated. She should receive the official current packet in a few weeks, we're just trying to prepare because we know it'll take some time for her parents to be able to get everything.

[Sofitalian 134]

You may share this link to your fiancee for her reference (this is in Chinese).

https://chinanotarypublicoffice.com/n/2316

 

Based on what I read, she will need to apply through the province where she has her Hukou (in this case, Hunan). On the application form, she needs to provide the addresses she has lived other than her hokou address.

 

I was from Hong Kong and had lived in Shanghai for 2 years in the past. When I applied the Police Cert (I did it through an agency), I had to go to the closest border (in my case, Shenzhen) to get my latest record of Entry/Exit before I applied.