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Police certificate from China - what to do when we're lacking documentation?

skis89

Newbie
Jan 27, 2022
9
0
My partner is a US citizen, I'm a Canadian citizen, and he wants to immigrate to Canada so we can be together. We will be applying for permanent resident sponsorship in 2023 but are trying to be prepared ahead of time since it seems like anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

He lived in Hangzhou from 2012 to 2014, so Immigrations Canada may request a "Certificate of No Criminal Convictions (issued by the local police station and Public Security Bureau [PSB] office) or Notary Certificate of No Criminal Convictions (issued by the Notary Public Office)" from him, and we want to be ready ahead of time in case that happens. Neither one of us can read Chinese or speak any dialect of it.

Firstly, I have no idea what the difference is between a "Certificate of No Criminal Convictions" and a "Notary Certificate of No Criminal Convictions", and have not figured it out after days of attempting to google Chinese terms that I transcribed from looking at sample documents. I have come across probably 10+ services and/or law firms online that are offering one or the other of these things, but all have varying documentation requirements and widely varying costs from $400 CAD to well over $1500 USD, and many of which I'm only partially understanding via Google Translate.

We're in a bit of a pickle with documentation. He still has the passport he used while he lived in Hangzhou, complete with his yearly visas, yearly residence permits, and entry stamps. This we can provide no problem. However, he no longer has a TRRF or any other kind of proof of residence. He lived with a friend in China who took care of all the living arrangements, and the friend recently contacted the real estate agent to ask if he had any paperwork left for my partner, but he does not.

He -also- no longer has any documents that could serve as proof of employment. And the English school that he taught at for his entire stay seems to have shut down in 2015, and every attempt we've made to get in contact with someone who might have a lead on any sort of paperwork on the work or residence front has hit a dead end. (We know what his addresses were, just have no proof of him living at those addresses or working at this place.)

The US Embassy to China advised us to have proof of employment, a clearance certificate from his employer, and proof of residence in order to apply for a certificate, and we're completely SOL on getting any of that. One service specializing in retrieving these certificates warned us that our chances of success are quite low with only a passport/visa/permit.

Are we just completely screwed in getting a clearance certificate for him? I have come across services offering to retrieve a notary certificate with *just* his passport scans, but I also have no clue which services are or aren't legit, or which ones will charge me exorbitantly regardless even if our chances of successfully getting a certificate are low. I've been collecting 40 pages worth of screenshots documenting every avenue we've attempted to go through just to get something that looks like it could possibly be used in a police clearance application, but we've just got nothing, and I don't know how far we need to go or how much money we need to spend just to be told "sorry, couldn't get you a certificate" in order for Canada to accept a letter indicating why he doesn't have the certificate.

I have gotten in contact with a few places offering a service like this, but some of the responses have seemed like canned responses in Chinese that I am definitely not going to completely understand, or really know how to ask the questions I need to ask.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a reputable service we could go to where I can be reasonably confident we'd end up with a certificate at the end?

Alternatively, we DO have an acquaintance who lives in Hangzhou now, but don't really want to inconvenience him if we don't have to. But if the chances of going through an overseas service are too risky, is there somewhere we could ask him to visit for us if we provide authorization? Every search I've pulled up for this problem recommends the "shanghai oriental public notary office", but my partner didn't live in Shanghai. I found a "Hangzhou Orient Notary Public Office of Zhejiang Province" in the Yellow Pages, but am not sure if this is the right place, where we would have to authorize a representative to go. Their website chinanotary.cn allows you to apply online, but then trying to do so takes you to a completely different domain. I have no idea at this point what is legit and what isn't.

This is just too much for us to figure out on our own under these circumstances, as much as we're trying. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
 

jarvisw

Full Member
Sep 23, 2020
49
26
Native Chinese speaker here. I've done a quick search online and this this website seems to have outlined the process of getting a police certificate as a foreigner quite well. Looks like they even have a representative service to get a police certificate for you. Basically if you're outside of China you can still assign someone to apply for it on your behalf, given that you provide them with a consent letter. You can either apply it through the local police station or a notary office. The most important documents to provide are passport info page, Chinese visa page, all entry and/or departure stamps. Look for any residence/working/studying paperwork if any. I don't think the process will take very long time or lots of money. Even CA$400 sounds like a little too much to ask for this (I feel like $100-200 is something more reasonable).

Anyway, hope you can get this done smoothly. Feel free to reply if you've got more questions. Can also help you clear up some of the language barrier problem as well : )
 

skis89

Newbie
Jan 27, 2022
9
0
Native Chinese speaker here. I've done a quick search online and this this website seems to have outlined the process of getting a police certificate as a foreigner quite well. Looks like they even have a representative service to get a police certificate for you. Basically if you're outside of China you can still assign someone to apply for it on your behalf, given that you provide them with a consent letter. You can either apply it through the local police station or a notary office. The most important documents to provide are passport info page, Chinese visa page, all entry and/or departure stamps. Look for any residence/working/studying paperwork if any. I don't think the process will take very long time or lots of money. Even CA$400 sounds like a little too much to ask for this (I feel like $100-200 is something more reasonable).

Anyway, hope you can get this done smoothly. Feel free to reply if you've got more questions. Can also help you clear up some of the language barrier problem as well : )
Thanks so much for your response. I saw that site earlier and sent off a request for quote (it says minimum $500 USD), but there were several documents requested to be uploaded (including a TRRF which we have no way of obtaining since the records have been lost by all parties, and a clearance letter from his employer which we also have no way of obtaining since the employer no longer exists). Do you think that will still be OK?

I'm wondering if we should just ask our friend to apply on our behalf, but I have no idea where we would ask him to even go. The police station or the notarial office (and which notarial office? Is this the right one? https://www.yellowpages.net/phone,86-57185116666,Government-Office,Hangzhou-Shi,CNEN3194887.html )

Thank you sincerely!
 

jarvisw

Full Member
Sep 23, 2020
49
26
Thanks so much for your response. I saw that site earlier and sent off a request for quote (it says minimum $500 USD), but there were several documents requested to be uploaded (including a TRRF which we have no way of obtaining since the records have been lost by all parties, and a clearance letter from his employer which we also have no way of obtaining since the employer no longer exists). Do you think that will still be OK?

I'm wondering if we should just ask our friend to apply on our behalf, but I have no idea where we would ask him to even go. The police station or the notarial office (and which notarial office? Is this the right one? https://www.yellowpages.net/phone,86-57185116666,Government-Office,Hangzhou-Shi,CNEN3194887.html )

Thank you sincerely!
Honestly, I'd say that obtaining such documents like police certificate shouldn't be hard at most of the time. China is not an immigration country, many of the procedures involving foreigners are poorly designed and loosely operated, i.e. they don't have a consistently, clearly specified checklist of documents to bring. So I think it's a good idea to go and ask in person. From my search it looks like the only crucial document is the scanned copy with passport with visas and stamps (so that they can identify you in their system).

If your friend in Hangzhou can speak Chinese I'd suggest him going to the Police Bureau's immigration (pretty sure the address is 上城区婺江路169号 [169 Wujiang Rd, Hangzhou]), where people apply for passports, etc. Or have your friend look up any notary office (i.e. 公证处), which I'm sure there're hundreds of them within Hangzhou and ask them instead. A benefit of letting the notary office obtain the police certificate for you is that, it'll be translated and notarized for you in one shot.

In any case I'd suggest against sending several hundreds of dollars over to someone you saw solely online.

Good luck!
 

skis89

Newbie
Jan 27, 2022
9
0
http://www.chinanotary.cn/chinanotary/index.html

Found this one (杭州市东方公证处, Hangzhou Orient Notary Public Office) which seems to be a very renowned notary office based in Hangzhou. Looking at their website they said they do police certificate.
Thank you so much, this is the website affiliated with the yellow pages listing I wrote so this gives me much more confidence.

I was unsure if this site was legitimate, because I saw that they have online application forms for the police certificate, but when you go to apply, it takes you to an entirely different domain: https://notary-person.1010bao.com/notarization?channelCode=renke (I think the one labelled 未刑 may be what we are looking for). Does that seem like it's OK, and would you recommend we try going this route? (We have another friend who is a Chinese speaker but lives in America who may be willing to help us through the form if we do that. )

I suppose none of this matters if we have someone visit in person. The friend in question who lives in Hangzhou, we actually just got back in contact with recently after several years, so it feels a little awkward asking him to do us favours lol, but he seems willing to help too. I would just like to avoid inconveniencing him unless it is absolutely our last option!
 

jarvisw

Full Member
Sep 23, 2020
49
26
Thank you so much, this is the website affiliated with the yellow pages listing I wrote so this gives me much more confidence.

I was unsure if this site was legitimate, because I saw that they have online application forms for the police certificate, but when you go to apply, it takes you to an entirely different domain: https://notary-person.1010bao.com/notarization?channelCode=renke (I think the one labelled 未刑 may be what we are looking for). Does that seem like it's OK, and would you recommend we try going this route? (We have another friend who is a Chinese speaker but lives in America who may be willing to help us through the form if we do that. )

I suppose none of this matters if we have someone visit in person. The friend in question who lives in Hangzhou, we actually just got back in contact with recently after several years, so it feels a little awkward asking him to do us favours lol, but he seems willing to help too. I would just like to avoid inconveniencing him unless it is absolutely our last option!
That redirected website looks quite convincing, and I think it's common that they use an external portal for online applications and stuff. But I would also consider having your Chinese speaking friend contact them first. On the top right corner of that redirected page there's a WeChat QA code. Your friend can reach out via that. You should make sure that they can do it for foreigners, and they can obtain it for you from the police authority. (From what I see they ask for the original police certificate, meaning they are providing a notary-only service). So you should make sure they actually provide the full service you are looking for before paying.

And yes 未刑 is short for "no criminal conviction" which is the correct thing.
 

skis89

Newbie
Jan 27, 2022
9
0
That redirected website looks quite convincing, and I think it's common that they use an external portal for online applications and stuff. But I would also consider having your Chinese speaking friend contact them first. On the top right corner of that redirected page there's a WeChat QA code. Your friend can reach out via that. You should make sure that they can do it for foreigners, and they can obtain it for you from the police authority. (From what I see they ask for the original police certificate, meaning they are providing a notary-only service). So you should make sure they actually provide the full service you are looking for before paying.

And yes 未刑 is short for "no criminal conviction" which is the correct thing.
Thanks so much for all of your advice here. I'll try to get in contact with them. In the event that they are notary-only and do not also go through the process of obtaining the police certificate for us, what would you recommend that we do? Would we have to ask our friend to go to the police station (and I'm not sure which police stations it would be, I have my partner's complete Chinese addresses on file but I have no idea which police station covers each address)? Or is there another notary service that would be able to provide the full service?

Additionally, do you know if there is a form or something I have to fill out to authorize our friend to request the certificate on my behalf, or is there a letter format we have to follow / some specific verbiage we have to use?

Thanks again!
 

jarvisw

Full Member
Sep 23, 2020
49
26
Thanks so much for all of your advice here. I'll try to get in contact with them. In the event that they are notary-only and do not also go through the process of obtaining the police certificate for us, what would you recommend that we do? Would we have to ask our friend to go to the police station (and I'm not sure which police stations it would be, I have my partner's complete Chinese addresses on file but I have no idea which police station covers each address)? Or is there another notary service that would be able to provide the full service?

Additionally, do you know if there is a form or something I have to fill out to authorize our friend to request the certificate on my behalf, or is there a letter format we have to follow / some specific verbiage we have to use?

Thanks again!
For the consent, I feel like a normal letter would be good enough (needs to be in Chinese or bilingual though). There're lots of templates online and you should ask your Chinese friend for help lol. And if you'll have to apply at the police station, I think you should visit or call the "Municipal Public Security Bureau" first, which is the city-level police department.
 
Last edited:

skis89

Newbie
Jan 27, 2022
9
0
For the consent, I feel like a normal letter would be good enough (needs to be in Chinese or bilingual though). There're lots of templates online and you should ask your Chinese friend for help lol. And if you'll have to apply at the police station, I think you should visit or call the "Municipal Public Security Bureau" first, which is the city-level police department.
You're a lifesaver for providing all this information, I feel like we actually have a clear course of action now. Thank you so much.

I have another question for you, do you know how long police certificates from China are valid for? I know the guideline is generally 1 year regardless of country of origin, but I feel like his passport scans at the point of sponsorship application will show that he hasn't been to China since 2014, and the information on a certificate for 2012-2014 isn't going to be any different if obtained in 2022 vs 2023. I like to get started on this stuff asap just so that we're ready in the worst case scenario, but I'm wondering if maybe it's *too* early when we won't qualify for sponsorship in Canada until next year.
 

jarvisw

Full Member
Sep 23, 2020
49
26
You're a lifesaver for providing all this information, I feel like we actually have a clear course of action now. Thank you so much.

I have another question for you, do you know how long police certificates from China are valid for? I know the guideline is generally 1 year regardless of country of origin, but I feel like his passport scans at the point of sponsorship application will show that he hasn't been to China since 2014, and the information on a certificate for 2012-2014 isn't going to be any different if obtained in 2022 vs 2023. I like to get started on this stuff asap just so that we're ready in the worst case scenario, but I'm wondering if maybe it's *too* early when we won't qualify for sponsorship in Canada until next year.
As per this IRCC guideline, you can use an "outdated" police certificate even if it has an expiry date, as long as "it was issued after the last time you stayed there for 6 months or more in a row, AND it is not for the country where you currently live", which is the case for you.

FYI: This is the IRCC instructions for how to get police certificates in China.
 

skis89

Newbie
Jan 27, 2022
9
0
As per this IRCC guideline, you can use an "outdated" police certificate even if it has an expiry date, as long as "it was issued after the last time you stayed there for 6 months or more in a row, AND it is not for the country where you currently live", which is the case for you.

FYI: This is the IRCC instructions for how to get police certificates in China.
Thanks. I'd seen that page before, but "All of the documents that your local police station (in China) or embassy tells you are needed when you apply" wasn't very specific so I was going off of information about specific documents I got from the US embassy and various law firms. I have been a bit confused reading the IRCC's website in general honestly, because this page says everywhere you've lived in the last 10 years, but the application forms say everywhere you've lived since age 18. (Not that this matters here since living in China was within the last 10 years.)

The page here says I need to provide a China certificate upfront but the application says I only need to provide one for the USA and that I may be asked for China later... So confusing! I'm glad I'm just trying to take care of this now!
 

Stan_the_Man

Full Member
Dec 1, 2022
38
22
Hey guys,

Nov-9 2022 - ITA
Nov-30 2022 - AOR

Could not attach PCC from China:
2012 - 2013 - Changchun - 267 days - residence permit - study --- I am eligible for PCC from Changchun, but there are covid restrictions, so no one can predict how long it would take to obtain it
2015 - Shanghai - 9 days - travel visa - tourism --- I am not eligible for PCC from Shanghai. I do not meet the requirement for 180days of residence in Shanghai
2017 - Beijing - 140 days - temp study visa - exchange semester -- I am not eligible for PCC from Beijing. I do not meet the requirement for 180days of residence in Beijing

For the Police Certificate - China section I attached a 27-page doc with
1. LOE asking
- to extend or waive the requirement for PCC from Changchun
- to waive the requirement for PCC from Shanghai and Beijing
2. a sworn statement of no criminal convictions in China
3. attachments with proofs of attempts to obtain PCC from China

I know, nobody can say if it is going to work out for me. But do you think it is a strong case? Please share your thoughts.
I will keep you guys posted on the updates from IRCC :)
 

irennate

Newbie
Aug 16, 2024
2
0
Hey guys,

Nov-9 2022 - ITA
Nov-30 2022 - AOR

Could not attach PCC from China:
2012 - 2013 - Changchun - 267 days - residence permit - study --- I am eligible for PCC from Changchun, but there are covid restrictions, so no one can predict how long it would take to obtain it
2015 - Shanghai - 9 days - travel visa - tourism --- I am not eligible for PCC from Shanghai. I do not meet the requirement for 180days of residence in Shanghai
2017 - Beijing - 140 days - temp study visa - exchange semester -- I am not eligible for PCC from Beijing. I do not meet the requirement for 180days of residence in Beijing

For the Police Certificate - China section I attached a 27-page doc with
1. LOE asking
- to extend or waive the requirement for PCC from Changchun
- to waive the requirement for PCC from Shanghai and Beijing
2. a sworn statement of no criminal convictions in China
3. attachments with proofs of attempts to obtain PCC from China

I know, nobody can say if it is going to work out for me. But do you think it is a strong case? Please share your thoughts.
I will keep you guys posted on the updates from IRCC :)
Hi. Do you have any update on this?
 

MIT99110110

Member
Feb 28, 2024
10
0
Hey guys,

Nov-9 2022 - ITA
Nov-30 2022 - AOR

Could not attach PCC from China:
2012 - 2013 - Changchun - 267 days - residence permit - study --- I am eligible for PCC from Changchun, but there are covid restrictions, so no one can predict how long it would take to obtain it
2015 - Shanghai - 9 days - travel visa - tourism --- I am not eligible for PCC from Shanghai. I do not meet the requirement for 180days of residence in Shanghai
2017 - Beijing - 140 days - temp study visa - exchange semester -- I am not eligible for PCC from Beijing. I do not meet the requirement for 180days of residence in Beijing

For the Police Certificate - China section I attached a 27-page doc with
1. LOE asking
- to extend or waive the requirement for PCC from Changchun
- to waive the requirement for PCC from Shanghai and Beijing
2. a sworn statement of no criminal convictions in China
3. attachments with proofs of attempts to obtain PCC from China

I know, nobody can say if it is going to work out for me. But do you think it is a strong case? Please share your thoughts.
I will keep you guys posted on the updates from IRCC :)

DO YOU HAVE ANY UPDATE ON THIS PLEASE???