China's No Criminal Conviction Certificate: Rules Vary by City

Foreigners and Chinese citizens applying for a China police certificate — formally a certificate of no criminal conviction — should check the rules of the specific city where they apply, because local Public Security Bureaus (PSB) set their own requirements on top of national regulations. The document is commonly needed for visa, residency and citizenship applications in other countries, and its handling differs markedly between Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities.

Key facts

• The process usually has two or three steps: apply to the local PSB, have the certificate notarised, and sometimes obtain an apostille or authentication.
• The Ministry of Public Security has published general rules, but local PSB offices may add published or internal rules of their own.
• No apostille is needed for use in the United States or Canada; an apostille is required for Portugal.
• Validity depends on the destination country: US rules expire police certificates after two years, while Canada Express Entry sets conditions based on when the certificate was issued.
• Immigration violations, detention or deportation under China's Exit and Entry Administration Law do not by themselves prevent issuance.

How do I apply?

The application typically starts with the local PSB, which issues the certificate of no criminal conviction. The next step is a local notary public office, which produces a notarised version. A third step may be required: a local foreign affairs office or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs may need to apostille or authenticate the document. The Ministry of Public Security's regulations set the baseline that all PSB offices must follow, but individual offices can impose additional requirements.

What documents do I need?

Requirements depend on the city. Temporary residence registration forms (TRRFs) from the police station are required by foreigners only in some cities: generally not in Beijing or Shanghai, but Shenzhen typically asks for at least one. If the passport used in China is lost, Beijing and Shenzhen generally accept just the passport number, while Shanghai requires a copy of that passport's ID page.

After a name change, Beijing generally wants apostilled government evidence of the legal change. Shanghai accepts either a certificate from the applicant's embassy or consulate confirming both passports belong to the same person, an apostilled affidavit to the same effect, or a new passport that mentions the old passport number.

Applicants living outside China also face different passport rules: Beijing requires the original passport, Dongguan and Shenzhen accept the original or an apostilled copy of the ID page, and Shanghai takes a plain copy.

Do I need to remember my old addresses?

The PSB application form asks where you lived in China, but the level of detail required varies. In Dalian, Tianjin and Qingdao, foreigners must apply through the district where they resided, so at least the district name is needed. Shanghai's municipal PSB exit-entry administration handles foreigners who lived anywhere in the city, so the exact address does not matter. Shenzhen typically requires a TRRF, which lists the address. Chinese citizens usually apply at the police station where they currently live or where their hukou was last registered, which means the exact address is needed.

How long is it valid?

Validity follows the rules of the country where the certificate will be used. Under US State Department rules, police certificates expire after two years, unless the certificate came from a previous country of residence and the applicant has not returned there since it was issued. For Canada's Express Entry, the certificate is acceptable if it was issued after the applicant's last continuous stay of six months or more in that country, and if it is not for the country where the applicant currently lives.

What happens if my application is refused?

A certificate can be unobtainable when an applicant cannot meet local requirements. The United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries waive the police certificate requirement on proof that it cannot be obtained. In the United States, the requirement may be waived if the applicant satisfies the consular officer that the certificate is unobtainable; Canada asks for proof that the certificate was requested from the correct authorities and an explanation of why it cannot be issued. In practice, PSBs and notary offices often do not provide written documentation of a refusal.

What this means for travellers

Anyone who lived in China and needs proof of no criminal record should confirm the specific requirements of the relevant city before starting, and allow for notarisation and, for some countries, apostille. Former PRC citizens and current citizens with household registration can obtain a single certificate covering all periods, but foreigners may not be able to: a Shanghai certificate covers all periods its records show residence anywhere in China, while Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province will not. A detention or deportation for an immigration offence does not count as a criminal conviction under the Ministry of Public Security's regulations.

The rules summarised here do not include application fees or processing times.