Notarized Certificate of No Criminal Record in China

A certificate of no criminal record is the original document issued to the applicant by a public security organ (a police station or sub-bureau), confirming no criminal record within its jurisdiction. A notarized certificate is a legal document in which a notary office notarizes that certificate, giving it greater legal weight. Overseas institutions (immigration authorities, embassies and consulates, overseas schools) usually ask for the notarized document, not the original certificate. The notarized document includes a Chinese-English translation and, once authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or apostilled, can be used directly in the destination country.

Yes. Anyone who has lawfully resided in China (holding a valid visa or residence permit) can apply, whatever their nationality. The difference from a Chinese citizen's application is that a foreign national must provide scans of their passport and all Chinese visa pages or residence permits, plus address information for their time in China. If they lived in several cities, the application is usually handled by the notary office for their current or last place of residence. Foreign nationals outside China can also appoint an agent; they do not need to enter China.

About 1–3 weeks in total: (1) public security check, 3–5 working days (longer around public holidays); (2) notary office review and issuance, 2–3 working days; (3) courier, about 1 week (varies within and outside China). If authentication is added: Apostille 2–3 working days; consular legalization about 1–2 weeks (depending on embassy processing speed). Expedited handling can bring notarization down to within 1 week. We recommend starting early enough for the destination country's visa or immigration timeline so notarization does not delay your application.

Three components: (1) notary fee: about ¥200–500 per copy for a no-criminal-record notarization (including translation; depends on the notary office's fee schedule); (2) authentication fee: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Apostille about ¥100–300 per copy, consular legalization about ¥200–500 per copy (depending on the destination embassy's fees); (3) courier fee: about ¥30–50 within China, about ¥200–500 internationally (depending on courier and destination). Total cost is roughly ¥500–1,500. OTGEO provides a full agency service (document guidance, notarization, authentication and courier) with transparent pricing and no hidden charges.

It depends. If the record in China falls within the categories the law allows to be expunged (for example, sealed records for juvenile offenders, or certain minor offences after a set period following completion of sentence), you can apply for notarization of no criminal record once it has been expunged. If the record has not been expunged or cannot be, the notary office will issue a notarized document that truthfully records the criminal record. We recommend disclosing the record honestly and letting a professional consultant assess whether an application is possible and how to prepare alternative documents. Visa and immigration authorities in different countries treat criminal records differently.

A Chinese notarized document cannot be used directly abroad. Choose the authentication based on the destination country: (1) Hague Apostille countries (such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and most European countries): once the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affixes the Apostille, the document can be used without further authentication by the destination embassy; (2) non-Hague countries (such as Canada and some Middle Eastern countries): the document must first be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then consular-legalized by the destination country's embassy in China. Some countries, such as the United States, may be exempt under mutual waiver agreements. OTGEO can determine the right type of authentication and handle it end to end.