Police Report from China

[MRMC]

I was in China last August. We started gathering documents since then and my fiancee obtained a police report from her hometown. This report indicates she has no criminal record in China. I told her I think she needs one from every city she has ever lived. She has lived in a few places in China. She told me that she thought this is unnecessary as the police check is a check for all of China and is computerized. Is she correct? Or must she travel all over China to the different police stations? Can anyone tell me what was required.

[Jeikun]

If I understand correctly, as long as she has lived in the city she lives in now for 6 months, then only the one report is necessary. If less, she may need one from the previous city she lived in as well.

 

But, what is your timeline looking like? If she got the report in August, and your interview comes after February, than it will have already expired. GZ wants "living" documents to be less than 6 months old.

[yave20b]

This one has got me worried too. My fiancee has lived in three different cities. She has lived in Nanning for more than 5 years. But her hometown is a small village about 200 miles away. When she went to the Nanning police, they told her they cannot issue her a police report. They told her she must go back to her small hometown to get the report. Also, when she went to the second city where she lived to try to get one there, she was told the same thing. So she did obtain a police report from the small hometown where she is from. However, there are posts on this Web site from other members who's fiancees in China have been able to obtain police reports from all the cities they lived before. I've seen up to three police reports obtained by some of the fiancees of guys posting here.

My fiancee told me it is quite impossible in China to do that. I just hope the Consulate believes that. Because if they have some girls bringing in three police reports I'm wondering how they will treat my fiancee when she brings in only one. Bottom line, she was told by two police departments in China that in China only the "hometown" city can issue her a police report, regardless of how many cities she lived in and regardless of how long she has lived in her present city.

[MRMC]

Exactly. That is what my fiance was told. She could only obtain from one location. I am sure the consulate will know this. Now that I hear the same from another person, I know she is not mistaken.

[frank1538]

I may be wrong on this, but my understanding is that unless you register with the folks in the new city, you will not be able to get a police certificate from there. I have read a number of posts that suggest that many Chinese residents don't bother to register when they go to other locations. As a result, a police certificate is only obtainable usually from the person's hometown where he or she is registered.

 

I always wondered how GZ dealt with this when you list the locations where you've lived (> six months) but only provide a police clearance from the hometown.

[lele]

This one has got me worried too. My fiancee has lived in three different cities. She has lived in Nanning for more than 5 years. But her hometown is a small village about 200 miles away. When she went to the Nanning police, they told her they cannot issue her a police report.  They told her she must go back to her small hometown to get the report. Also, when she went to the second city where she lived to try to get one there, she was told the same thing. So she did obtain a police report from the small hometown where she is from. However, there are posts on this Web site from other members who's fiancees in China have been able to obtain police reports from all the cities they lived before.  I've seen up to three police reports obtained by some of the fiancees of guys posting here.

My fiancee told me it is quite impossible in China to do that.  I just hope the Consulate believes that. Because if they have some girls bringing in three police reports I'm wondering how they will treat my fiancee when she brings in only one.  Bottom line, she was told by two police departments in China that in China only the "hometown" city can issue her a police report, regardless of how many cities she lived in and regardless of how long she has lived in her present city.

It depends:

 

In one's hukou, they should be able to obtain a report for all of the cities that they have lived in. However, if the hukou is in a small city and does not have computer access, the PSB there may not know how to access it, or have access to the information. However, it should be able to be done, just be patient with it!

 

I have also heard that in some small villages, that one needs to greese some plams first...

 

The other factor could be that she has lived illegally in a city, ie, before hukou restrictions were lifted. In this case, the police are actually saving you a world of hurt by not issuing a statement, because if they did, it would show this transgression.

 

Oh, it only matters if she was 16 years old or older when she lived in these places.

 

Good luck!

[yave20b]

Yeh I forgot to add she knows some girls who are in the same situation as her - lived in multiple cities but obtained only one police report from their respective "hometowns". As far as she knows, they all got their visas without any problems. And the police in the small towns/villages will try to shake you down for some money to give you the police report. I visited my fiancee's small village in September. I was the first foreigner to go there in its history. Naturally word spread around there and the surrounding villages like wildfire. When my fiancee tried to get the police report 1 month later, the police told her they heard about me and it would probably not be so easy for them to get the police report being that it was a little place. But if she could swing something their way they might be able to figure out a way to do it. You know, the usual song and dance. She got her father, a retired government official, involved and they ended up having to grudgingly settle for a dinnter for the whole bunch of those Barney Fifes (all four of them) in that little place for them to give her the police report.

[lele]

Yeh I forgot to add she knows some girls who are in the same situation as her - lived in multiple cities but obtained only one police report from their respective "hometowns".  As far as she knows, they all got their visas without any problems.  And the police in the small towns/villages will try to shake you down for some money to give you the police report. I visited my fiancee's small village in September.  I was the first foreigner to go there in its history.  Naturally word spread around there and the surrounding villages like wildfire.  When my fiancee tried to get the police report 1 month later, the police told her they heard about me and it would probably not be so easy for them to get the police report being that it was a little place. But if she could swing something their way they might be able to figure out a way to do it.  You know, the usual song and dance. She got her father, a retired government official, involved and they ended up having to grudgingly settle for a dinnter for the whole bunch of those Barney Fifes (all four of them)  in that little place for them to give her the police report.

I am not so sure about that, but it seems to make sense based on what *I* saw in some small towns.

 

However, with GZ checking for things the way that they are, I would not be surprised if they deny the visa, claiming that she broke the law by not registering a hukou in the city that she has been living in. **sigh**

 

However, my darling, since her parents were both forced from a large town to the countryside during the cultural revolution, recently the law was changed (1990 in this province) to allow her to move her hukou back to the large city. And, in the large city, it is really easy for her to get all of the paperwork that she needs. And since it is where the hukou is *registered*, it was painless. She had all of her documents in 48 hours, including translations and certifications, for less than 150RMB total for everything.

[Jason+Joanna]

If I understand correctly, as long as she has lived in the city she lives in now for 6 months, then only the one report is necessary.  If less, she may need one from the previous city she lived in as well.

 

But, what is your timeline looking like?  If she got the report in August, and your interview comes after February, than it will have already expired.  GZ wants "living" documents to be less than 6 months old.

Jason -

 

According to the consulate website, the police certificate is good for up to 1 year. Here is the direct quote from the consulate website:

 

What's the period of validity for medical reports and notarial certificates?

 

Notarial birth certificates, marriage certificates and divorce certificates have unlimited validity. Medical reports, notarial single certificates and police certificates are good for one year from the date of issuance.

[konajim]

My Fiancee, Linmei, also asked me about the multipule police certificates because I had told her to get one from every place she lived for six months or more since she turned sixteen. Which is many because college and work she is a doctor. She said she read on 001 that she only needed the one because it is computerized and show for all of China. When she went to the police in Qingtongxia they tried to charge her double she did not pay and got quite angry. She later went to Yinchaun the capital city of Ningxia province, with a friend that knew the chief of police got the clearence at the regular price and also got the police in trouble in her home town. They messed with the wrong woman that time. They all say the one will be fine as long as it cover all of China since age 16.

[yave20b]

However, with GZ checking for things the way that they are, I would not be surprised if they deny the visa, claiming that she broke the law by not registering a hukou in the city that she has been living in. **sigh**

 

Yes, I'm a bit worried about that. But its too late in the game for my fiancee to transfer her hukou. I don't think a hukou can be transfered in China in just a couple of months. But I think I'll talk to her and ask her to check on it. I really don't need the Consulate looking for something to ding us on. They seem so unpredictable now.

[yave20b]

As fate would have it, my fiancee came online just as I finished my previous post. I asked her about the hukou and if it can be transfered. Well, at least in Guangxi Province, a hukou can only be changed from its present location to a new city if you own a house in the new city. If you only rent a house, but not own it, in the new city, you are not allowed to transfer your hukou. My fiancee has lived in Nanning for 5 years but never owned a house there. She has verified with the city government that she cannot transfer her hukou unless she buys a house in Nanning. I hope this puts to ease anyone's worries about this matter...at least in Guangxi Province.

[lele]

As fate would have it, my fiancee came online just as I finished my previous post.    I asked her about the hukou and if it can be transfered. Well, at least in Guangxi Province, a hukou can only be changed from its present location to a new city if you own a house in the new city.  If you only rent a house, but not own it, in the new city, you are not allowed to transfer your hukou.  My fiancee has lived in Nanning for 5 years but never owned a house there. She has verified with the city government that she cannot transfer her hukou unless she buys a house in Nanning.  I hope this puts to ease anyone's worries about this matter...at least in Guangxi Province.

For my darling's province, there is a law stating that since her parents were *forced* to move to the countryside during the cultural revolution, they are legally entitled to move back to the city from which their parents were forcibly removed (included obtaining a hukou). I do not know if it applied in your case, but you may want to look into it.

 

However, it likely will not matter in the long-run at this point. If GZ wants to use it as an excuse, they already have the paperwork and it may be too late, and if not, the process may take too long anyway. But, it may be worth looking into.

 

GL

[yave20b]

lele I don't think I can go that route. My fiancee's father was a government official and volunteerily moved from Guangzhou to the isolated little village where my fiancee is from. But good for other's to know since Chairman Mao ruined millions of lives with his little Cultural Revolution.

[beijingjenny]

We've discussed this before, but it's still reassuring that one report works for many people. I've been worried from the get-go hubby would have to trek from BJ to Chongqing but hoping not... so far though, I can't get him to the police office where he is registered to see yet ...

 

My personal opinion, as I've stated before, is that one report makes sense under this system - if you get in trouble anywhere in China, your hukou will likely know about it.