Our client was a New Zealand national who had lived in China for three years. When she later needed documents for use in Saudi Arabia, she was asked to provide proof of her criminal record status covering the period she had spent in China.
Her nationality was New Zealand, while the record had to come from China because that was where she had lived. The final document then had to be prepared in a form suitable for use in Saudi Arabia.
The Useful Part: She Did Not Need to Return to China
For former foreign residents, obtaining the Chinese police certificate can be the inconvenient part of the process. The certificate is generally not issued immediately, and local handling may require one visit to submit the application and another to collect the completed document.
For cases we can handle, the former resident does not need to fly back to China simply to complete these steps. We can assist with applying for the Certificate of No Criminal Record, using the applicant’s passport details and the period of residence in China that needs to be covered.
This is particularly useful for people who have already moved to another country. International travel purely to obtain a police document can take far more time and expense than the document itself.
The Dates Matter
A Chinese police clearance is connected to a specific period of residence, so the dates need to be identified before the application is submitted. In this case, the client had spent approximately three years in China and had used the same passport throughout that period.
When requesting the certificate, we therefore need to know which period the applicant wants the police record to cover. A clear passport scan and the required China residence period are the key information needed for the initial review, while additional records may be requested depending on the local police authority and the applicant’s residence history.
From the Police Certificate to an English Notarial Certificate
Once the Chinese police certificate was obtained, it was submitted to a Chinese notary office for overseas use. The resulting notarial certificate was prepared with an English translation, which was the language selected for this Saudi Arabia case.
The police-issued certificate and the Chinese notarial certificate form different stages of the process. The police certificate provides the underlying criminal-record information, while the notarial certificate places that Chinese record into a formal document package for international submission.
One More Step for Saudi Arabia: China Apostille
After notarization, the document received a China Apostille. The route for this case was therefore:
Chinese police clearance → English notarial certificate → China Apostille → Use in Saudi Arabia
The Apostille Convention has applied between China and Saudi Arabia since 7 November 2023. Chinese public documents within the scope of the Convention can generally be apostilled for use in Saudi Arabia without the previous consular legalisation procedure through the Saudi Embassy or Consulate in China.
Three Countries, One Document Chain
This case involved three countries for three different reasons: the applicant was from New Zealand, her three-year residence record came from China, and the completed document was required in Saudi Arabia. That distinction is easy to miss when someone first receives a request for a “police clearance”.
