How to Obtain a Criminal Record Certificate
This document has a plethora of names, including the following:
⦁ Criminal background check
⦁ ACRO clearance certificate (UK residences)
⦁ Police clearance certificate
⦁ Criminal history check
⦁ No criminal record report
⦁ Criminal history
⦁ Disclosure Scotland (UK residences)
*All these represent the same in layman’s terms. It’s an official document, issued by your home country or country of residence. stating you have no prior criminal convictions.
The whole process for obtaining the document in question can change depending on your ‘Country of Origin.’
Your criminal record check MUST be:
⦁ No more than six months old (from the date you apply for a work visa)
⦁ Be from your country of current residence. If you have spent more than six months in any other country over the last five years, you will need to collect a criminal background certificate from each one.
⦁ Signed by the issuing authority
⦁ Authenticated in the issuing country at the local Chinese Embassy, consulate or visa centre. (This cannot be authenticated once you arrive on Chinese soil).
Getting a criminal background check is a time-consuming process. For UK residences looking to streamline the whole process: we recommend Disclosure Scotland. They can issue you a basic criminal record clearance within 5-10 working days. This normally takes only five. Worst case 14 working days. The cost is also cheaper. Only £25.00 for the basic one and can be completed online and delivered to your home.
*Always check with your school which one they require before starting the process.
An important note: to take into account: In the past, outdated violations that appeared on a criminal background check did not always result in the automatic rejection of a work visa application. Each case was evaluated individually. However, any black mark against your name will usually result in a refusal. Spent convictions will not show up on a Disclosure Scotland basic report.
Useful websites:
Disclosure Scotland – mygov.scot
Home (acro.police.uk)
Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (china-embassy.gov.cn)
For detailed instructions of how to authenticate documents for ALL other native-speaking countries, recognized by China, see the website below:
China Work Visa – How to Authenticate Documents in 2021 – eChinaCareers