The Chinese criminal record certificate required for an H-2 visa, step by step The Chinese certificate is issued only by the police station with jurisdiction over the applicant's hukou district, so nothing can begin without going through the local procedure.

Apostille Korea said it provides an agency service for obtaining criminal record certificates in China. Ethnic Korean Chinese who enter on a C-3-8 visa and complete skills training need the document to switch to an H-2 work visa, but the local issuing procedure is demanding and difficulties continue to be reported.

What remains after the skills training

Ethnic Korean Chinese who wish to stay in Korea for employment must obtain an F-4 or an H-2 visa. As visits for work have grown year on year, the Ministry of Justice has improved its existing system and, to encourage settlement in Korean society, runs a scheme under which holders of the C-3-8 visa, also known as the compatriot visit visa, receive skills training and convert to an H-2 visa through a computerised draw. Under the scheme a C-3-8 holder takes training allocated by draw after entry, and on completion can convert to an H-2 visa by assembling a criminal record certificate, a Chinese identity card, a hukou booklet, a recommendation for change of status to work-and-visit and a lease contract, among others. Satisfaction with the improved system is high and the number of applicants rises each year. Among the documents required for H-2, however, the Chinese criminal record certificate has proven hard to obtain locally, and complaints continue.

From issuance to consular confirmation

The criminal record certificate, also called the Chinese personal background report, is a civil document attesting to any criminal record in China, and it must be submitted by anyone seeking to reside or work outside China. Obtaining it requires returning to China first. Unlike in Korea, it is issued only by the police station with jurisdiction over the applicant's registered hukou district, so the application form and hukou booklet have to be submitted in person. After issuance it can be used in Korea only once it has been notarised, authenticated by the foreign affairs office and confirmed by the Korean consulate. In effect one individual must deal in sequence with public bodies whose procedures, timelines and rules all differ. If the application is refused the submitted papers cannot be recovered and preparation begins again, and requirements and steps can change with the visa category and the timing of the application.

Frequently asked questions

Source: 문화뉴스 · 2017-05-26