Chinese Criminal Record Translation
Chinese criminal record translation to English for a consular immigrant visa, USCIS, a US employer, a state licensing board or an adoption, and of an FBI or state check into Chinese for a work permit in China. We translate the 无犯罪记录证明 issued by a 公安局 or 派出所, the 无犯罪记录公证 from a 公证处 and, where there is a record, the 判决书 behind it.
- Up to 250 words per page
- $25 per page
- Standard turnaround
- From 24 hours
- Certificate of accuracy
- Signed & stamped
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Written for Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified criminal record records
The police letter and the notarial certificate are two different papers
Mainland China has no national criminal record certificate that you request by mail. What exists is a local police letter and, for use abroad, a notarial certificate built on it.
The 派出所 letter under the 2021 rules
Since 31 December 2021 the 公安机关办理犯罪记录查询工作规定 sets one procedure: a citizen applies at the 派出所 of the 户籍 or residence, in person or through an authorized relative, and receives a 无犯罪记录证明 on a standard form with the 公安 seal. A foreigner who lived in China 180 days or more applies to the 出入境管理 office instead. The letter states a period and a place, and a person who lived in three cities may need three. It also carries a validity date of its own, and the translation keeps it.
Why a US consulate asks for the 公证书
The US visa reciprocity schedule for China describes the police certificate as a notarial one: the 公证处 takes the police letter, checks it, and issues a 无犯罪记录公证 as a bound booklet, often with its own English page. Where there is a conviction it issues a 有犯罪记录公证 instead, which names the court, the 罪名 and the sentence. We translate the notarial booklet, its 公证书 number and the police letter inside it, and we state in English which document each page is.
When the record is not clean
A 判决书 from a 人民法院 opens with the court, the 案号 and the 被告人, sets out the 事实 and ends with the 判决 and the 刑期: 拘役, 有期徒刑, 缓刑 for a suspended term. 行政处罚 from the police, such as 行政拘留 for a public order offense, is not a criminal conviction under Chinese law, but USCIS still asks about arrests, so the 处罚决定书 is translated with its legal category stated. Terms are translated as the court wrote them: 盗窃 is theft and 故意伤害 is intentional injury.
Who is asking for your Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified criminal record translation?
The translation is the same. What changes is whether the recipient wants anything added to it.
USCIS and the National Visa Center
Consular processing asks for police certificates with a complete English translation and a signed certification. No notarization is needed.
IRCC
IRCC accepts a certified translation with the translator's affidavit. Order the certified translation and add notarization if your application guide asks for it.
Residency applications abroad
A US background check going to another country usually needs an apostille and a translation into that country's language, sometimes notarized.
Before you upload
Three things that save a day of back and forth on a Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified criminal record.
Get the certificate first, then the translation
Most police certificates are valid for a few months. Have the certificate issued, then upload it, so the translation and the original are current together.
Check which authority the checklist names
A state letter, a federal letter and a court record are different documents. Read the consulate or USCIS checklist and send the one it asks for, or all of them.
Keep the QR code and verification number in the scan
Online certificates carry a QR code or a verification code. They are translated with the rest and are how a consulate confirms the document is genuine.
Details and pricing
What is included in a Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified criminal record translation
One price per page covers the translation and its certification. A page is up to 250 words, and the quote tells you the page count before you pay.
Everything on the criminal record is translated, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes. Tell us the English spelling you use for each name when you order.
Certified Translation
Word-for-word translation with a certificate of accuracy for official use.
$25
USD / page
up to 250 words per page
Included
- Signed & stamped certification of translation accuracy
- Certified by a professional translator
- Digital delivery via PDF
- Review and approve final translation
- 100% Guaranteed Acceptance
- Standard turnaround starting at 24 hours
Optional services
- Expedited turnaround
- Priority handling when your deadline is shorter than the standard turnaround.
- By deadline
- Notarization
- A notary public signs and stamps the certification statement.
- $20 per order
- Physical copy
- A wet-ink original of your translation, mailed by express courier.
- $35 per order
- Apostille
- Authenticates the notary’s signature and seal for use in Hague Convention countries.
- $180 per document
What the certificate of accuracy states
Your translation arrives with a Certification of Translation Accuracy issued by ImmiTranslate. It is the page the receiving organization checks first.
- The translation is complete and accurate.
- The document title and the language pair.
- The translator is competent in both languages.
- A signature and the ImmiTranslate certification stamp.
- Our American Translators Association corporate membership.
Our translation process
Our goal is to make the translation process as simple as possible for you. Our service is streamlined specifically for documents of this nature.
Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified Criminal Record FAQ
Most questions about pricing and turnaround can be answered faster by requesting a quote.
- I live in the US now. How do I get the certificate from China?
- Under the 2021 rules a relative with your written authorization and a copy of your 身份证 can apply at your 户籍 派出所, and many provinces take the application through the police's 政务服务 app, with the letter mailed. The 公证处 that issues the 公证书 may also need a 委托书 from you. Some notary offices ask for the authorization to be notarized where you live and, since November 2023, apostilled rather than legalized. Order the translation once the booklet is in hand.
- Does USCIS need a police certificate for adjustment of status?
- For adjustment inside the US, usually not, unless the officer asks. For an immigrant visa through the consulate in Guangzhou, yes: the National Visa Center asks for the notarial certificate for China and for any other country where you lived long enough after age 16, plus court records for any arrest anywhere. Chinese records from before 1949 are generally not available, and the certificate says so if it applies.
- I need my FBI check in Chinese for a Z visa and work permit. Can you do that?
- Yes. The 外国人工作许可 application requires a home-country criminal record certificate, apostilled now that the mainland is in the Hague convention, and a Chinese translation. An FBI Identity History Summary is apostilled by the US Department of State; a state police check goes to that state's Secretary of State. Some 外国人工作管理 offices accept only a translation agency's stamped version, so ask your employer's HR which they expect. We translate the check and the apostille and can notarize the translation.
- How much does a certified translation cost?
- Certified translation is $25 per page, with a page counted as up to 250 words. Notarization, a mailed physical copy and an apostille are optional and priced separately.
- How long does a certified translation take?
- Standard turnaround starts at 24 hours and depends on the length and language of your documents. If you have a deadline, include it in your quote request.
Other Chinese (Mandarin) Simplified documents we translate
Criminal record translation in other languages
Each of these pages is written for that language's criminal record records.
Sending it with an application? Read the USCIS translation requirements, Apostille service before you order.