We do not issue police clearance certificates or apply for them. The PCC comes from Passport Seva (your PSK, POPSK or Regional Passport Office) or from the police, and you apply for it yourself. Our work starts once the certificate is in your hands.
What the Chinese side is asking for
Before a foreigner can work in China, the employer applies for a work permit on that person's behalf. A certificate showing no criminal record is a standard part of that file. Once the work permit notice is issued, you use it to apply for the Z visa at the Chinese visa centre in India.
Chinese HR teams and agents use different names for the same paper: non-criminal record certificate, certificate of no criminal record, or criminal background check. For an Indian citizen living in India, the PCC is the document that answers all three. The people we usually see with this request are English teachers, engineers sent to commission machines or plants, sales and technical staff joining Chinese companies, and managers transferring to a group office in China.
Why an apostille will not work for China
China joined the Hague Apostille Convention in 2023, and many people assume an MEA apostille is now enough. It is not, for Indian papers. India formally objected to China's accession, so the convention does not apply between the two countries. An Indian apostille on your PCC will not be accepted in China.
The route that works is the older one: the PCC is verified at state level, attested by the MEA, and then legalised by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi or the Chinese consulate that covers your region. The Chinese visa centre's own guidance on document authentication describes this same chain. If someone offers you a quick ₹1,000 apostille for China, you would be paying for a stamp the Chinese office will not use.
Which PCC you hold, and the chain for each
Look at the top of your certificate. It was issued either by the Regional Passport Office through Passport Seva, or by a police station, SP or Commissioner of Police.
Passport office PCC
Issued through Passport Seva
This is the PCC most Chinese employers expect. It is a central government document, so it usually needs little or no state-level work before the MEA.
Police-issued PCC
From a police station, SP or Commissioner
A state police certificate needs state authentication first. Home Department attestation is done by the same state whose police issued the certificate.
The whole chain for China is priced on quote, because the first step and the Chinese mission both depend on your certificate. You get one price for the full chain before you send anything.
What to send and how it runs
- The original PCC, flat and unlaminated
- A clear copy of your passport (front and back pages)
- Your offer letter or the employer's document list, if you have it
- The city in China where you will work
- Photo on WhatsAppWe read the issuing office on your PCC and confirm the chain and price.
- Original to usDrop it at our New Ashok Nagar office in Delhi, or courier it from your city.
- State stepNotary, Notary + SDM or Home Department, as your certificate needs.
- MEA, then the Chinese missionMEA attestation, followed by Chinese Embassy or consulate legalisation.
- ReturnCollect it in Delhi, or we send it by Blue Dart with a tracking number.
We give you a time estimate with the price, before you send anything.
How recent the PCC should be
Many employers ask for a recent one. The exact cut-off is set by the employer and the local work permit office, so ask your HR contact for it in writing before you apply. Remember that the certificate's date does not change during legalisation: a PCC that was fresh when you applied for it can be close to the limit by the time the embassy stamp is on it. Apply for the PCC once your offer is firm, and send it to us soon after it arrives.
Questions about PCC attestation for China
My employer asked for a "non-criminal record certificate". Is my Indian PCC the right document?
For an Indian citizen living in India, yes. The PCC from Passport Seva is the usual answer to that request. Share the employer's exact wording with us if you want us to check it.
I already had my PCC apostilled by the MEA. Can I still use it?
Not as it is, because China does not accept Indian apostilles. Send us photos of both sides of the certificate and we will tell you whether it can still go through the legalisation chain or whether a fresh PCC is the cleaner choice.
Do I need to go to the Chinese Embassy or visa centre for the PCC?
Not for the PCC legalisation. We handle that part with your original. You visit the visa centre for your own Z visa application, after the work permit notice is issued.
Should the PCC be translated into Chinese?
Some employers or local offices in China ask for a Chinese translation and others accept English. Ask your HR contact whether they want it done in India or prefer to arrange it in China. If it is to be done here, we translate it, priced on quote.
Can my degree go through at the same time?
Yes. Most work permit files need the degree legalised as well, so many clients send both together. Each document takes its own first step and is priced separately. See degree attestation for China.
My police certificate is from Kerala but I live in Delhi. Is that a problem?
No. Courier it to us or drop it at the office. If it needs Home Department attestation, that is done by the Kerala Home Department, because the Kerala police issued it.