Getting a criminal background check in South Africa is not complicated, but it can be lengthy, so you’ll want to apply for it as soon as possible. Once your documents are ready, you will need to have them all authenticated by your local Chinese authorities. The best course of action is to gather all your documents and then have them all authenticated together.
A criminal background certificate is one of the many documents you will need to gather before applying for your China work visa. The document goes by many different names worldwide. In South Africa, it is known as a Police Clearance Certificate.
Who needs to get a criminal background check in South Africa, and where does one apply?
All of this, and lots more info, below!
Who needs to get a criminal background check in South Africa?
Everyone applying for a working visa in China must provide a criminal background check. Ideally, you will want to have a ‘clean record’ – that is, have no convictions or felonies against your name.
Visa applicants must get a criminal background check from their home country, the country they currently reside in (if it isn’t their home country), and any other country they’ve lived in for six months or more in the last five years. This isn’t unusual. Suppose you were currently living and teaching in China, for example, and wished to apply for an Australian visa. In that case, you will need to provide what’s known as a No Criminal Record certificate from the Chinese authorities.
If you are from South Africa, currently reside in South Africa, or have lived there for a considerable amount of time in the last five years, you will need to apply for a Police Clearance Certificate.
Who issues criminal background checks in South Africa?
The South Africa Police Department is responsible for issuing Police Clearance Certificates, or PCC.
In theory, every police station in South Africa can process your application and send it to the head office in Pretoria. In reality, dealing directly with the Pretoria office is the fastest way to get your PCC. If you can, and particularly if you’re in a hurry, head to Pretoria and apply directly at the head office.
How much is a criminal background check in South Africa?
The fee for a PCC is R75.
How do I apply for a criminal background check in South Africa?
Here are the steps involved:
- Print out and fill in this PCC application form
Under REASON FOR APPLICATION, make sure you state that you are applying for a China work visa. This way, they will know precisely how to word the document to satisfy foreign visa requirements. Regarding the METHOD FOR RETURN OF CERTIFICATE, note that ‘keep for collection by applicant (or nominated person)’ yields the fastest results. You can easily waste a week waiting for snail mail to reach your mailbox.
The fastest way to receive your criminal background check in South Africa is to apply in person and pick the certificate up in person in Pretoria.
2. Get a complete set of fingerprints issued by your nearest police station.
Head to a police station and request a SAPS 91(a) fingerprint inquiry form. You will receive an official certificate which you will need to add to your Police Clearance Certificate application. If you currently live outside South Africa, contact your nearest SA embassy, and they can direct you on how to do this from abroad.
3. Get a certified copy of your South African passport.
In South Africa, you can have copies of documents certified at a police station free of charge. Make sure you take a copy of your passport to the fingerprint appointment to get both things done at once!
4. Hand in your application in person at the SAPS head office in Pretoria
Again, this is currently the fastest way to get your criminal background check in South Africa.
The office’s address is:
South African Police Service
Bothongo Plaza West
CRC Client Service Centre
1st Floor, Room 14
271 Francis Baard Street
PRETORIA
Or 5. Pay for a courier to deliver your application AND deliver the certificate back to you
If you live far from Pretoria and cannot make it there in person, opt for the second-fastest way to get your PCC: by paid courier.
The postal address for courier applications is:
The Head: Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management (For attention: Police Clearance Certificates)
South African Police Service
Private Bag X308
PRETORIA
South Africa
0001
If you use the courier option, include your local mobile phone number in your PCC application. This way, you will receive an SMS once the application has been received and again once your certificate is ready for collection.
Or 6. Hand in your application at your nearest police station, anywhere in South Africa
The (currently) slowest way to get your criminal background check is to apply via your nearest police station. They will forward your application to Pretoria and, once they receive your certificate, will notify you that it’s ready to be picked up. This service is free. This service is also reputedly very, very slow.
But hey…. It’s an option, nonetheless!
The SAPS website currently states a 15-day turnaround for PCC applications at the time of writing. Noses on the ground say it is taking four weeks on average.
What happens if I am currently living abroad?
Things get trickier and lengthier if you currently reside outside South Africa. Getting your fingerprints abroad and sending your application to Pretoria via international courier is not difficult. Unfortunately, SAPS will not mail a PCC abroad – they will only hand it to a nominated local person.
So, you must nominate someone close to your home and have them act on your behalf. In the end, it will be up to them to mail your PCC to you, wherever in the world you happen to be.
What do I do once I have my criminal background check in South Africa?
Given SAPS does NOT issue PCCs if there is a criminal record, then well done to you!
Once you have your certificate, you will need to :
- Has it been notarized by a notary public?
- Has it been authenticated by Consular Notarial Service at DIRCO? This office is responsible for authenticating official public documents.
As mentioned at the start, you will need to have your PCC (along with all other visa application documents) legalized by the Chinese Consulate in Cape Town.
Once you have all your documents ready, read the embassy’s Chinese Consular Legalization page and follow the steps to legalize your documents.
How long is a criminal background check in South Africa valid?
The Chinese authorities will not accept a criminal background check over six (6) months old. So, get crackin’!
Getting a criminal background check in South Africa might be a tedious process, but it’s just of many necessary bureaucratic steps you’ll need to take if you dream of living and teaching in China.
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