Job Discussion Forums

[waltgomez]

I am now outside of the US and applying for work in China. They are asking for a criminal check.

What do they mean?

An FBI check?
An online background check?
A check from my local police station?

If I need to be in the USA, it would be expensive for me to fly there. Also, I do not have a permanent address there.

What can I get online or by distance to satisfy their requirements?

[huoguojiggae2017]

Well, I am in the same boat and here is what I have been faced with. In short, we will need fingerprints at the state level, not FBI.

Maybe, this is different depending on where you are, but my father just ran around trying to help out. I have called, emailed, and read some things that indicate at least for me I can't get a "local police check".

The local police departments refuse to do anything unless I go in person and show ID. The sheriff's office in the county requires fingerprints, and they are being the pain in all this.

The courier service I am using has been very helpful, but they cannot make this decision. It lies with how your local police department is run.

This is what they told me in email, "We only do state background checks, not the FBI. If you do not need to have your background check notarized, then by all means, run the ICHAT report and share it with China. If you need a background check that needs to be authenticated then, yes, the only way to authenticate it would be through fingerprints. I would suggest you ask more questions on your end on what they need exactly. We do hundreds of certified background checks a month and other countries have always requested notarized background checks."

They assume that we don't know what is needed, but it is actually them that is requiring the fingerprints or if you are in your hometown then you can go in person. Being in China, it is not that easy though.

Here are a few things to think about. It appears that:

1. You need to get it notarized at the place you get the background check. The courier service and most likely the Chinese consulates will not accept a third party notarization. For me, I have to get it certified also at the Secretary of State and they might not accept a third party notarizing it.

2. Fingerprint method takes 3-5 weeks from what I have read.

3. The recruiters are simply hoping we don't need to do this, but in reality it looks like affidavits and local police checks are going to be migrated to a new fingerprint system. Might as well bite the bullet and just get it done.

4. The police in your county can email you fingerprint forms. Print two copies and get two fingerprints done. You don't want them to reject one and have to go through the whole process again.

5. Make sure to request notarization also with the fingerprints.

6. From there, you'll probably have it sent to a family member so they can get it certified through the Secretary of State. Is that the DMV for people in the west? Seems like maybe another organization handles that. I am curious because if I move to another city, it might be in CA.

7. The good news is the courier services can usually get this done within a week after you send it off to them. Plan about 2 months for it to get done.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

This website will answer your questions if you live in the U.S..

http://www.myfbireport.com/

[waltgomez]

My company in China sent me a sample of what they need and it was an FBI clearance. This apparently can be done by getting fingerprints. I am in a third country now and I can get them taken locally and then Fedex them to an FBI channeler. You can google those. These I guess send them to an apostille office. It may not take that long.

[huoguojiggae2017]

Here is another Chinese additive. They don't have good black ink for the fingerprints. They stamp everything in red. So, has anyone sumbitted their fingerprints in red ink? We did a test run and the red ink ones were fine, you can see lines showing a fingerprint clearly. However, with the black ink we got, it is more for calligraphy and splotchy (too watery maybe?).

We are going to visit a police station this afternoon. I hope they have decent black ink because all I need is for them to reject the prints because they were in red

However, if someone actually did do that, I am curious to see how sucessful that was.

[JoeThePlumber]

Fingerprints were not necessary for my criminal background check. I simply requested a name-based criminal background check from my state (Montana) department of justice. It worked just fine. It was twelve dollars, I think.

[huoguojiggae2017]

[nomad soul]

[huoguojiggae2017]

On the fingerprint form, it asks for "Official's Signature".

We went to local police stations here, and they won't do anything for the fingerprint foms. If you have done fingerprints in China, where did you go if not a police station?

If you went to a police station, was it in a big city like Beijing or Shanghai?

Nobody knows where I can go to get this done. The rercuiter seems to be living off of the past and keeps saying "Other teachers don't have to do this, their family member just gets a record check for them". That is great for them, and it sounds like past possibilities to me. My dad already tried that.

So, any help would be appreciated. Do I have to go to Beijing or Shanghai? Can I get fingerprints done at the US Embassy?

Anyone know?

Also, I am trying to call the Beijing US Embassy but they don't have 11 digit phone numbers listed. (86-10) 3531 3000

I already tried 3531 3000, 10 3531 3000, and 86 10 3531 3000

[nomad soul]

See List of Fingerprinting Service Providers, which is in the middle of the page.

[huoguojiggae2017]

That is for the south. I am in Henan. Can I get my fingerprints in Zhengzhou, Beijing, or Shijiazhuang or do I really have to travel down south?

Can someone please tell me full way to put in the number for the US Embassy?

[nomad soul]

[huoguojiggae2017]

Yea, I found a similar list at https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/wp-content/uploads/sites/252/2017/05/Fingerprinting.pdf

I am still curious how you call in China. The China Unicom way didn't work. But when I went on Skype, I called using Skype credit and called the number as listed with the 10 and it worked fine.

[Alien abductee]

[huoguojiggae2017]

Why don't they put that on their site then?

When I get there, I am going to sign my name "uoguojiggae2017" (Well, my real name minus the first letter).