PROCEDURE TO APPLY VIETNAM POLICE CHECK CERTIFICATE

Vietnam Police Check Certificate or Vietnam Criminal Record or Vietnam Police Clearance Certificate or Vietnam Judicial Record Card is issued to all foreigners are living, working in Vietnam or resided in Vietnam, the Police Check Certificate in Vietnam issued by an agency managing the judicial record database as National Criminal Record Center or the Department of Justice of the province or city where foreigner is residing, valid for 6 months only. In this article, we would like to share the procedure to apply for Vietnam Police Check Certificate for both Vietnamese and foreigners who need the certificate of Vietnam Criminal Record to prove whether or not an individual has a previous criminal conviction, is banned from holding certain posts, establishing or managing enterprises or cooperatives in case enterprises or cooperatives have been declared bankrupt by court.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VIETNAM POLICE CHECK CERTIFICATE

There are two main types of Vietnam Criminal Record/ Police Check Certificate

Certificate of Police Check/ Criminal Record Card No. 1, which shall be issued to Vietnamese citizens and foreigners who resided or are currently residing in Vietnam, state agencies, political organizations and socio-political organizations may request the issuance of Police Check Certificate to serve the personnel management, business registration, establishment and management of enterprises or cooperatives;
Certificate of Police Check/ Criminal Record Card No 2, which shall be issued to Procedure-conducting agencies may request the issuance of Police Check Certificate to serve the investigation, prosecution and adjudication work and at the request of individuals who want to know their judicial records.

What are the differences between police check certificate No.1 and police check certificate No.2?

The differences between these two types are that he Criminal Record Form No.1 only records sentences that have not been removed. If the case has been deleted, it will state “no criminal record”. Criminal Record Form No. 2 records all previous criminal convictions regardless of whether it was deleted or not.

Depending on the purpose of use, either Criminal Record Form No. 1 or Criminal Record Form No. 2 would be required. Criminal Record Form No. 1 is commonly required for the issuance Work Permits for foreign individuals to work in Vietnam.

Where to issue Vietnam Criminal Record/ Police Check Certificate granted by:

1. The Department of Justice of the province or city where foreigner is residing as

Department of Justice of Ho Chi Minh City - 141-143 Pasteur Street, Ward 6, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City;
Department of Justice of Ha Noi City - 221 Tran Phu Street, Van Quan Ward, Ha Dong District, Ha Noi
Department of Justice of Da Nang City - 11th Floor, City Administration Center - 24 Tran Phu, Hai Chau District, Da Nang
Department of Justice of Hai Phong City - 7 Lach Tray Street, Ngo Quyen, Hai Phong

2. Vietnam National Criminal Record Center - 60 Tran Phu Street, Ba Dinh Ward, Hanoi City

Validity and processing time of Vietnam Criminal Record/ Police Check Certificate

The Vietnam Criminal Record/ Police Check Certificate is valid for 6 months only
The processing time of Vietnam Criminal Record/ Police Check Certificate

From 15 to 20 working days if the Vietnam Criminal Record/ Police Check Certificate issued by the Department of Justice of the province or city where foreigner is residing
From 5 to 7 working days if the Vietnam Criminal Record/ Police Check Certificate issued by the Vietnam National Criminal Record Center

PROCEDURE TO APPLY FOR POLICE CHECK CERTIFICATE IN VIETNAM

Required Documents to apply for Vietnamese Criminal Record/ Vietnam Police Background Check at the Department of Justice of the province or city where foreigner is residing

An original copy of the completed application form;
Original passport of the person requested to be issued a criminal record certificate
A latest valid Vietnam visa or temporary residence card or Vietnam 5 years visa exemption
A original copy of the household registration book or certificate of residential registration certified by a local police where the foreigner is staying (this certificate handled by landlords and landladies at no cost, and within a few days)

Individuals may authorize other person to carry out procedures for requesting the issuance of criminal record certificate. The authorization must be established in writing under law. In case a requester for a criminal record card is a parent, spouse or child of the person requested to be issued a criminal record card, no written authorization is required but they have to prove by written evidence

Individuals who requests criminal record card No. 1 could not authorize other persons to carry out procedures for requesting the issuance of criminal record cards. Besides, the person who is exempted from criminal record card must submit the evidence.

The time limit for issuance of a criminal record card is 15-20 days after the receipt of a valid request.

Required Documents to apply for Vietnamese Criminal Record/ Vietnam Police Background Check at Vietnam National Criminal Record Center

An original copy of the completed application form;
Scanned copy of passport
Scanned copy of expired or current Visa of Vietnam
The address of the applicant in Vietnam and their country
Information of applicant’s father, mother and spouse

Both foreigners are living in Vietnam and their home countries can apply for the Vietnam Criminal Record/ Vietnam Police Background Check at Vietnam National Criminal Record Center

The time for issuance of a criminal record certificate is from 5 to 7 working days after the receipt of a valid request

HOW TO USE VIETNAM CRIMINAL RECORD IN ANOTHER COUNTRY

The criminal record which is issued by another country, when using in Vietnam to apply for work permit, it must be translated, legalized and notarized in accordance with the law of Vietnam. If the criminal record certificate/ Vietnam Police Background Check is issued in Vietnam and can be used legally in another country, the certificate must complete some steps as the following