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Posts: 69

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Q: Do police officers harrass you , and is there anything that can be done about it?

Have you been detained and fined for not having your passport and registration form on you ? Is it normal that police officers stopped you in the street and demand to see your passport ?I live in Guangzhou , this happens all the time , police officers are rude and arrogant and treat foreigners like shit

12 years 5 weeks ago in  Visa & Legalities - Guangzhou

 
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I have lived in Guangzhou for almost 6 years now. I have been asked for my passport about 4 or 5 times so far. Each time the officers have been very nice and in the one event I didn't have my passport on me, they let me go with a verbal warning.

However, if you are black, then your experience might be different. Blacks (mostly from Nigeria) and the police here do not get along. Lots of bad blood on both sides of the fence there. The police would be hard pressed to tell one black person (or one white, brown or orange person) from another. 

instant_noodles:

no, i am not black:-O, and i'm not from Nigeriasurprise, so ?

12 years 5 weeks ago
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crimochina:

and you are not a foreigner also. so why would they ask a local for a passport?

12 years 5 weeks ago
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12 years 5 weeks ago
 
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Here is Changsha, I've never had a police officer talk with me, except at the PSB. I have had some give me a double take, mainly because I drive a pink car (it's my wifes), but that was because it is a little strange to see a foreign guy driving a pink car in China, apparently.

Other than that, none have ever asked me for any type of I.D., stopped me anywhere, or even noticed me. All in all, there really aren't that many foreigners here, except around the cluster of univerisites on the Yuelu side of the river.

kchur:

Same here, except once a cop offered me a light. Though, people have told me it's not the uniformed ones I should worry about.

12 years 5 weeks ago
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Governor

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i'm sure this doesn't happen anywhere else, we know that in this ,uhm"wonderland " such thing as human rights does not exist, should i complain to my consulate , or what

Shining_brow:

"Complain to your consulate"??? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA.......... Trust me, they ain't gonna care! The law here says they have every right to check your ID (much as most countries do!) I think they may seem to abuse this power (on the rare occasions it happens) because we're more obvious (unless you have Chinese ancestry!)

12 years 5 weeks ago
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instant_noodles:

glad u r enjoying urself:-(

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12 years 5 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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Doesn't happen to me.

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12 years 5 weeks ago
 
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I have lived in Guangzhou for almost 6 years now. I have been asked for my passport about 4 or 5 times so far. Each time the officers have been very nice and in the one event I didn't have my passport on me, they let me go with a verbal warning.

However, if you are black, then your experience might be different. Blacks (mostly from Nigeria) and the police here do not get along. Lots of bad blood on both sides of the fence there. The police would be hard pressed to tell one black person (or one white, brown or orange person) from another. 

instant_noodles:

no, i am not black:-O, and i'm not from Nigeriasurprise, so ?

12 years 5 weeks ago
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crimochina:

and you are not a foreigner also. so why would they ask a local for a passport?

12 years 5 weeks ago
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12 years 5 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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I wouldn't know why you would have to bring your passport with you every where you go. The one's that I've seen were rather nice! The only times I've seen police officers doing anything violent are those times when people were selling stuff on the street illegally. I saw a police officer crush this ladies grill or barbecue. She was making some food and selling it. Once the officer saw what she was doing he kicked her grill and stomped on it until it was broken down in all little pieces. I haven't seen police officers being rude or arrogant to foreigners, but I'm not Omniscient or Omnipotent.

Xpat.John:

You carry your passport with you because you are required by law to have your passport, work permit and residence permit on you at all times. The fact that they can be stolen or lost easily that way is not an excuse. This is their sandbox and their rules.

12 years 5 weeks ago
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HugAPanda:

eh.. Michael Thomas is Chinese and has never traveled abroad. Forgive him his ignorance on the laws of the passport. He is not, afterall, omnipotent.

12 years 5 weeks ago
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instant_noodles:

Xpat john sounds like he's gonna fine evrybody here for not carrying their passports with themcheeky

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Governor

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I mentioned in another thread that I used to live in a complex that wasn't authorized to admit foreigners. I think it was designated for retired government workers and thier families. My arrangment with the landlord was under the table.

It wasn't long before cops started knocking on my door to solicit bribes. They claimed they were collecting "maintenance fees" on behalf of the apartment complex. I was faced with either paying them or letting them put pressure on my landlord to evict me. 

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12 years 5 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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police in xi an have been nothing but friendly one said he sees me all the time asked me where i was from gave me his bizness card and said call him if i have a problem very nice

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now everyone is right you should carry your passport on you at all times. i have the bad  habit of not doing that. and i spent time in gz and shnzhn never once was i asked to show id in my entire time in china. if you are not doing the right thing the police will be on you. as a matter of fact the handful of foreigners i met in gz never had an officer come up to them. 

my guess is this this is another wumao or mattayayayas alter ego. becoz it just doesnt make any kind of sense. if you come to china how can you complain about the police actually doing their job and busting you for not following the law. 

instant_noodles:

you are delusional, what kind of s**t are you on?!?

12 years 4 weeks ago
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crimochina:

you want to come to china of all places and break the law and are upset becoz you are affected by it (breaking the law). i'm the one that is delusional?

12 years 4 weeks ago
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mattaya:

Let's behave. You can breath crimo that wasn't me. Carry on!

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12 years 5 weeks ago
 
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The cops have been nothing but friendly to me and my family
I surpose that because im usely the only westerner in town
they get used to having  me around.
One fellow took the time to show my son around the cop car and put on the siren.
If they see me in the street on my own they try out their best English (hello) and ask how I am then get on with thier work.
Maybe its the small town thing or maybe its becauce I have a habbit of reconising the exsistants of people I meet in the street. and being polite

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that wont just happen in china.
i've been to tokyo japan for an internship once and wanted to go to a bar for a drink on a thursday night. on a quiet street i suddenly had 2 japanese police officers running towards me, jumping over the hence etc to check me for drug possession,... they even unfolded my tissues to check. of course i did not have any problem because im not addicted or anything related, but that was defenitely an experience lol and hey, im white...

crimochina:

being that you were in tokyo did you take down their badge number and report them?

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Governor

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I live in Beijing for 5 years, never happen to be asked to show my passport even i was visiting many places here, clubs. etc.. but I never take my passport with me and also never someone asked me to see it. 

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12 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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I've only experienced thi situation once, but it wasn't me, it was a Nigerian at the international airport in Guangzhou. I was on my way to Hong Kong and working my way through a line having a great conversation with a Nigerian going to Hong kong on the same flight as me. The customs agents pulled him to the side and made him unpack his luggage, pockets,lets just say about everything was searched. They told me to go on through very politely but instead, I came over and unpacked my luggage, the customs officers were shocked. I later talked to the customs officers before boarding, they explained the unsurmountable amount of drugs coming in from Nigeria, but I also explained how easy it would be to be white and get by with this if the eye is always on one nation.

As for going to your consulate, they would never work, they never get involved even in some heavy trials I've seen, the only thing the embassy does is send someone to make sure your being fed. That's it.

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12 years 3 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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As a foreigner, you should be in possession of your passport all the time.

However, you're allowed to have a simple copy of your passport and your visa with you. If a police officer asked you to show the passport, you can present him the copy of both passport and visa. They can't give you any fine if you can present both documents.

I have been asked once about it. I had neither the original or a copy, so they just gave me a warning and advised me to carry a copy of the passport and the visa all the time.

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12 years 3 weeks ago
 
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I have never been asked, been in GZ for years now and never had a problem. I was too lazy to go register where i was living, and the psb kept coming to my house and giving me warnings for like 6 months before they got fed up and took me in, even then they were more than polite, gave me a 50 yuan fine, then gave it back. 

I got arrested for destroying a cab, , they threatened to deport me, and wanted money, they were still nice about it, and when i refused and told them to call the embassy they  let me go with the min. 200 fine. No jail cell, didnt search me, didnt confiscate anything, just made me sit in a room playing on my phone while they dealt with the cab driver.

I have been to many countries and in my experience we should all be gratefull their arent alot more crooked cops running around. Overall they have been great.

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12 years 3 weeks ago
 
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No problems with cops, ever, but the rule is to have passport, and I think FEC, on your person at all times. 

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9 years 9 weeks ago
 
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No problems with cops, ever, but the rule is to have passport, and I think FEC, on your person at all times. 

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9 years 9 weeks ago
 
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Perhaps there is more to the OP's story that he is not sharing. From my personal experience, being stopped randomly by the police to check your documents is somewhat more than rare.

 

What were the circumstances of this incident?

expatlife26:

Yeah I mean i'm no China apologist but really i've never had a problem with police here not once.

 

Usually when you hear somebody complaining they did it's someone like a student working part time illegally who was out at 4 AM and involved in a bar fight.

9 years 9 weeks ago
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Shifu

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Well this was 2 years ago until Iambicus bumped the thread.

 

Yeah I always thought that was an overblown fear. I don't carry my passport, though usually I have a scan in my wallet.

 

5 years, never one issue. Always been a 100% legal employee though.

iWolf:

I tend to agree with you Mr Expatlife 26. I have never had issue and the only people that I have heard of having this experience were those involved in something nefarious.

 

Personally, I have photos of everything on my phone in the unlikely event of some problem.

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Shifu

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I live in Nanjing and am as free as if I were in my home country, no such things here

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9 years 4 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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I have lived in Tianjin for 5 years and never been stopped before. To be honest the only times I have had to talk to police is when I go to the PSB. I think in most cities the police are too lazy to check and they don't want the embarrassment of not understanding what you say. Why do their job? They get paid whether they do it or not.

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Governor

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Here in Dongguan police treat foreigners in a proper manner.I never see police are rude to foreign people. This depends on your way of talking to them. Behave politely to them and they are very friendly.

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Shifu

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Cops asked to see my passport once in a mall in 2010. Other than that my wife (who is Chinese) was held at the Shenzhen-HK border crossing because they said that her passport photo looked too different from her face which was hogwash. Held her for 20 minutes and almost made us miss our bus. 

I also overstayed my tourist visa by 3 days 2 years ago. It was an honest mistake and I was polite with the cops so they were cool with me and gave me a pink slip as a warning. Got a proper visa after that and haven't had any trouble since.

expatlife26:

That's funny, was that chinese customs that didn't accept your wife's photo?

 

up until I was 25, I had a passport I got at 15. Believe me clean cut 25 year old me used to have a lot of trouble going through chinese customs with 15 year old bleach blonde wanna be david beckham me's passport.

 

that was totally fair though

9 years 4 weeks ago
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A:  "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "S
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