Paul, I have been in China since 2006, I was still required to get the criminal check in America, stupid I know. I did have a friend who lived in Thailand for 7 years before coming to China; he actually got his criminal check in Thailand at the Royal Police Department in Bangkok, they had him fingerprinted and it was on an International Database, so no problems, I think the issue with you being in China and they are only now moving to fingerprinting, you will be required to get you criminal check in the UK.

Good question.  I hope someone will correct me if I am wrong.  I had a friend (he might be wrong) told me that they do the criminal background check from here, meaning you don't have to go back to your home country and that they look into it during your visa application.  If that's the wrong information then could someone tell me precisely how you go about obtaining the criminal background check?  All I hear is some people saying you should obtain it in America but where?  Local police department?  U.S. state department?  Can you someone get it for you and mail it to you?  How long does it take, etc. 

Hi Paul, I'm also from the UK and looked into this myself a little while ago. You need a basic Scottish Disclosure (which is the UK version of a CRB check). Advanced Scottish Disclosures can only be requested by employers so we can only request a basic version. They cost about £45 if you go through a UK service agent, it's a bit cheaper if you do it myself but not much (about £35 or so) and considering the hastle involved (I did a couple disclosures for employees when I was working as a Training Officer back in the UK) it's best to go with an agent.. Many firms now offer these online. Trouble is that whilst the application and payment can be completed online, they require a signature once this information has been processed and a forwarding address to send the certificate to. So realistically you will need to go back to the UK in order to obtain this. It's a complete balll ache, I'll probably be heading back in December to get it myself. You could always ask a family member to fudge your signature and mail you the cert, but you know what the post in China is like!! Hope this helps.

Thanks for the advice,I think the Scotish CRB is what i am after.Thanks again to the people,who took the time to answer.

Hi, did you managed to get one without having to be in UK ?

If so how and how long did it take, what documents did you need ?

I really need one now

regards

j

I speak for all of us, the FBI and the UK really need to become high tech and use web sites to do all the means to get us background checks a lot easier than today.even find a way to use electronic fingerprints. GOOGLE help us.

@ Jasonmoore, by the letter of the law you do have to reside in the UK to request one. However that's not to say you can't get round this.

Most online websites will process one for you, with some requiring a signature from you in the UK before they send the certificate out (as I mentioned above). I managed to get round this by using a website that only requires you send them proof of a residing address in the UK.

So if you have a bank account that's in the UK for example and on the proviso you have a family member or someone you know still residing there), you can complete the online form on their website, pay online, email them a copy of your statement and they will send out the certificate to your forwarding address.

Please note, your forwarding address needs to match that on the document you sent them - you can't input a Chinese address for obvious reasons! You can then get your UK contact to DHL or IPS it to where you are based in China. I'm expecting mine in the next few weeks or so though I've been told back home that the certificate has arrived. Hope this helps!!

Thanks David, I have followed your advice and now waiting for response of application. fingers crossed ! Hope it is OK.

I will however now have to go back to UK because my visa will expire before I can re-apply.

Is it possible I could go to my local police station and get them to offer a disclosure statement (they said it costs 10 pounds).

I don't know, that may be quicker.

Best regards.

Is a criminal record check required if you're only going to be working with adults or at university level?

Is a criminal record check required if you're only going to be working with adults or at university level?

And what about Business visas -do they require a CRB check too?

I heard back from the Disclosures bureau and they informed me that a Basic disclosure can be done as a postal application £25 -all they need is a photocopy of your passport, and proof of your residential address in China. However they send the forms out by snail mail not air mail so they will take a while to arrive. Alternatively they suggested getting the forms sent to a family member as a c/o address and then asking them to send it over by airmail. Hope that helps? It's worth emailing them: info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

Well nere's what they wrote to me:
We would be able to provide you with a Basic certificate, the cost of which is £25.00.

As you are currently living outside of the UK, you would have to complete a postal application and return this along with a copy proof of ID (passport etc.) and copy proof of current address (utility bill, bank statement or official letter).

Application forms/certificates send outside of the UK are sent by surface mail, not airmail. Therefore, this will affect the time it will take to reach you, which may not be ideal if you require it in a hurry.

However, if you have a contact in the UK who can forward you mail, we can send the application to them and you can also use this address as a C/O address when completing your application for your certificate to be sent to.

If you would like an application form posted out, please confirm your address( and we can organise that for you.

"here's".It doesn't sound like there's a problem as long as it's just a basic disclosure that's required?