POLICE CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR FIANCEE AND SPOUSAL VISA APPLICANTS

**COUNTRY** Philippines-NBI Singapore Korea HongKong Taiwan Japan

Specific information, fees and addresses to appear here soon.

Following is a recent report:

Here is a link to get you the information you will need for the Singapore Police Clearance.

www.spinet.gov.sg/service/cer1.html

They will need a money order in Singapore Dollars. You can get this from Thomas Cook. I don't believe they will process anything unless they also get an official government request such as in Packet #3 which requires the clearance. We were able to get it earlier because my attorney certified a copy from another Manila applicant and sent it to me to use.

Singapore is generally very good at processing these requests, but I would expect it might take from 2-4 weeks.

Below is an older description of one Singapore experience:

Lyn went to the Singapore Embassy in Makati (address follows) and asked for instructions on how to get the Singapore Police Clearance. They gave her a form with instructions and they told her once she had completed everything she could send it to Singapore. They also told her that they could process it for her for a fee but Lyn said she would do it herself. She then went and got her fingerprints at the police station in Makati, then she had a photo made to the specifics in the Singapore instructions then went to the DBS Bank (address follows) to buy a bank draft (Singapore Embassy required her to do this, they won't accept payment any other way) for P943.66 (the required fee for the police clearance). While she was there (at the DBS Bank), she had to have her passport showing that she had indeed been in Singapore and the dates that she was there. There she had to sign a form giving her address and signature after which she got a receipt and a copy which she sent to Singapore with all the forms required by the Singapore Criminal Investigation Department (address follows).

About two weeks later, Lyn received the clearance via registered mail. I hope this helps and is not outdated information (Lyn did this 2 years ago this coming July).

Addresses:

Singapore Embassy
129 Salcedo St.
ODC International Plaza, Makati
Phone: 816-1764

DBS Bank
The Development Bank of Singapore Ltd. (Manila Branch)
DBS Bank
32/F Citibank Tower, 8741 Paseo de Roxas
Makati City, Philippines
Phone: 848-04-61 to 68

Criminal Investigation Department
90, Eu Tong Sen Street
Singapore, 059811
No phone listed.

The following information about Korean police clearances is from a MAG-ANAK member, unnamed here. I will put any interested members in direct contact with the contributor if more information is needed.

Now, for the Korean police clearance...it's a difficult process to explain. The best thing obviously for anyone to do if they are planning to marry a filipina they meet in Korea is to process the documents for marriage there and direct file at the consulate. If you remember, it only took us 3 weeks to get ***'s visa from the date of filing. This applies to military and any civilians that can establish residency requirements. For military, it's guaranteed.

The only trouble someone might have is obtaining necessary documentation from the RP that is still needed in the process. For instance, ***'s sister was able to obtain NSO birth certificate and NBI clearance for us and send it off express mail. I think she had to pay off someone to get the NBI because they normally won't give that to anyone not applying in person but it can be done if you know the right people.

Otherwise, the most difficult process is jumping through the hoops the military sets for us to get married over there. That's 10 times more difficult that the actual visa process itself! I can give details but it pretty much mirrors the process in the RP except you have to get military approval. The Korean police clearance, if you remember, is one of the things I sweated about the most. My *** had been previously married to a GI, they filed spousal visa and she went all the way through to the interview stage and was put on hold to wait for the Korean National Police (KNP) clearance. She waited about 8 months without ever getting it. In that time her previous husband abandoned her and their attempts at obtaining a visa. She returned to work in Korea and that's where I met her. So, it has held up a lot of people I would imagine. It was the one thing I wanted to make damn sure we got done. Probably the biggest obstacle to obtaining this is the circumstances of how she terminated her employment in Korea. If the bar owner has some vendetta or she bailed on her contract then he could make it hard to obtain.

The KNP clearance cannot be requested by an individual. It must be routed through embassy channels. So, if someone's filipina lady has already left Korea and gone back to the RP it would have to be initiated by the US embassy in Manila who would forward it to the US embassy in Seoul, who in turn forwards it to the Korean National Police Agency, who sends it to the provincial police department where she was employed to check out her background and back through the same channels to the embassy in Manila.

I never found out if they actually went to the business or contacted the owner in any way during this process but I was so worried about it I went to the owner and cleared it with him before we processed ours just to make sure he would cooperate. I had already paid off the extortion fee he wanted to let her out of her contract so it wasn't bad. I would imagine if the girl had run away or other circumstances the owner wouldn't cooperate. They are some of the most greedy people I have ever met. As long as they are paid off they should be cooperative.

Since we were still in Korea when we filed I was able to obtain the form to request the police clearance from the embassy staff, fill it out and submit it directly. In truth it only takes about 8-10 days to process (once it's in country) but if it is submitted from another embassy you can imagine the mail time by diplomatic pouch increasing this process. Plus, since it goes through so many hands it's inevitable it could get lost along the way. I was able to obtain a couple extra copies of this form and have scanned it (I used it to send to another list member Garrett Alsten) to help him out and I am attaching it to the bottom of this e-mail. Plus, I can fax it to you if that does not work. It contains dual language on it (English and Hangul [Koream]) so some people's computers aren't set up to read foreign languages/symbols. Just let me know. Maybe you can add it to the Mag-Anak scanned forms pages to help others in the future. Also, I obtained the name and phone number of a very nice American lady at the consulate there who walked us through everything that I could pass on, if needed. Don't know if she's still there or not but it might be worth a try since it's pretty cheap to call Korea these days. Additionally, the cost for this KNP clearance is free. I have a couple friends whose fiance went to the embassy in Manila to request one and they claimed they didn't know the form to use so there is much confusion over this issue on all parts. If you want to direct the member you spoke of to e-mail me directly I can try to assist him myself.

One other thing to remember...the girl does not need a KNP clearance if she did not spend one full year in Korea. I have a buddy who was there with me and is now married to another girl from the same club who got his fiance visa petition approved and didn't need a KNP clearance because she was 3 days shy of one year when she left Korea. That's real important to remember.

Following is a Microsoft Word re-creation of the form used for the Korean police clearance: KNP Clearance form

The most direct info can be obtained directly from a Hong Kong government site designed just for this purpose, at: http://www.info.gov.hk/police/english/m-fq04a.htm#top

Information about Hong Kong police clearances can be obtained from the MAG-ANAK Information Pages, at: http://www.mag-anak-info.com/hkncr.html

Some additional and current Hong Kong information (for Filipinas back in the Philippines who formerly worked or lived in Hong Kong) is as follows:

Below are the items needed for the application(s):

1. From the US Embassy in the RP, you will get an application for the HK "No Criminal Record" information.

2. From a police station in the Philippines you need to get all 10 finger, fingerprints on a form they have in the office. Make sure that all fingerprints are CLEAR and READABLE.

3. A copy of the leter from the US Embassy in RP stating yhour case number for the fiancee visa process.

4. A color photocopy of recent passport that shows the picture and identification information (one page), or a copy of a Hong Kong I.D.

5. about 220 HK (est. $30 US) dollars to process application.

Note: you can have a friend or family member bring this to the building.

The process:

1. After receiving the items, a two-page form will be given. While you are working on the form, preliminary work will be done on the person on the application.

2. When the form is returned, they will complete the work and send their finding to the HK US Embassy.

3. IF there is nothing found, the HK US Embassy will copy the information down and send the "No Criminal Record" to RP US Embassy.

YOU WILL NOT BE SENT ANYTHING CONCERNING THE NO CRIMINAL RECORD. It is advised that you call the RP US EMbassy to make sure they received it.

(You can call the HK Bureau ot make sure they sent the paperwork to the proper places adn that the HK US Embassy received it and sent it out.)

I was told that the entire process should take about 3-4 weeks (of course you save a lot of time if you were in HK).

Location:

Hong Kong Police Force Identification Bureau
B i/F Trade Department Tower
700 Nathan Road Mongkok
Kowloon, Hong Kong
Tel No: (852) 2576-9816

above information contributed by John Cole and forwarded by Billy Reese.

The following is a new site which has info about all the docs needed and available from Taiwan government agencies. Thanks to MAG-ANAK member Keith for providing this update:

http://nweb.npa.gov.tw/fore-eng/a_c_11.htm

Following is a very good and experienced description of the Taiwan police clearance experience:

Taiwan Police Clearance;Caution
by Kee

I will give you a word of warning concerning a Taiwan police clearance...or maybe a few words. Attempting to get a Taiwan Police Clearance delayed the issuance of my fiancee's visa by quite a while.

The Taiwan consulate in Manila was no help at all. My fiancee went there personally. The Taipei Economic and Cultural offices are many in the US...I called most of them and only found one who would attempt to help me, the Miami office.

The best bet is to print the form and mail directly to the address of--
Foreign Affairs Division
Police Headquarters
Municipal
96 Yen Peng South Road
Taipei, Taiwan.

Be sure to include a copy of your fiancee's passport, her orignal Alien Resident Certificate, and make sure you pay the fees in Taiwan currency. (Taiwan currency can be found online by searching money or currency exchangers). We sent the equivalent of $20 USD in Taiwan currency to cover the cost of the fee and for mailing.

I would also recommend sending the application to Taiwan in a track-able method, such as FEDEX. I created a personal FEDEX account online and was able to track my application to Taiwan, and the completed certificate all the way to the US Embassy. Taiwan will not send the police clearance to your fiancee directly, but to the embassy. However, she can personally pick it up or assign an agent/friend to pick it up in person (if this is an option).

I strongly recommend sending via FEDEX or some other verifiable method. We applied twice, and I think Taiwan probably did their part. The second time I was able to track delivery to the embassy via FEDEX, and then called them to let them know they had it in their possession.

Taiwan will complete the clearance in 1 to 2 days upon receipt of your application, and they are very easy to deal with.

I had quite a time with the Taiwan police clearance, and it can be tricky. If you need more advice, email me at Keebomc@aol.com and include your phone number, or request my number.

...the only agency I found helpful was the Foreign Affairs Division in Taiwan, at the address listed above.

another experience with Taiwan is described below (thx to Tom Hedberg):

"...Taiwan Municipal Police Department-Foreign Affairs Division (886-2-2381-8271). I caught them at lunch so they asked I call after 1:30pm Taiwan Time. I called back and explained how I was going to need a new police clearance for Gemma and that I had the form. She said to have Gemma fill it out, then she is going to send it back to me. I would then send it to the department above at #96 Yen Ping South Rd. Taipei. Taiwan ROC. She said no need to pay in Taiwan currency, I could send $11 USD, a copy of Gemma's passport, the form, and a brief letter explaining why it was needed. The best news of all is that she said it would take about 3 days and she would send the new Police Clearance to me, not to Manila where it would no doubt vanish..."

The following link is all I have so far on Japanese police clearances:

http://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/foreign/apply/tokoue.htm