Hello, I need to get a criminal background check and my degree notorised at the Chinese embassy in Bangkok. But after looking at their website, it seems like there are three locations and I'm not entirely sure which one I should go to.

 

If someone could advise and give a rough idea of the cost and how long it will take I will be grateful.

 

I believe it's "legalization" you want, not notarization, and embassies normally only legalize documents that originate in the country where they're located. So unless these are Thai background checks and degrees, you will almost certainly have to have them legalized at the Chinese embassy in the country where they originated. But check with the embassy to be certain.

My degree is British. Could it not be confirmed by the ministry of foreign affairs here. I got that done with a local police check but I can't send my certificates back to England.

No. This can be done only by the Chinese embassy or consulate in the UK. And you first need to have your document seen at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I assume you had a Thai police check legalized in Bangkok.

 

There are various services that will do all this for you, for fee of course, so you don't have to travel back, like this one:

 

http://www.apostille.org.uk/china-attestation

 

(I have no idea whether that's a reputable firm, I'm just linking it as the type of service which is available.)

 

Remember that whatever you submit with your Chinese visa application you will not see again, so don't submit an irreplaceable original.

 

You could try the UK's service, detailed here: https://www.gov.uk/get-document-legalised

Yes, that's a necessary step before the document is sent to the Chinese embassy. It's what I was referring to when I said, "you first need to have your document seen at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office." But it still has to go to the Chinese embassy after the FCO, so the Chinese embassy can legalize the FCO stamp.

 

And while the FCO accepts mail-in applications, the Chinese embassy doesn't, so you need a friend or an agent to take it there, if you can't do it yourself.

 

Like Thailand, China isn't party to the Hague Convention, so legalizing documents remains a red-ribboned hassle.