Police check for Victoria residents

Are you a resident of Victoria and need a police check? Get your police check online now via the Australian National Character Check (ANCC®) website.

The check provided by ANCC® for residents based in Victoria is formally referred to as a nationally coordinated criminal history check. The check is valid throughout Australia including the state of Victoria (Vic).

70 percent of police checks are returned to applicants within 24 hours. Approximately 30 percent of checks may be referred to one or more police agencies (including those outside of Victoria) and can take longer than 10 business days to be returned, due to the manual nature of this process.

The police check application for applicants based in Victoria can be completed securely from a computer, mobile or tablet.

You can pay securely via a credit card, debit card or via PayPal.

Please note: If applicants require a certificate that is issued by the Victoria Police, this can only be obtained directly through Victoria Police. Australian National Character Check is not affiliated with Victoria Police and applicants must obtain one directly through their website. This may require you to have your identification documents certified. You should allow a minimum of 10 business days for a police check by Victoria Police to be issued.

The nationally coordinated criminal history check lists an applicant's disclosable court outcomes (DCOs) sourced from the databases of all Australian police agencies.

Most checks (70 percent) are returned to applicants in Victoria (Vic) within 24 hours. Approximately 30 percent of checks may be referred to one or more police agencies (including those outside of Victoria) and can take longer than 10 business days to be returned, due to the manual nature of this process.

Results are automatically dispatched by ANCC’s software system via email on the same day the results are received.

Victorian applicants should note that the time it takes to process an applicant’s result is beyond our control and applicants should allow sufficient time when applying for their check.

There are various options available to residents based in Melbourne or other parts of Victoria.

Option One: You can apply through an accredited agency like Australian National Character Check (ANCC). The product provided by ANCC is a nationally coordinated criminal history check. The check is valid throughout Australia.

Option Two: You can apply through the Victorian Police Force.

Please note that Australian National Character Check (ANCC) is not affiliated with the Victorian Police Force and applicants that wish to obtain a check via the Victorian Police Force must do so directly through their website.

If applying online, the application process starts from filling out the online application form (instead of the conventional paper form), making payment and then uploading your identification documents online. The entire process can be completed in under 12 minutes if you already have your identification documents on hand.

There is no difference in the legitimacy of a nationally coordinated criminal history check issued to applicants by Australian National Character Check (ANCC) and a police check issued by the Victorian police force.

Applicants that apply online through Australian National Character Check do sometimes experience a difference in speed and efficiency when obtaining their police check online.

Overall, Victorian applicants generally save time and cost when applying for their police check online.

A number of companies and licensing organisations will not admit or employ a person without conducting a background check.

Requesting a police check for a new employee (or periodic checks for current employees) is in line with standard compliance or risk mitigation policies for a number of Victorian organisations.

The expiry period for a police check can only be determined by the party that requests it.

A police check is a “point in time check” meaning it has no set expiry date. Most organisations in Victoria (VIC) will not accept a police check that is older than three months.

This timeframe for the expiry date will vary and will depend on each organisation's internal risk mitigation strategies.

You should check directly with the requesting party requesting the check about how old your check can be for them to accept it.

Whilst most checks are dispatched within 24 hours* (around 70% of cases), issuance of a nationally coordinated criminal history check can take longer if the national police checking service identifies the need for a ‘manual review’.

If required, checks get referred for manual processing automatically.

A manual review may occur when a person has a name that is similar to someone in the country who has criminal history or is of interest to Australian police agencies. This process will lead to a delay in the applicant getting their check and can take 10 or more days.

Australian National Character Check’s software system automatically dispatches police checks on the same day they are received.

Unfortunately it is beyond the scope of Australian National Character Check to predict which applications may be automatically referred for manual processing. Applicants must allocate sufficient time in the case their application is referred for manual processing.

The process to obtain a background check cannot be rushed. Australian police agencies work tirelessly to provide our community with a timely, accurate and consistent service in the interests of community safety.

A police check contains a list of disclosable court outcomes (DCOs). This includes and is not limited to records such as court summons, court sentences, offences, and pending criminal cases within Australia (if any that are deemed releasable). Offences are disclosed in accordance with the spent convictions scheme for each state and territory. Those offences may include:

• Traffic offences, domestic and public violence and others for which the person was convicted.
• Infractions of the law, community orders, sanctions and suspended sentences.

For information about how the spent convictions scheme or information release policies apply to nationally coordinated criminal history checks, please refer to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) website for useful links to the spent convictions legislation.

Background checks for individuals in Victoria (Vic) provide a record of an individual’s disclosable court outcomes (if any).

This provides decision makers with sound information for placing persons within a position of trust.

Overall, the checks are aimed at improving community and workplace safety.

Australian National Character Check (ANCC®) provides an online software solution for businesses and government clients to meet compliance requirements when hiring or recruiting new staff.

Please contact us today to find out how Australian National Character Check can work with your business.