Police Check Online

Australian National Character Check™ makes obtaining an online police check simple. The national criminal history check can be completed securely from a computer, mobile or tablet

Checks are returned as a digital PDF certificate to applicants, mostly within 24 to 48 hours. The remaining that get referred for manual processing will take longer. An optional hard copy certificate can also be requested which will be delivered to the applicant’s physical address using Australia Post delivery.

Applicants can pay securely via credit card, debit card or PayPal.

For many reasons, you may have to present your Police Check certificate in Australia. It could be part of the recruitment requirements for some jobs, for immigration purposes, licensing, and other purposes.

Getting a Police Check certificate through the in-person method can be cumbersome; lots of queuing, physical visits to the local police station, delays in clearance mailing and so on. However, Australian National Character Check provides you with an easier, faster and more secure form of obtaining your National Police Clearance Certificate via a streamlined online application portal.

From the comfort of their homes, workplaces or wherever, applicants can apply for their Police Check Certificate with a PC, tablet or mobile device connected to the internet.

Applicants will be required to fill the application forms online via the Australian National Character Check online application form. Completed applications will then be forwarded to the National police checking service. Applicants will receive their police check online certificate through their emails once the application is successful and results are released.

When you apply for your National Police Clearance via the online application forms of Australian National Character Check; you only need about 12 minutes to complete our simple application forms. Once your application is successful, you will get an email confirming this. In most circumstances, a national police certificate is mailed to applicants between 24 and 48 hours. The remaining that automatically get referred for manual processing (e.g. due to common names) will take approximately 3 to 15 days.

Australian National Character Check does not pick which application is returned soonest or vice-versa, but we follow all applications under our care dutifully and promptly.

A Police Check certificate issued online via our national service or through the local police authorities contains either Disclosable Court Outcomes (DCOs) or No Disclosable Court Outcomes (NDCOs) of the individual following the state's spent convictions legislation.

The Police Check will contain all past recorded convictions of an individual which the state deems releasable. The offences include all those committed in any State or Territory in Australia. Some of the offences you will find in your Police Clearance are;

• Serious Charges

• Good behaviour bonds

• Pending trials and convictions

• Court appearances

• Sexual offences and related convictions

• Traffic offences that lead to sentences

• Warrants or court warnings

• Finding of guilt with no convictions

• Convictions not under the Spent Convictions scheme

Certain offences under the States legislations and the Spent Convictions Scheme will not be disclosed on an applicant’s Police Clearance certificate when some conditions are present. Some of such conditions that have to be satisfied are;

• Ten (10) consecutive years of “waiting period” has elapsed since the person was convicted of the crime (in an adult court).

• Five (5) consecutive years of “waiting period” have elapsed since the person was convicted of the crime (in a youth court/as a juvenile) - 3 years in New South Wales (NSW).

• The person must not be convicted of a punishable crime during the waiting period (else the period restarts)

However, as stated above, certain offences will never be classified under the Spent Convictions Scheme no matter the amount of time elapsed (except by special court orders). These convictions where possible are generally always considered “releasable” by the States or the Commonwealth:

• Sexually related convictions

• Convictions against corporate organisations and institutions

• Convictions stated by the regulations

• Convictions for which a prison sentence of six or more months are imposed.

Aside from Spent convictions and charges, some other offences will not show up in a national police certificate. The omissions of these offences from the certificate might mean;

• √  The Convictions are not considered "serious"

• √  An applicant has met the conditions attached to commuting these offences as spent charges.

• √  The Convictions don't fall under the State's legal jurisdiction or were not given by a court

Some of these offences are, but not limited to;

• Findings of non-guilt.

• Convictions outside the country.

• Diversion programs.

• Spent Convictions

• Punitive measures by third party institutions or other professional bodies/unions.

• Offences outside the jurisdiction of Australian police agencies/courts.

Around 75 percent of applications for a Police Check Online submitted through Australian National Character Check are completed and returned between 24 to 48 hours. An electronic copy is sent to the applicant immediately, with the hard copy following mail via Australia Post shortly if it was requested.

However, on some occasions, some applications may be flagged for "manual review" by the National Police Checking Services. The effect of this on the application is that it will delay the period an applicant gets their Police Clearance certificate for a period between 2 and 15 business days.

When a manual review occurs, an official is usually required to scrutinise / review an application. It does not necessarily mean that the applicant has failed their Police Clearance or that there will be a Disclosable Court Outcome (DCO) on the result.

There are lots of reasons an application may be flagged for manual review and why a police check may take so long. Some of which include;

• The applicant having common or shared data (Name, address, D.O.B) with other data on the Police Criminal Database.

• Confusing data or alterations in an applicant’s data (changing addresses, names, and co.).

• Previous unsorted or unsolved traffic offences may lead to your application to be flagged by the Criminal Background Checking Service for verification.

• Incomplete or incorrectly filled applications.

When you apply for a Police Check online, you will be prompted to state the purpose of your Police Clearance. You must accurately indicate the purpose for which you need the Police Clearance certificate, as they are not used interchangeably.

Some of the purposes for a Police Check are;

• √  Paid Roles/Services (e.g. teaching, work in care services, health, fire service, and co.)

• √  Volunteer Services

• √  Licensing or Accreditations (e.g. public vehicle driver accreditation)

You can pay for your National Police Check through any of the online payment means provided on the Australian National Character Check police check application form. Some of the online payment services are;

• PayPal.

• Debit or Credit cards.

• MasterCard, Visa, American Express and others.

The base price for obtaining a valid Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) through our online portal is $48.90.

A Police Check certificate is valid in all States and Territories in Australia. It contains convictions and sentences from offences committed in all States and Territories within Australia. However, the colloquial name given to it across the different states may vary slightly.

Your Police Check obtained Online in Australia is valid for applicants applying in the following Australian states and territories:

• √  Police Check in Tasmania

• √  National Police Check NSW

• √  Police Clearance in QLD

• √  Police Check in the ACT

• √  Police Check in VIC

• √  Police Clearance in WA

• √  NT national criminal history check

The check issued on this website is formally known as a nationally coordinated criminal history check and is not issued by a state or territory police force. If you require a check by a state or territory police force then you should contact the criminal records section of the police force in your state or territory.

The check issued on this website is suitable for employment, volunteering, licensing and accreditation purposes. The check is not suitable for visa, immigration or national security purposes.

A Police Check certificate is an important document that helps organisations make informed employment decisions during recruitments. It also helps agencies to adjudge an individual’s character during licensing, admission, contract awarding, and co.

All Australia residents (permanent, work, visas, and co) seeking paid or volunteer roles, especially in sensitive positions must obtain an updated Police Check Certificate online to reduce delays.

People under the age of 18 can also apply for a national criminal history check, but with written consent from their ward or Parents.

The online portal of Australian National Character Check allows employers to verify the authenticity of a Check. Although all Police Checks bear a mark of validity from the issuing organisation, this can be an inadequate method to verify Police Clearance certificates.

Employers or decision makers can verify a National Police Clearance through our Verify a Police Check feature.

The steps involved in verifying a Police Check on our online portal are;

• Click and enter the link above.

• Enter the verification code on the top right corner of the Police Clearance certificate.

• Submit and proceed.

• The Certificate is either verified or rejected.

A police check does not have a set period of validity and therefore determining when a police check expires is up to the requesting party. A Police Check is a point-in-time check and therefore has no expiry from the point of issuance.

However, most organisations will not accept a Police Check that is older than 3 months old, and others act under their internal risk mitigation strategy.

Some organisations are responsible by law to get updated Police Checks at regular and acceptable intervals. An example of this is police checks for aged care services in Australia.

Some cases may require you to produce your police check certificate as soon as possible, such as during recruitments or special inspection. In such a case, queuing up, submitting papers, and other complexities will not look too appealing.

Some people are temporarily incapable of leaving their homes or area of comfort. Our online service provides an easy alternative to get your Police Check certificate delivered to you.

Applying through the online application portal is relatively simple, less time consuming and suitable for persons on a tight schedule, businesspeople, the elderly, and others whatever their schedule.

Australian National Character Check receives and transfers user data over secured, advanced and a modern network. Data transfers are passed through an encrypted link.

The website uses online security and encryptions similar to those used by Australian banks.