An Australian national police check is a certificate listing your disclosable criminal history drawn from police databases across every state and territory. The standard check through the Australian Federal Police costs $56, and most certificates are issued within two business days. You apply either directly to the AFP or through an ACIC-accredited body, depending on why you need the check.
Where to Apply
Two channels exist, and the right one depends on the purpose of your check.
The Australian Federal Police handles checks required for Commonwealth or ACT purposes. That includes federal government employment, visa and citizenship applications, working overseas, and roles regulated under Commonwealth legislation such as aged care or Commonwealth-level child-related work.1Australian Federal Police. National Police Checks If any of those apply, the AFP is your only option.
For most private-sector jobs, volunteer positions, and state-level licensing, you go through an organisation accredited by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. ACIC coordinates the National Police Checking Service but does not accept applications from individuals directly. Accredited bodies act as intermediaries, submitting the check on your behalf and returning the result.2Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. I Need to Get a Check for My Employees
If you would rather deal with someone in person, Australia Post runs a National Police Check service at participating outlets. Applications go through the Queensland Police Service or Western Australia Police Force platforms, but you can apply from anywhere in Australia regardless of which state you live in.3Australia Post. Police Checks Staff verify your original documents and lodge the application for you.
The 100 Points of ID Requirement
Every application requires at least 100 points of identification, scored under a set schedule.4Australian Federal Police. National Police Check 100 Point Checklist Primary documents like a current passport, birth certificate, or citizenship certificate are worth 70 points each, but only one primary document counts no matter how many you hold. Secondary documents that show your name and photograph, such as an Australian driver’s licence, a government employee ID, or a tertiary student card, are worth 40 points. The rest of the total comes from supporting documents like bank statements, Medicare cards, or utility bills.
You also need to give your full legal name, any previous names or aliases, your date of birth, and your residential history. The form asks you to specify the exact purpose of the check, because the purpose determines which disclosure rules apply. Getting the purpose wrong can leave you with a certificate that does not satisfy the requesting organisation, so confirm the category with them before you submit.
Fees and Processing Times
A standard AFP check costs $56. If your application requires fingerprints, the total rises to $113.1Australian Federal Police. National Police Checks Fees through ACIC-accredited bodies vary but sit in a similar range, sometimes lower, sometimes higher depending on the provider and any extras like expedited processing.
The AFP states that most certificates are completed and posted within 48 hours of the application being received. About 70 percent of online applications finish processing within hours of submission. The rest need manual review, which happens when your name matches records held across multiple jurisdictions and each relevant police agency has to confirm whether the match is genuine. Those cases typically wrap up within 10 to 12 business days, though some run longer.
Applying from overseas is slower and more expensive. You cannot use the online system, the application must be posted with a set of physical fingerprints taken at a local police station, documents in languages other than English need an official translation, and processing takes between 15 and 30 business days.1Australian Federal Police. National Police Checks
What the Certificate Actually Shows
The certificate lists Disclosable Court Outcomes. These are records that Australian police agencies have determined are appropriate for release given the purpose of the check and the applicable spent convictions rules. Disclosable outcomes usually include formal convictions and findings of guilt, even where no conviction was formally recorded. Traffic offences dealt with by a court can also appear if they meet the disclosure threshold.
What generally does not appear matters just as much. In most jurisdictions, pending charges that have not yet been decided by a court are not disclosed on a standard check, and neither are findings of not guilty by reason of mental impairment or matters still under active police investigation.5Victoria Police. National Police Check Disclosure Information and Disputes Spent convictions also stay off the certificate in most cases.
How Spent Convictions Work
Under Part VIIC of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth), a conviction becomes “spent” once a waiting period passes without the person committing another offence. For adults, the waiting period is ten years. For offences committed as a juvenile, it drops to five years.6Federal Register of Legislation. Crimes Act 1914 The scheme only covers relatively minor matters: a sentence of more than 30 months’ imprisonment can never become spent under the Commonwealth scheme.
Once a conviction is spent, it generally cannot be disclosed on a police check certificate, and you are not legally required to reveal it when asked about your criminal history. There are exceptions. Sexual offences and offences committed against a person under 18 are permanently excluded from the scheme and never become spent. Certain sensitive roles involving children, vulnerable people, or national security may also require full disclosure of all convictions, including ones that would otherwise be spent.
Each state and territory runs its own parallel spent convictions legislation, and the waiting periods and excluded categories vary. The federal scheme governs Commonwealth offences and AFP checks; state schemes apply to state offences disclosed through state-based agencies.
How Long the Certificate Is Valid For
The AFP does not put an expiry date on the certificate. The document is accurate as of the date the application was submitted, and it does not capture anything after that date. Each requesting organisation sets its own policy on how recent the check must be. Some employers accept a certificate that is three months old, others require one issued within the last 30 days, and some industries mandate a fresh check every year. Confirm the recency requirement with whoever is asking for the check before you apply, or you can end up paying twice.
Fixing Errors on the Certificate
If your certificate contains an error, such as a conviction that belongs to someone else with a similar name, a record that should have been spent, or incorrect personal details, you can dispute it. Start by contacting the accredited body or police agency that processed your application.7Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. Appeals and Disputes Set out the specific error and supply supporting documentation: court transcripts, updated identification, discharge papers, or anything else that shows the mistake.
The agency then coordinates with the relevant state or territory police to verify the record against primary court sources. Official channels do not publish a guaranteed resolution timeline, and the investigation can take time, particularly when more than one jurisdiction is involved. If the dispute is upheld, a corrected certificate is issued. Don’t sit on an error hoping it will not matter. An inaccurate record can derail a job offer or licence application, and the dispute process cannot retroactively undo a decision already made on the wrong information.
A National Police Check Is Not a Working with Children Check
These are different tools, and one does not substitute for the other. A police check is a snapshot: it shows what was on the system on the day you applied, and it is never updated. A Working with Children Check is an ongoing assessment of your eligibility to work or volunteer with children, lasting roughly three years and monitored continuously. If you commit a relevant offence during that period, the issuing authority is notified and can suspend or cancel your clearance.8Queensland Government. The Working with Children Check (Blue Card) and Police Check
The scope is broader too. A WWCC considers your full national criminal history including spent convictions, child protection orders, disciplinary information from professional bodies, and reporting obligations under offender legislation. A standard police check shows only disclosable court outcomes under the applicable spent convictions rules.
The output is different as well. A WWCC produces a pass or fail: you either receive a clearance card or you are refused. A police check simply lists whatever is disclosable, with no assessment attached. Fees for a WWCC vary widely across states and territories, generally ranging from free for volunteers up to around $115 for paid workers, and each jurisdiction uses its own name for the scheme (Blue Card in Queensland, Working with Children Check in NSW and Victoria, Working with Vulnerable People registration in the ACT). If you are entering child-related work, check the requirements with the relevant state authority; a national police check on its own will not be enough.