Frequently Asked Questions
General
A national police check, also referred to as "Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC), also known as a national police check (NPC), contains details of an individual’s disclosable court outcomes and any pending charges. The check is performed by retrieving data from police databases from all Australian territories and states.
It is possible that certain convictions, for example, juvenile or spent convictions, may not be included in an NCCHC in accordance with various police jurisdictions legislation.
Once the applicant has provided all the required information and ID documents, most (70%) of checks are completed within 1 business day, often within a matter of hours.
However, around 30% of all Australian police checks are delayed for further review by the National Police Checking System. This might delay the processing of the police check anywhere from 3 to 15 business days. In some exceptional cases, this process may take longer.
Please note that it is not possible to predict whether your check will be selected for further review. ᅠThe review process is out of the control of Crime Check Australia.
We recommend placing your order well in advance -at least 10 days- before the date in which you might need your check results.
Our online application process is quick, easy and straightforward. Provided that you have all the identity documents needed, the whole process should take a total of no more than 5 minutes.
Step 1 – Provide your name, surname, contact details and some information about the type and purpose of your police check.
Step 2 – Pay the fees securely online. We accept Visa, Mastercard and AMEX.
Step 3 – Provide additional information such as your gender, date of birth, and residential addresses for the last 5 years.
Step 4 – Scan or take a colour photo of the ID Documents requested along with a a selfie of yourself holding any photo ID. Upload the documents online using our easy and intuitive web interface or take photos directly from your smartphone. Provide your consent and submit the application form.
Step 5 – That' s it! Your results will be delivered to your email you as soon as it is processed, usually within 1 business day.
Crime Check Australia will handle all aspects of the NPC process for you, liaising with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) where necessary. The process is as follows:
After receiving your application, we will evaluate the information provided for accuracy, we will verify all the documents submitted for consistency and identity verification purposes. We will match the information provided against several databases to ensure the validity and accuracy of the information provided.
Once we are satisfied about the identity of the applicant, and have obtained his consent, we will submit a police check request to the National Police Checking Service. After the request has been submitted, a national database containing the details of Persons of Interest (POI) already known to the police is searched.
The Police Agency will determine whether or not the details provided match an existing POI record. If a match is identified, the police will vet Police History Information (PHI) records to determine what information will be released as part of your police check results. The Police Agency will take a range of factors into consideration, including the purpose and category of the check, when deciding what information will be released.
Crime Check Australia will then receive your police check results back from the National Police Checking Service database and make them available to you immediately. You will receive a branded results certificate that contains your results as well as additional information on how to verify its authenticity and other details.
A national police check contains information about the criminal history of an individual gathered from all states and territories of Australia.
Please note that Crime Check Australia has no discretion over any of the information released on a certificate.
The police check will state either:
A) No Disclosable Court Outcomes (NDCO). This means no Police History Information (PHI) is held on the individual, or that there is no information held that can be released.
OR
B) Disclosable Court Outcomes (DCO). This means that Police History Information (PHI) that can be released is held.
The Police History Information may include:
- Charges
- Court appearances
- Pending matters awaiting court hearing
- Court convictions, including penalties/sentences
- Good behavior bonds or other court orders
- Traffic offences
- Findings of guilt with no conviction
The criminal history, if any, disclosed in the results is determined by the individual police agencies and is based on Spent Conviction Legislation and Information Release Policies. The specific purpose of the NPC and other relevant legislation also determine the information that can be released.
Yes - In the event that you have any queries regarding your check results, you should contact us immediately and we will liaise with ACIC on your behalf or assist you in dealing with the relevant Police Agency.
A Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check is a ‘point in time’ check and is valid at the time of issue. They do not expire, but it is up to the organisation requesting it to determine the timeframe within which they require the check to be dated.
While the information in a national police check from a local police station might be presented differently to an NPC requested via Crime Check Australia, both checks are equally valid. The same central government systems and databases are used in both cases.
Requesting a NPC through Crime Check Australia is likely to be quicker and easier.
We are accredited and regulated by the Australian Criminal Intelligence commission to provide your police check results to you conveniently online.
All national police checks checks provided by us are valid for use in all states and territories in Australia.
Please note that some organisations will only accept certificates issued by their own preferred provider or the Australian Federal Police. ᅠIf unsure, please confirm with your employer if they have a preferred option or they will accept a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check from a government accredited provider such as Crime Check Australia.
Yes – a completed check may contain disclosable court outcomes from every Australian state and territory, at the discretion of the police checking services and legislation.
Yes, however there are some different requirements that need to be met. Please contact our office for further advice.
Crime Check Australia is not authorised to process, and will reject any application for which the final purpose of the police check is any of the following:
- Australian Citizenship
- Motor Vehicle Registration in NT
- Immigration
- Visa Applications
- Overseas Immigration Departments
- Requirements for Foreign Embassies
- WA Dangerous good license
- VIC Taxi Operator Accreditation
- NT Commercial Passenger Licence
- VIC Firearms Licence
- VIC Security Licence
- NDIS Screening Checks
This list is not exhaustive. It is the applicant's responsibility to make sure a check issued by Crime Check Australia is suitable for their needs.
National police checks and NDIS Worker Screening Check are different in nature:
A Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC), also known as a national police check (NPC), is a point on time check that contains details of an individual’s disclosable court outcomes and any pending charges. The check is performed by retrieving data from police databases from all Australian territories and states.
The NDIS Worker Screening Check is an assessment of whether a person who works, or seeks to work, with people with disability poses a risk to them. The assessment will determine whether a person is cleared or excluded from working in certain roles with people with disability and takes into account more risk factors than a National Police Check.
Crime Check Australia is not a provider for NDIS Worker Screening Checks. To search for an authorised provider for NDIS checks, please visit the website of the NDIS Comission.
You can obtain a police check even if you are living overseas, or intending to live overseas.
The requirements and process are the same as if you were currently living in Australia. Please include your overseas address in the address field if you are living outside Australia, as well as all other addresses, if any, in which you have been living over the last 5 years.
If you have any queries, please get in touch with our customer support team who will be readily able provide further assistance.
You can check the status of your police check application anytime by clicking here. Just input your check ID and email and you will be able to see the progress of your application.
Alternatively, you can always contact us in case you have any questions regarding your application or police check results. We are glad to help!
Information required
To obtain an australian national police check (NPC), you must provide certain personal information. You are required to provide:
- your legal names and any previous names
- your date and place of birth
- your gender information
- 5 years of address history
It is vital that all information provided is accurate and is in accordance with Australian Criminal Commission rules.
If we believe information supplied by you is incorrect, we will contact you to discuss the details.
We will also adjust your application accordingly and reserve the right to cancel your application if we are not fully satisfied as to the details provided.
In order to process you NPC, we will also require your email address and phone number. This enables us to contact you in regard to your application as well as verify and protect your identity.
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) specifies which identity documents are required to obtain a national police check. All accredited organisations (accredited bodies) undertaking NPCs must abide by these requirements.
At Crime Check Australia, we have designed our form with simplicity in mind. Our intuitive, step by step process makes the submission of requested documents clear and easy.
All applicants are required to submit 4 documents as follows:
- 1 commencement document (e.g; a passport)
- 1 primary document (e.g; drivers licence)
- 2 secondary documents (e.g; medicare card + student card)
- Full Australian Birth Certificate (not an extract or birth card).
- Australian Passport.
- Australian Visa, current at time of entry to Australia as a resident or tourist, supported by a foreign passport.
- ImmiCard issued by Department of Home Affairs (previously the Department of Immigration and Border Protection) that enables the cardholder to prove their visa and/or migration status and enrol in services.
- Australian Citizenship Certificate.
- Australian Drivers Licence, learner permit or provisional licence issued by a state or territory, showing a signature and/or photo and the same name as claimed.
- Australian Marriage Certificate issued by a state or territory (church or celebrant-issued certificates are not accepted).
- Passport issued by a country other than Australia with a valid entry stamp or visa.
- Proof of Age or Photo Identity Card issued by an Australian Government agency in the name of the applicant, with a signature and photo.
- Shooters or Firearms Licence showing a signature and photo (not minor or junior permit or licence).
- Student Identification Card containing a signature or photo for persons under 18 years of age with no other Part B documents.
- Certificate of Identity issued by DFAT.
- Document of Identity issued by DFAT.
- Convention Travel Document Secondary (United Nations) issued by DFAT.
- Foreign Government Issued Documents (for example, drivers licence).
- Medicare Card.
- Enrolment with the Australian Electoral Commission.
- Security Guard or Crowd Control Photo Licence.
- Evidence of Right to an Australian Government Benefit (Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs).
- Consular Photo Identity Card issued by DFAT.
- Photo identity card issued by the Australian Defence Force.
- Photo identity card issued by the Australian Government or a state or territory government.
- Aviation Security Identification Card (ASIC).
- Maritime Security Identification Card(MSIC).
- Credit Reference Check.
- Australian Tertiary Student Photo Identity Document.
- Australian Secondary Student Photo Identity Document.
- Certified Academic Transcript from an Australian university.
- Trusted Referees Report.
- Bank card, credit card or bank statement.
- State/territory government rates assessment notice or Australian Taxation Office assessment notice.
- Australian Utility Bill showing name and address.
- Australian Private Health Insurance Card.
- Australian Trade Association Card.
If you are unsure whether you have adequate ID to complete an NPC, please get in touch with our customer support team and they will be happy to advise you.
For more information, please check our comprehensive Document Guide.
The National Police Checking Service is co-ordinated by the Australian government. The multi-jurisdictional program allows individuals to access information about their criminal history, as required by many employers or other organisations.
There are strict rules put in place for accredited NPC providers and these must be followed at all times.
We are legally obliged to verify your identity via your identity documents, which is why we request you upload them to our online platform.
With the implementation of the national disability insurance scheme (NDIS) legislation recently and existing working with children’s check (WWC) legislation, the Police and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) no longer require the vulnerability indicator (level of contact) on an applicant’s check in order for the relevant police jurisdiction to determine what information can be released in accordance with their spent conviction legislation/information release policies. The Police use the entirety of the purpose to determine what information can be released. When applying for a check, you must supply all four of the below:
- Position/entitlement,
- Place of employment or licencing authority,
- City/town of employment, and
- State/territory of employment
You will need to provide your 5-year address history as part of your application, including current or prior addresses overseas.
International addresses can be added to your application by clicking on the ‘Country’ drop-down box when entering your address and choosing the relevant country.
When you apply for a check in person, your identity can be verified there and then by comparing your appearance to that of the photograph(s) in your identity documents.
When applying online, however, we need to use a different method to ensure you are who your documents say you are. For this reason, we ask you to take a selfie of you holding an item of photo ID. We will then check the selfie against the photo of you in your ID document and cross check this with automated tools to ensure the face matches the photo of the ID, and the photo ID has not been altered physically or electronically.
Supplying us with a selfie in this way protects you from fraud and ensures no one else can apply for a police check using your details.
Either all 4 documents must be in your primary name, or you must provide an official marriage certificate or change of name certificate that demonstrates the different names on your identification documents all belong to the same person (you).
Please note that even minor differences, such as inconsistent spacing, formatting or hyphens or different spellings can cause problems when requesting your police check. If you are concerned about the names in any of your documents, please get in touch with our customer support team who will be happy to advise you.
At Crime Check Australia, we always try to ensure you only need to provide the minimum number of documents to complete your check. Unfortunately, sometimes certain documents cannot be accepted. Government rules in this area are very strict and we must follow them at all times.
Some of these reasons why your document might be rejected include:
- The document is not written in English
- The document shows an abbreviation or alternate spelling of your name
- The document displays your name or other personal details incorrectly
- The document is not an accepted form of ID (for example a private healthcare card)
- The document has expired/been cancelled
- The document is not of the correct type for a particular category (for example, a bank card cannot be used as a commencement document)
- The document could not be verified with the government
If we cannot accept a document for any reason, we will contact you in order to discuss the issue and will suggest suitable alternatives to enable us to proceed with your application as soon as possible.
In order to conduct a NPC, you must meet the government’s identity requirements. No matter which organisation or provider you choose to use when applying for your NPC, the requirements remain the same. If you do not have the right documents to apply for an NPC, you may need to apply for new documents.
If the issue with your current documents relates to your name, you may be able to get them changed to display your correct name. If you have any concerns or questions about your documents, please contact our customer support team who will be happy to help.
With the exception of passports expired less than 2 years ago, we are unable to accept any other expired documents.
All other documents must be valid and unexpired in order to be accepted as part of your identification process.
There are some provisions in place to help those who cannot provide the required documents because of special circumstances. For example, if you cannot obtain an official birth certificate because of certain circumstances around your birth, your case may be suitable for special provisions. If you have any concerns about your ability to obtain certain documents, please contact our customer support team for assistance and advice.
If you are a New Zealand citizen living in Australia you should have been issued with an automatic residency visa. New Zealand citizens might not have a Visa grant notice in their possession, but their details will be stored in the Department of Home Affairs Visa records system.
While completing your police check, please provide a clear photo of your New Zealand passport in BOTH Commencement and Primary ID Categories and submit your police check.
We will verify your Visa using your passport details directly from the Dept. of Home Affairs Visa System.
**Please note, if we are unable to locate your Visa details, the applicant will need to contact the Department of Home Affairs (VEVO) and request it.
Pricing and Payments
Depending on the type of police check you need, the fees for requesting a police check with us are:
Volunteer check: $69 incl. GST
Employment check: $99 incl. GST
Crime Check Australia will only offer a refund in the event of extenuating circumstances. When you pay for a national police check (NPC) with Crime Check Australia, you confirm that you have read and accepted our terms and conditions as listed on our website.
In addition, please ensure that:
- You have confirmed with any current or potential employer or third parties that our check is suitable for your purpose
- You agree to supply only correct and true information
- You confirm you have completed the application thoroughly and accurately
- You have supplied the pre-populated informed concerned form and have signed and dated it (if your intention is to lodge by post)
- You have supplied your ID documents, as outlined in the minimum ID requirements
Crime Check Australia is not responsible for, and may deny a refund based on:
- Any errors in data entry made by the applicant
- Individuals changing their mind after fully or partially completing an application
- Individuals selecting the incorrect check type or reason for check
- Individuals providing lack of detail in their NPC application
- Incorrect or false information provided in NPC applications
- Incomplete NPC applications
- Individuals failing to provide the necessary ID documents
- Failure to return a signed, dated informed consent form (if lodging via post)
In the event that you require a refund, please email support@crimecheckaustralia.com.au with your details, including your full name, date of birth and reference number if applicable.
Yes – we take the security of all credit card information very seriously and use the latest SSL-encryption technologies to ensure your credit card information is secure at all times. In addition, no one at Crime Check can ever see or store your card information. All payments are handled by a PCI compliant service provider.
About Us
Yes - Crime Check Australia Pty Ltd is an accredited body of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and authorised to submit applications and retrieve police check results for consenting applicants.
Our accreditation details are available on the official ACIC website. Please use the following link if you need to verify this: List of Accredited Brokers Organisation.
You can find our details under "Crime Check Australia Pty Ltd".