Police check in Victoria (VIC)

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Are you after a quick, safe, and reliable way to order a police check in Victoria?

Crime Check Australia has fast become one of the most respected providers of online police checks for Victorian residents.

Keep reading to learn more about police checks in Victoria, as well as why we have become a chosen provider of official police checks for thousands of Victorians.

What is a Victorian police check?

A Victorian police check is a national criminal history check for applicants based in Victoria. The purpose of this document is to provide an official record of any disclosable criminal offences committed nationwide by the given applicant.

It is also referred to by several other names including a police check VIC, police clearance, criminal record check, national police check, and national criminal history check.

If you require a police check from another Australian state or territory, click here.

Why Should I Get a Police Check?

Getting a VIC police check is a mandatory requirement to work, volunteer, intern, or undertake a student placement in a variety of workplaces in Victoria. It is also a mandatory requirement to complete certain visa, immigration, and citizenship processes, or become an adoptive or foster parent.

These are just a few of the many reasons why you may need to order a national police check. Below, we have provided a quick summary of some typical examples of who may request this document from you and why:

  • Your future employer: As a means of screening you before the commencement of your employment contract and/or for occupation-related licensing or registration purposes. The employer in question may be a private company or organisation, or a government department.
  • Your current employer: In order to comply with internal company standards and/or for occupation-related licensing or registration purposes.
  • The place you will undertake an internship or student placement: It is a requirement in certain workplace settings that interns and students on student placements complete a police check.
  • The organisation you wish to volunteer with: To ensure that you are a suitable candidate for the volunteering role.
  • Adoption or foster agency: To ascertain that you are a suitable candidate to adopt or foster a child either here or overseas.
  • Immigration agency: To help determine what immigration status is most appropriate to grant you. You will need to undertake a police check if you wish to apply for a visa or complete your citizenship process.

Which Types of Jobs Typically Require a Criminal Record Check in Victoria?

A criminal record check may be requested by employers in a variety of industries and jobs in Victoria.

You will typically need a police check if you work or plan to work in a job that involves engaging with vulnerable individuals. For example, roles that involve children, such as primary or high school teaching or early childhood education; caregiving roles, such as jobs in the aged care sector; or roles that necessitate contact with vulnerable communities, such as working with Indigenous communities or refugees.

Both Commonwealth and Victorian State Governments also require individuals to undergo a police check as part of the job application process. Additionally, anyone wishing to be admitted as a lawyer may need a police check to help provide evidence that they are a “fit and proper” person.

Why Do Certain Companies, Organisations, and Government Departments and Agencies Require a Victorian police check?

A police check VIC is an easy way for a company, organisation, or government department or agency to verify if you have a criminal history.

A company, organisation, or government department or agency may use the results of your police check to determine if you are a suitable fit for the given job, application, internship, student placement, or the visa/citizenship/immigration status you are requesting. The results of a police check may also be used to assess your suitability to become a foster or adoptive parent.

This document may therefore serve as a way to vet you against certain disclosed or undisclosed standards or values the company, organisation, or government department or agency has. For example, a company may require a job applicant to file a police check to help ascertain whether they are a trustworthy, law-abiding individual who will positively contribute to the business.

Police Checks in Victoria

Why Should I Choose Crime Check Australia for My Victorian police check?

Crime Check Australia is a leading provider of police checks in Victoria. Thousands of individuals have already entrusted us to process their Victorian police check. It’s all thanks to our reputation for being an efficient, affordable, and reliable police check provider.

Unlike many of our competitors, we are an accredited body of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC). This means that we have the proper authorisation that is necessary to both submit and receive the results of crime check applications.

It is vital to choose an accredited provider like Crime Check Australia, as otherwise the police check you obtain will not be considered valid for use. Consequently, if you opt for a non-accredited provider, you may not only lose time and money, but also tarnish your credibility with the company, organisation, or government department or agency requesting the police check.

That is why it is always worth ordering your crime check from a well-established, reputable provider like Crime Check Australia.

Why Should I Order My police check Online Instead of at a Police Station?

There are two primary ways a police check VIC can be ordered. You can do so at a local police Victorian station or by using an ACIC accredited police check provider.

As we are accredited with the ACIC, our national police checks have the exact same legitimacy as a police check ordered through a local police office.

So why should you choose to order your police check online? There are many advantages to doing so when you place your order with Crime Check Australia.

In short, it is significantly quicker, more convenient, and less of a hassle to order through our online crime check service than at a police station.

For example, if you were to get your police check in Victoria at a local police station, you would need to physically go to the police station to complete the relevant form. As police often need to deal with more urgent matters than police checks, you would likely need to wait a while before being served. Due to this fact, you would also need to wait several days for your application to be processed.

In contrast, when you order your Victorian police check with us, you can complete the entire process 100% online using your computer, tablet, or even your mobile phone. Our service allows you to get started 24/7, whenever and wherever is most convenient to you. Plus, our easy-to-complete process means it only takes minutes to submit your application with us.

We have also streamlined all of our processes to ensure that you receive your police check as soon as possible. So instead of waiting several days, you can typically expect your police check to arrive in your inbox within just 1 business day. Many of our customers even receive their police checks within a matter of hours!

Another major benefit of ordering with us is that you won’t need to worry about printing, scanning, or posting your police check. You will be promptly emailed your police check as soon as it is ready, so you can send it to the party requesting it in only a few clicks.

How Long Does It Usually Take To Receive My Victorian police check?

As mentioned above, most applicants who apply for a Victorian police check with us receive their results in just 1 business day. In fact, 70% of police check results are returned to customers within one business day, making Crime Check Australia one of the fastest online providers of police checks in the country.

The main reason why some police checks may take longer than 24 hours to dispatch is that they are flagged for 'manual review' by the respective Australian Police agency processing the police check.

This simply means that the given applicant’s police check must undergo a manual assessment before it is given the green light. As it is up to each respective Australian Police agency to determine which applications get flagged for manual review, we unfortunately do not have control over this process.

Police checks may be flagged for manual review for a range of reasons, as follows:

  • The applicant has a common legal name. If the applicant’s name has potential similarities to another individual’s name in the database used to perform national police checks, a manual review may be required to ensure their details are correctly matched up.
  • The application has been temporarily held up in the police agency. This may occur due to a lack of time and/or resources to attend to it.
  • Information about the applicant’s criminal history first needs to be communicated and transferred between different Australian states and territories. This process may be necessary before a conclusion can be made.
  • The applicant’s criminal record is for some reason incomplete, inaccurate, or outdated. In such cases, certain details about the applicant’s criminal record may need to be manually collected and/or further investigated before it is given the all-clear.

Police check Victoria: What Information Will Appear on My Police Clearance?

Your Victorian police clearance will show any disclosable offences that you have to your name in the state of Victoria, as well as in any other Australian states and territories. If you do not have any disclosable offences, this will be clearly stated on your police check.

To be specific, your Victorian police check will show any:

  • Disclosable court outcomes (DCOs)
  • Court sentences
  • Offences*
  • Records
  • Pending Australian cases within Australia

*Offences will be disclosed in accordance with the Spent Convictions Scheme. This Scheme provides that if you were convicted of an offence as a minor, it will not appear on your police check if a period of 5 years has already elapsed. Whereas, if you were convicted of an offence as an adult, the offence will not appear on your police check if a period of 10 years has already elapsed.

It is important to note that the conviction will only be considered “spent” (that is, it will not be disclosed) if you also did not re-offend during the respective period.

This link from the Australian Government provides more information about the Commonwealth Spent Convictions Scheme. Be sure to keep in mind that the Spent Convictions Scheme may vary from state to state, so applicants from Victoria should be sure to additionally consult the recently passed Spent Convictions Act 2021 (Vic)

What Information and Documents Do I Need to Provide to Get My police check in Victoria?

As with any other national police check, you will need to provide personal information about yourself including your:

  • Legal names (as well as any previous names you have had)
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Gender
  • Address history (spanning the last 5 years)

You will also need to provide the following mandatory documents:

  • 1 commencement document (e.g. your current Australian passport or full Australian Birth Certificate)
  • 1 primary document (e.g. your current Australian drivers licence or foreign passport)
  • 2 secondary documents (e.g. your Medicare card and your enrolment with the Australian Electoral Commission)

In order to verify your identity, you must also submit a selfie holding one of the aforementioned documents. The document you choose must feature a photo of you, such as your drivers licence.

As we will send your police check to you digitally, and may need to contact you in the case that there is a problem with your application, you will additionally be required to provide your email address and phone number.

Police check Victoria: How Long is My national police check Valid For in the State?

Your police check technically does not have an expiry date.

That said, the company, organisation, or government department or agency that has requested a police check from you will have likely established its own guidelines regarding how long a police check will be considered valid for.

Most companies, organisations, and government departments and agencies in Victoria will typically only accept a police check that has been issued within the past 3 months.

As such, if you wish to reuse a police check, you will need to ask the requesting party for further information regarding their cut-off date, if they have one. If in doubt, it may be in your best interests to simply order a brand new police check to help guarantee that yours will be valid in the eyes of the requesting party.

What Types of police checks Are There?

There are two main types of police checks available:

  • Employment police check
  • Volunteer police check

When ordering yours, it is critical to ensure that you select the appropriate type for your particular situation. The party requesting it will usually specify which one you need, so you will usually not have any difficulty determining which one is right for you.

As a rule of thumb, unless you need your police check for a volunteering opportunity, you will most likely require an employment police check.

I Still Have Other Questions - Who Can I Contact for More Information?

If you have a general question about police checks, a question about what information is required for your police check, or any questions about pricing and payments, we recommend taking a read of the frequently asked questions on our homepage.

If you still can’t find the answer you’re looking for, get in touch with our friendly customer support team. You can contact us by filling out our contact form. Alternatively, you can email us at info@crimecheckaustralia.com.au and we will be sure to get back to you shortly.