Frequently Asked Questions
A National Police Check (NPC), now known as a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC) is a document that lists an individual’s disclosable court outcomes and pending charges sourced from the databases of all Australian police jurisdictions. Certain convictions, such as spent or juvenile convictions, may not be disclosed on a NPC in accordance with the legislation of the various police jurisdictions.
National Police Checks may also be referred to as:
• Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC)
• National Police History Check (NPHC)
• National Criminal History Check
• National Criminal Record
• National Criminal Record Check
• State Police Check (no longer available)
To order a National Police Check, please click here >
Getting an Australian Police Check is easy with Worker Checks!
Simply apply online for your National Police Check by clicking here.
Complete our mobile-friendly online form – which takes about 5 minutes, including the reason you need the check, your date of birth, previous names or addresses.
Verify your ID 100% Online – using our online ID verification platform you can verify ID from your computer or mobile phone within minutes.
Pay with credit card via our secure payment gateway.
We’ll process your check after you submit it
We’ll send you an email when your check is ready
Your results will be available in your secure personal portal
From your personal workerchecks.com portal:
See more about Worker Checks online police check process here
70% of all National Criminal History Check applications are processed within 1 hour of receiving your application .
In the remaining cases, checks are processed within 10 business days. This beyond the control of Worker Checks – further investigation is required by the state authorities. This in no way means that there is a problem with the check outcome – it is just a consequence of the additional due diligence required.
Please ensure you allow yourself adequate time to receive your police check just in case your application requires manual investigation.
You will be advised via email updates in relation to the status of your application.
Please click here to read our article on delayed police checks >
What is the difference between Australian National Police Check and an Australian Federal Police Check?
A National Police Check and an Australian Federal Police Check differ in their uses. In most instances, such as for employment purposes, you will only need to obtain a National Police Check.
In special circumstances, such as for Commonwealth Government Employment, immigration or visa-related purposes, an Australian Federal Police Check is required.
Please read this article for further information on the difference between National Police Check and AFP Police Check :
Click here to Chat to us if you are not sure which check you require >
The information provided on the police check report has been obtained according to the following process:
On average, 75% of all National Criminal History Check applications are processed within 1 hour of receiving your application .
In the remaining cases, checks are processed within 10 business days. This beyond the control of Worker Checks – further investigation is required by the state authorities. This in no way means that there is a problem with the check outcome – it is just a consequence of the additional due diligence required.
Please ensure you allow yourself adequate time to receive your police check just in case your application requires manual investigation.
You will be advised via email updates in relation to the status of your application.
There is no standard period of time that a police check remains valid for. The check does not include an expiry date, and only includes the date that the report was issued.
A Criminal History Check is considered a ‘point in time’ check. The information contained in the document is only accurate up to the date and time of issue. A police check does not expire officially, but the information may become outdated as time goes on, or miss out new information contained on an individual’s police record, if an offence took place after the certificate was produced.
The purpose behind the police check is relevant to determine how valid the document is. Organisations who request the check must decide themselves if the date on a police check is acceptable. They must also determine a timeframe in which they require an updated National Police Check. This is usually part of company policy and their own risk assessments as to what they will and won’t accept, and when it needs to be renewed.
See our article on police check validity here -->
National police checks in Australia do not have a specific validity window. Instead, they are only 100 per cent correct and up-to-date on the day of issuing. That being said, some organisations set their own requirements – for example, an employer may request a police check issued in the last 14 days.
It is the responsibility of employers and organisations to keep on top of their employees’ suitability at their own discretion.
Yes. Please click on AFP check under the Products Menu
All names under which you have been or are currently known will be included on your Police Check.
All police history information is kept for 12 months as per our ACIC accreditation requirements. All police history information is destroyed after 12 months.
If you need to retain a copy of your police check within 12 months – please print this out from your personal Workerchecks portal.
No.
A screening unit has been set up in each state and territory to conduct NDIS Worker Screening checks and issue the resulting cards, registrations or permits.
Please read more here on NDIS Worker Screening -->
The following state and territory screening units are the only organisations allowed, under legislation, to conduct NDIS screening checks:
(Click on the state or territory below)
NSW: Service NSW NDIS Worker Check
QLD: Queensland Disability Worker Screening
SA: Department of Human Services SA NDIS Worker Checks
TAS: TAS Work with vulnerable people and NDIS Worker screening
VIC: VIC NDIS Worker Screening
WA: Department of Communities WA NDIS Worker screening check
ACT: Access Canberra
NT: Northern Territory Government
The information provided on the police check report has been obtained according to the following process:
In order to obtain a National Police Check in Australia, you must provide:
To complete your 100% online police check with Worker Checks do a Police Check with Checked, you will need an email address and a mobile phone to register a Worker Checks account. You will also require a credit card to pay for your check online.
We understand that the amount of information required to complete a Police Check can be complicated and confusing, so we are always happy to assist you in providing this information. If you are ever unsure, simply contact our Australian Support Team at any time for further clarification – there is a chat bubble at the bottom right of this screen and every screen in the Worker Checks system.
If you have questions about identification documents for your police check, please click the chat bubble to talk to our Australian based support team.
No.
Workerchecks.com verification of identity is completed 100% online.
We do not accept any hard copy identification documents.
No.
Workerchecks provide 100% online police checks.
The previous ‘100 Points of ID’ system that has been used for many years, was replaced by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) – the government agency that regulates ALL National Police Checks in Australia) on the 1st July 2018.
This change means that for ALL Police Check providers in Australia, additional Identity requirements were mandatory.
Your police check may have been flagged for further review if it has been matched against somebody on the database with a similar name, gender and/or date of birth. When this occurs, there is a process of review into the application, in consultation with each of Australia’s police agencies, to resolve the match.
Usually, the check request is finalised in approximately 10-12 business days. However, there may be instances where it takes longer.
Once the results of the application have been finalised, you will receive an email as soon as the results have been returned from ACIC. The results will then be instantly available in your Worker Checks personal portal.
A Police Check that is flagged for further review is a systems generated response that advises the relevant Police Partner agency of a potential match.
The Police Partner Agencies will then draw on relevant information to manually determine the following:
If there is not a match
Matching by the Police Partner Agency determines that the Applicant is not a match. The police check will be released with a result of No Disclosable Court Outcomes to WorkerChecks.com who will then dispatch your police check via your selected dispatch method.
If there is a confirmed match
Matching by the Police Partner Agency determines that there is a match. The police check application then moves into the vetting stage.
Request for Further Information (RFI)
In some instances, the Police Partner Agency may need additional information to assist in making a matching decision. To do this, the Police Partner Agency may raise a RFI through the.
The RFI will generally take the form of additional address details, photo ID or requesting an Applicant attend a police station to submit a fingerprint sample.
It is the responsibility of National Crime to ensure that RFIs are completed and to liaise with the Applicant to obtain the relevant information.
Vetting
Once a confirmed match has been determined, the Police Partner Agency undertakes vetting of the relevant Police History Information (PHI) held on its systems. Vetting involves applying relevant legislation and/or policy to the PHI, to determine what can be released. The Police Partner Agency also takes into account the category and purpose of the Police Check to determine the type and amount of information that is released. The Police Check then goes into the Final Vetting stage.
Final Vetting
The coordinating Police Partner Agency is responsible for reviewing the vetted results and applying its own legislation/policy to determine what PHI will be released to WorkerChecks.com.
Results released
A NPHC result through NSS will either be:
• No Disclosable Court Outcomes (NDCO)
– There is no PHI that can be released to the submitting organisation
• Disclosable Court Outcomes (DCO)
– PHI exists that can be released to the submitting organisation. The PHI may include:
charges;
court convictions, including any penalty or sentence;
findings of guilt with no conviction;
court appearances;
good behaviour bonds or other court orders, and/or
pending matters awaiting court hearing.
No, there is no need to contact us. You will receive email updates in relation to the status of your lodgement.
You will receive an email as soon as the results have been returned from ACIC. The results will then be instantly available in your Worker Checks personal portal.
No, ACIC cannot discuss the progress of your application. All questions should be directed to Workerchecks.com
No – WorkerChecks.com monitors progress of all flagged checks regularly. We are reliant on the police services providing us with the information that populates your police check.
Your police check may be flagged for further review if it has been matched against somebody on the database with a similar name, gender and/or date of birth. When this occurs, there is a process of review into the application, in consultation with each of Australia’s police agencies, to resolve the match.
There is no way to tell whether a check will be flagged as a potential match. On average 70% are generally processed within 1-2 business days. The remaining 30% of all checks will be flagged as a potential match.
Also known as an International Criminal History Check (ICHC), it details recorded criminal history in over 190 countries and overseas territories. This includes identifying felony and/or misdemeanor level conviction records and arrests pending charges.
Your international police check is usually ready within 10 to 15 working days.
In some cases, it will take longer, depending on the processing times of government agencies coordinating checks in each country.
If you’re new to Australia, or have spent more than six months abroad, a potential employer may request an International Police check as part of their pre-employment screening.
Also known as overseas police clearance or criminal history check, completing your check with Worker Checks makes the task of getting your criminal history checked from an overseas country easy !
Our checking process meets the highest international standards often required of international students, teachers and health practitioners, and is performed 100% online using digital document upload and secure online document delivery via your Worker Checks personal portal.
Note: Our checks are suitable for background screening, for example employment, recruitment and rental checks. Some organisations have specific requirements for overseas police check certificates, so we recommend checking these requirements before you proceed.
Please check with the relevant authorities if you require an international police clearance for VISA and immigration purposes. We do not guarantee that our checks are suitable for VISA and immigration purposes.
If you’re an international student, a teacher, practice medicine or nursing, work in childcare or have spent more than six-months living or working abroad, you may need overseas criminal history screening.
You may be new to Australia and want to verify your background to include in your CV or job application.
Many businesses include an international police check as part of their pre-screening process if candidates have spent more than six months overseas. International Criminal History Checks (ICHC) are usually required for international students, teachers and health practitioners, including:
Please click here to commence your International Police Check >
Select International Police Check from Workerchecks product page and follow the instructions to create a Workerchecks account and then complete the application.
Simply complete the data entry and consent. Upload your IDs and take a selfie for proving your identity., pay via credit card and submit your order for processing.
Click here to commence you International Police Check >
If you engage a workforce, you have a legal requirement to verify rights to work in the country and keep records to prove compliance. Workerchecks makes this task easy with one dashboard to instantly check, monitor and stay on top of re-checks to ensure your obligations are met.
A Worker Check’s VEVO check is $8.80
Can be completed 100% online and results are availlble in your personal portal
If you decide to, or accidentally work illegally in Australia, you could face fines of up to $63,000 and/or five years’ imprisonment.
Companies face an additional $315,000. The Australian Department of Home Affairs enforces these regulations heavily.
To ensure you, or your workers comply with all Australian laws and Australian employer standards, it is recommended that you obtain two checks:
and if required:
You can start both checks right now by clicking through to our products page. If you run a business and need multiple checks and streamlined services offered free of charge, register for our free business portal here.
In Australia, you can legally work if you are:
Note: Foreign nationals who don’t have a valid visa are not allowed to work in Australia. This can include a person whose visa has expired or been cancelled.
Uber driver checks – Please see our products page to get your Australian National Police Check for UBER, your International Police Check for UBER and VEVO check for UBER.
Getting an Australian Federal Police Check is easy with Worker Checks!
Simply apply online for your AFP Check by clicking here.
Complete our mobile-friendly online form – which takes about 5 minutes, including the reason you need the check, your date of birth, previous names or addresses.
Verify your ID 100% Online – using our online ID verification platform you can verify ID from your computer or mobile phone within minutes.
Pay with credit card via our secure payment gateway.
We’ll process your check after you submit it
We’ll send you an email when your check is ready
Your results will be available in your secure personal portal
From your personal workerchecks.com portal:
In addition for Australian Federal Police Checks (AFP Checks) we will mail you a hard copy certificate to your mailing address.
See more about Worker Checks online police check process here
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) can only provide AFP Police Checks for:
Worker Checks can provide you with an official AFP Police Check.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) can only provide AFP Police Checks for:
Worker Checks can provide you with an official AFP Police Check.
A National Police Check and an Australian Federal Police Check differ in their uses. In most instances, such as for employment purposes, you will only need to obtain a National Police Check.
In special circumstances, such as for Commonwealth Government Employment, immigration or visa-related purposes, an Australian Federal Police Check is required.
Processing time for a AFP National Police Check issued by the Australian Federal Police is between 10- 15 business days.
Please be aware that the Australian Federal Police may need to seek information from other police jurisdictions, resulting in a longer processing time.
Please allow sufficient time for your Federal Police Check to be processed.
Worker Checks will provide you a digital copy of your certificate once we receive your results from the AFP. This will be available in your Worker Checks portal – for forwarding electronically or for printing. We will also post a copy of you AFP check to your mailing address
At workerchecks.com we return your Australian federal police clearance to you when we receive it, so there are no unnecessary delays. You will receive an immediate email alert from workerchecks.com
With our fast police check service for Australia and all states, this will be the simplest part of your employment process.
Completing an online Australian Federal Police Check is a quick and simple process, which only requires the upload of correct proof of identity documents and the fee payment to get underway.
Although Australian police checks can still be sourced from your local police station or post office, completing an online police check with workerchecks.com is the best way to achieve a fast police check. We use the same national databases as the state based Police – being online just makes everything much quicker and easier for you.
The cost of an Australian Federal Police Check (AFP Check) is $80 for online submission with workerchecks.com.
We also offer a range of additional checks for employment and business purposes. Feel free to initiate an online chat with us for more information on our police check products and other services.
Yes – from your personal Worker Checks portal!
If you apply for a Worker Checks Federal Police Check while overseas you’ll need to be able to receive SMS messages on your mobile phone to verify your personal account on initial application.
You can print out your police check from your worker checks personal portal. Our printed certificates contain an easy to use validation feature – which allows any printed certificate to be checked against the issued certificate record (securely stored on the workers checks secure blockchain). See more about validating a printed certificate here -->
Before you apply for an Worker Checks Federal Police Check while overseas, ask the organisation requesting the check if this meets their requirements. .
Your police check result will be kept on our Secure blockchain and available in your personal portal for 12 months from issuing.
During this period you can share your certificate (see how to share your police check here-->) or print a copy at any time.
After that, your police check certificate will be removed and will no longer be available for printing or sharing.
Of course! Simply re-print the certificate from your personal Worker Checks online portal.
Our police check certificates contain a validation feature.
*No need to validate if you are viewing the certificate whilst logged in – you can be assured the certificate or credentials are authentic, being displayed straight from our impenetrable blockchain
Please note: Your worker Checks police check will be removed from our secure blockchain storage after 12 months. After this time, we will not be able to retrieve your police check result and will need to renew your online police check.
Visa, MasterCard, American Express and JCB credit and debit cards. We don’t currently support Diners Club cards.
Note: If you’ve been sent a Worker Checks National Police Check invitation by an organisation they may be paying on your behalf.
Absolutely.
Worker checks uses a 3rd party payment gateway provider (Stripe).
Worker Checks does not store any of your card details.
It’s your responsibility to ensure that the information provided to us on your Worker Checks National Police Check application is correct. So, before you submit your application online, make sure your information is correct and up to date.
Before submitting your application, check:
Once the police check has been initiated we’re not able to edit your application or provide a refund.
If you receive your police check certificate and you notice that any of the details are incorrect, you’ll need to apply again to have a correct certificate issued.
If you paid for your police check yourself:
Apply and pay for a new check. You can do this online using your existing login information for your Worker Checks personal portal.
If an organisation paid for your police check:
Worker Checks will not provide refunds for any police check applications where incorrect information is provided by the customer.
Before you apply for a police check, you’ll need to have 100 points of identification from the list below. Your name and date of birth across your identity documents need to match what you’ve put on your application.
You must provide 100 points from the table below list contained in this link -->
(Click to view Full Size)
All of your ID documents must be current.
If you’re known by a single name (also called a mononym), you can apply for your federal police check online with Worker Checks. You’ll be prompted to follow the steps when you get to the relevant part in the online police check application.