Reasons a Police Check Is Delayed

Reasons a Police Check Is Delayed

Around 80% of Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Checks (national police checks) are completed within 1-3 minutes, but around 20% of all police check applications in Australia are referred for manual review by the National Police Checking System (NPCS).

When this happens, your result won’t be returned within the usual few minutes and can take longer, sometimes several weeks, while police agencies complete additional checks.

How long do police checks usually take?

For most applicants, results are available within 1-3 minutes.
However, if your check is referred for further review, it can take longer, sometimes several weeks, depending on the workload and complexity of the match.

Common reasons a police check result takes longer

1. Common or similar names

If you have a common name in Australia, or your name is similar to someone with a criminal record, your check may be delayed while authorities confirm whether you are:

• The person linked to that record, or
• Need to be excluded as a person of interest.

This extra step protects both the public and applicants by avoiding incorrect matches.

2. Old or incomplete information on record

Police records should be updated regularly, but in some cases:

• Older information may still be present
• Records may not yet reflect changes to your details

If your information needs to be manually gathered, corrected or updated across systems, your police check may take longer while police authorities review and reconcile your record.

3. Issues with police records

Delays also occur when information held on police systems is:

• Incorrect
• Incomplete
• Inconsistent between states or databases

Where an issue is identified, police agencies must investigate and correct it before a final result can be released. This ensures your police check result is accurate and up to date.

4. Transfer delays between states and territories

The National Police Checking System allows police agencies and ACIC-accredited providers across all Australian states and territories to access criminal history records.

In practice, this requires:

• Information to be shared between states and territories
• Each relevant police agency to review and respond

If an agency takes longer than usual to supply or confirm information, your application will remain in progress until those checks are complete.

5. High workload and peak periods

At times, there are unusually high numbers of police check applications submitted across Australia.

Each application must still:

• Meet ACIC requirements
• Be assessed correctly
• Go through mandatory quality and accuracy checks

During peak workload periods, individual police agencies may need more time to review referred checks, which can cause delays compared to normal processing times.

Can I speed up my police check?

You cannot “fast track” a referred check, but you can reduce the chance of avoidable delays by:

• Ensuring your name, date of birth and ID details are entered correctly
• Using your full legal name (and listing any previous names)
• Providing clear ID images that match your application details
• Responding promptly if you are asked for additional information or documents

When should I contact support?

If a check has been held by ACIC for vetting, Worker Checks has no visibility as to the reason why or the expected timeframe.

• Check your Worker Checks portal for the latest status
• You will receive an email or SMS when the process is complete and your check is available in your CheckHub
• Worker Checks has no visibility for checks that are held for vetting.

                                              Police Check Process