Police Check FAQs

An Australian Federal Police Check lists the applicant’s disclosable court outcomes and pending charges from the databases of all Australian police jurisdictions. It details any outstanding charges, warrant information and criminal convictions, including findings and pleas of guilt recorded against the applicant.

Applying for your Australian Federal Police Check is an easy three-step process that should only take you 3 – 5 minutes to complete.

1. Complete The Online Police Check Application
   You will need to provide information such as known aliases, residential address history, date of birth, and contact details.
2. Upload Your Chosen Identification Documents
   You will need a scanner or mobile device with a camera to complete this step. Remember that your identification documents must reach a minimum of 100 points (as per our ID requirements) in order to be processed.
3. Review & Submit Your Application
   Please review your application prior to submitting your application, as incorrect details or insufficient ID requirements will delay the processing time of your application.

Once you’ve submitted your application, please allow 10 – 12 business days for your AFP Check to be processed and an additional five business days for your paper original certificate to be delivered (especially if you live in a rural area).

Apply For Your AFP Check Now

Australian Federal Police Checks require a minimum of 100 points of identification.

Different types of identity documents are worth different points. You can use different combinations of documents to make up your 100 points, but you must supply at least one primary document as part of your 100 points.

For a full list of ID requirements, please click here.

An Australian Federal Police Check is valid for twelve months from its date of issue. After this period, a new AFP Check is required to remain compliant.

A certified Australian Federal Police Check costs $79 including GST, which covers the price of posting your paper original AFP Check (sent to Australian addresses only).

Accepted payment methods include Visa, Mastercard and Amex transactions.

The most important difference between an Australian Federal Police (AFP) Check and a National Police Check (NPC) is that the Australian Department of Home Affairs and the Australian Department of Immigration will only accept AFP Checks for migration purposes.

An Australian Federal Police Check lists all your disclosable court outcomes and pending charges, while a National Police Check lists your disclosable court outcomes and pending charges found in a specific ‘Persons of Interest’ database handled by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC).

While a National Police Check provides a basic overview of a person’s criminal history, an Australian Federal Police Check is Australia’s more comprehensive, secure and reliable police check.

For a more detailed explanation, please read our blog post on AFP Checks vs. National Police Checks.

On average, 90% of Australian Federal Police Check applications are processed within five business days. Your original paper copy will be mailed the same day your results are received however, it can take an additional five business days to be delivered, particularly if you live in rural areas.

We recommend you allow 10 – 12 business days for your Australian Federal Police Check to be processed and delivered, starting from the day of lodgement. This allows adequate time for extenuating circumstances, as well as the possibility of manual investigations if needed.

Once your results become available, your paper original AFP Check will be posted to your supplied Australian postal address.

An Australia Federal Police Check will list all of your disclosable court outcomes and pending charges, as well as any spent or juvenile convictions, gathered from the databases of all Australian police jurisdictions.

Disclosable court outcomes are a record of court convictions and findings of guilt, to which relevant spent convictions, non-disclosure legislation, and/or information release policy provisions have been applied.

The type and quantity of information released depend upon the category and purpose of the police check, as well as the jurisdiction where the convictions are recorded and vetted.

Spent convictions legislation or information release policies are applied to the process by vetting police agencies.

The result of your check will either be No Disclosable Court Outcomes (NDCO) or Disclosable Court Outcomes (DCO).

• An NDCO means there is no Police History Information (PHI) that is held or can be released.
• A DCO shows existing Police History Information 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, pending matters awaiting a court hearing, and/or traffic history.

If you are unable to meet the minimum identity requirements or lack the necessary documentation to prove your identity, please contact Global Checks directly for further assistance.

No, expediting the time it takes to process your Australian Federal Police Check is not possible. While 90% of our applications are processed within 5 business days, we recommend applying at least 10 days before you need your police check.

As the Australian Federal Police have ceased providing fingerprinting services to members of public, Global Checks no longer offer fingerprint checks. Fingerprint checks are now only conducted where there is a legal or regulatory requirement for such a check.