Police Clearances for an Australian Visa

A police clearance (police certificate) is a mandatory requirement for most long-term Australian visas. It is part of the character requirement — the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) needs to verify that you have no serious criminal record before granting a visa.

Which Visas Require a Police Clearance?

Usually required:

Subclass 482 (TSS) — for the primary applicant
Subclass 186 (ENS) — for the primary applicant
Partner visas (820/801, 309/100)
Student visas (500) in some cases
Other visas as required by the DHA on a case-by-case basis

Usually not required:

Visitor visas (600)
ETA/eVisitor
Some short-term visas

The DHA will specify clearly in the requirements for your application.

Which Countries Must You Apply From?

You must provide a police clearance from every country in which you have lived since the age of 16 for a sufficient period (usually 12 months continuously or in total).

This means:

Your country of origin: required if you have lived there
Australia: if you have lived in Australia (an Australian Federal Police check)
Other countries: if you have studied or worked there for long enough

Requirements for the Police Clearance

To be accepted, a police clearance must:

Be issued by a competent authority (the national police or an equivalent body)
Still be within its validity period (usually 12 months from the date of issue)
Be translated into English by a recognised translation service (NAATI or equivalent) if it is not in English

Police Clearances From Your Home Country

You usually need to obtain the clearance from the national-level authority responsible for criminal records, not a local police station. The topic on obtaining a police clearance from Vietnam covers one example process in detail.

Police Clearances From Australia

If you have lived in Australia (including on a temporary visa), you need an Australian Federal Police (AFP) National Police Check. This can be applied for online through the AFP site or through certain authorised services.

Validity Period

A police clearance is usually valid for 12 months from the date of issue. If a visa application takes a long time to process and the clearance expires, the DHA may ask you to provide a new one.

With a subclass 186 visa (processing usually takes 2–3 years), keep in mind that you may need to reapply for a clearance.