National Police Check (NPC) in Australia: how to apply

What is a National Police Check?

A National Police Check (NPC) is an official search of criminal history records held by police agencies across all Australian states and territories, coordinated through the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC). The result — known as a National Police Certificate — lists any disclosable court outcomes (DCOs): convictions, findings of guilt, and in some circumstances pending charges, that meet the disclosure threshold in the relevant state or territory.

Not all prior contact with the criminal justice system appears on an NPC. Traffic infringements (unless they resulted in a court hearing), spent convictions, and juvenile records are generally not disclosed, subject to the relevant state’s spent convictions legislation.

When an NPC is required

NPCs are commonly required for:

Employment: particularly in health, aged care, disability services, education, and security industries
Volunteering: Working with Children Checks (WWCC) are a separate check, but some organisations also require an NPC
Visa applications: some visa subclasses require police clearances from Australia and/or other countries where you have lived
Professional licensing: real estate agents, lawyers, accountants, and other regulated professionals may need to provide an NPC to a licensing board
Tenancy applications: some landlords or property managers request an NPC as part of their screening process

How to apply

There are two main pathways:

1. Australian Federal Police (AFP) — directly via their website

The AFP provides NPCs directly to individuals at afp.gov.au. You will need to:

Create an AFP online account
Complete an online application form (name, date of birth, address history)
Verify your identity using the Document Verification Service (DVS) — you will need an Australian passport, driver’s licence, or Medicare card
Pay the current fee (around $42 for an individual application)
Receive the certificate as a PDF, typically within 1–15 business days

2. ACIC-accredited body

Private companies accredited by the ACIC can also process NPC applications — they are typically used by employers managing bulk checks. The process and timeframe are similar; pricing may vary.

Identity verification requirements

To obtain an NPC, you must verify your identity to 100 points under the standard Australian document framework. Acceptable primary documents include:

Australian passport or foreign passport
Birth certificate
Medicare card, driver’s licence, or other government-issued photo ID (as secondary documents)

If you are a recent arrival and do not yet have Australian identity documents, a foreign passport may be used as the primary identity document.

Processing time

Standard processing: 1–15 business days
Urgent processing: not guaranteed — the AFP may expedite in some circumstances, but there is no formal express service

The time depends on whether your records require referral to state or territory agencies for manual checking.

Validity period

There is no official expiry date on a National Police Certificate — it is a snapshot of your criminal history at the date it was issued. However, most employers, licensing boards, and visa authorities will only accept an NPC issued within the last 3–12 months. Check what the requesting organisation requires before applying.

Police check vs Working with Children Check

An NPC and a Working with Children Check (WWCC) are distinct:

A WWCC is a state-based check specifically designed for people working or volunteering with children. It is continuous — you register once and the check is ongoing.
An NPC is a one-time snapshot and does not provide ongoing monitoring.

Some roles require both.