Getting a police check in Australia can potentially take weeks from the start of the application to receiving your posted certificate.
But not anymore. Checked specialises in handling both individual and corporate police checks, turning around your application in as little as one hour, not weeks.
Our process is 100% digital using our secure online portal, and we are officially accredited by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC). This means that we are authorised to accept and process your online application for a police record check covering all states and territories of Australia, generally achieving a faster processing time than if you applied for a criminal record check on your own through the police station or post office. If you select our express service and your application is delayed due to a government mandated manual review, Checked will refund you the express service fee on your application.
What is a police check?
A police check may also be referred to as a National Australian Police History Check, National Criminal History Check, a National Criminal Record Check, or Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check. Regardless of which state or territory you are currently in, or which organisation has requested a copy of your police history, your police check application will return with records of any disclosable criminal history you have across all Australian states and territories.
For our corporate customers, we offer a simple and fast-tracked application process which allows you to manage multiple employees or team members using our intuitive and completely digital platform. Ensure that your business or organisation is meeting your police check requirements on time and on budget with Checked.
Are you an individual who has been asked to provide an up-to-date police check for employment?
The most common reason for individuals seeking a police check are to meet employment requirements. Depending on the industry or location of your proposed employment, you may be required to provide a police clearance check before you are permitted to commence the role. There are some instances where a national police check is required by law, i.e. your employer must sight an up-to-date police check before you are cleared to begin work. There are also instances where employers choose to request a police check for all of their employees.
If your police check is a condition of your employment and you need to start a new job or continue your current one, you will want to ensure that your application is processed quickly and efficiently, and returned back to you in as little as an hour, and not a matter of weeks. That’s where we can help. We are authorised by the Australian government to manage national police clearance applications. This accreditation means that we can offer you a fast-tracked option which sees your clearance returned in potentially as little as one hour.
When you use Checked to apply for a national police check, you can complete your entire application online, at any time of the day, in just a few minutes. It is important to note that it is a legal requirement that your identity is verified before your application is submitted. If you obtained your application from your local post office and were planning to apply using the paper form, you would need photocopies of your identification officially verified before you are able to submit. You might be looking at time spent in lines waiting to have your ID officially verified, filling out your paper form, the waiting time between submission and processing, then additional time waiting for your results to be posted to you. When you use Checked instead, you can fill out your online application in 5 to 10 minutes. This includes utilising VerifyID™ which will verify your identity online through your uploaded documents in a matter of minutes. You can do this any time of the day. We’re ensuring people working 9 to 5 on Monday to Friday have access to a fast and flexible option that works around them.
When you use Checked, you can complete and verify your police check application on your own time. It’s all taken care of in a single application form on your computer, phone or tablet device.
How long does a police check last?
There is no set period of validity for a police check. These checks are called ‘point in time’ checks so they are current only up to the date of issue which is clearly marked on your certificate. Your employer or the organisation which has requested your national police check will tell you how often they require a police check from you, but you should be prepared to regularly go through this process if it’s an ongoing condition of your employment. That’s why using Checked Australia is the easier and faster option.
All police checks carried out in Australia will encompass information gathered from all states and territories like ACT and NT. If you are working in New South Wales and you have a recorded conviction such as a traffic offence in WA, then your national police check will include the details of that disclosable offence. The same goes for any disclosable court history received elsewhere, at any point. If you have been convicted of an offence in Tasmania under a previous name and it is disclosable, then your national police check conducted in Victoria or even South Australia will include details of that offence just as your national Queensland police check would.
How your employer or the organisation which has requested your police check chooses to respond to your recorded convictions is at their discretion, although they should always apply reasonable approaches to considering how relevant the history is to the ongoing nature of the role.
Are you an individual who has been requested to provide a police check for your visa application?
If you have been advised that you must complete a police check for an immigration related status such as approval for a visa application, you will need to arrange an Australian Federal Police (AFP) check. The AFP are the governing body responsible for managing immigration related police checks. If you have accidentally chosen the National Police Check believing it to be the correct form for immigration, Checked will point you in the right direction. We have a locally-based, Australian customer service team who are available to chat with online. If you are unsure that you are in the right place, ask a friendly online consultant to point you in the right direction
How long does a police check take?
Typically, when you opt for the paper form, your police check can take several weeks to process with an additional wait for the certificate to be posted to you. You cannot speed up this process once it has begun, but you can fast-track your entire application from the start by choosing Checked. Our affordable police check is online and more efficient. When you opt for Checked’s express processing option, your clearance can be returned to you in as little as one hour in 70% of cases. However, for the other 30% a government mandated manual review can occur, which can mean it takes longer to return. The relevant police agencies will then review the information within a timeframe of 1-15 business days. If it takes longer than this, Checked can lodge an escalation on your behalf.
For affordable and reliable police checks completed in minutes, not weeks, choose Checked. We will get your individual and corporate police checks processed and returned in a fraction of the time it will take for you to apply in person.
