Australian Federal Police National Police Certificates for Australian employers, run online with most results back in 2-3 business days.
AFP police checks without the paperwork
Veremark manages Australian Federal Police National Police Certificate checks for your team, so you can verify a hire’s criminal history through the AFP in one place, with live status updates from request to result.
Some roles need a police check issued by the Australian Federal Police rather than the standard national check. An AFP National Police Certificate (NPC) is a summary of a person’s police history in Australia, issued directly by the AFP. You’ll hear it called an AFP check or an AFP police check.
It’s the check you need when the request is for a Commonwealth or ACT purpose, and it’s the usual route for an Australian citizenship or permanent residence application, a visa application for some countries, and work overseas. For many other roles an AFP check and a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check are both suitable, and which one to use comes down to the role and your organisation’s requirements.
Veremark handles the request, the candidate’s consent and identity step, and the certificate, and folds the AFP check in with any other checks you run on the same hire. There are no portals to keep on top of and no documents to collect over email.
An AFP check gives you:
- A National Police Certificate issued directly by the Australian Federal Police
- A result that covers disclosable police history from across Australia
- A check accepted for Commonwealth, ACT and immigration-related purposes
- Informed consent and identity captured and recorded against every check
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Results in days
Most checks return within 2-3 business days, with the rest tracked through to completion.
Accepted Australia-wide
A certificate issued by the AFP, recognised for Commonwealth, ACT and immigration purposes.
One consent step
Candidates give informed consent and verify their ID online, on any device.
No lock-in
Pay per check. No minimum volumes and no long contracts.
A real support team
People who know Australian screening, not a ticket queue.
Built into your hiring
Run the AFP check alongside right to work, identity and reference checks in a single request.
What the check covers, and what it doesn’t
An AFP check shows a person’s disclosable police history. Disclosable is the operative word. What’s released depends on spent convictions law and the purpose the check is run for.
What it discloses
- Convictions and findings of guilt recorded by a court
- Disclosable court outcomes from across Australia, including local and interstate matters
- Charges that are pending or waiting to be heard
- A National Police Certificate stating the result
What it usually won’t show
- Spent convictions, once enough time has passed under the relevant spent convictions scheme
- Many juvenile or youth matters, depending on the jurisdiction
- Charges that were withdrawn or dismissed without a conviction recorded
- Police cautions, which aren’t court convictions
The purpose you record on the application shapes what’s released. Different purposes can produce different results, because different laws apply. Some purposes, such as working with children, have their own release rules.
How it works
Related checks
FAQs
It’s a National Police Certificate (NPC) issued by the Australian Federal Police, a summary of a person’s police history in Australia. You’ll also hear it called an AFP check or an AFP police check.
A person’s disclosable police history from across Australia: court outcomes, convictions, findings of guilt and pending charges. The result is set out in a National Police Certificate.
Spent convictions where enough time has passed, many juvenile matters, charges that were withdrawn or dismissed without a conviction, and police cautions. What’s released depends on the relevant spent convictions legislation and the purpose the check is run for.
Most checks return within 2-3 business days. Some are referred for a manual review and take longer. You see live status updates throughout.
You must use the AFP check when the request is for a Commonwealth or ACT purpose. It’s also the usual route for citizenship and permanent residence applications, visa applications for some countries, and work overseas. For most other employment screening, either check is suitable.
Both are national police checks, and both can be used for employment screening. An AFP National Police Certificate is issued directly by the Australian Federal Police. A Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check is run through the National Police Checking Service. The AFP check is required for Commonwealth and ACT purposes and is used for immigration-related screening. For most other roles either is suitable, and which to use comes down to your organisation’s requirements.
Yes. An AFP check can’t be applied for on someone else’s behalf without their consent. The candidate gives informed consent for the specific purpose of the check before it’s submitted, and Veremark captures and records it as part of the candidate’s online steps.
Yes. A candidate under 18 needs a parent or guardian to co-sign the application. Veremark guides them through it.
Yes. The candidate verifies their identity online by uploading approved ID documents, and Veremark guides them through it.
Yes. Each check is run for a specific purpose. The purpose shapes what police information is released, because different laws apply to different purposes.
A certificate reflects a person’s history on the date it’s issued, and there’s no legislated expiry. Most employers set their own recheck cycle based on the role, and run higher-risk roles more often.
Yes. The candidate can get a copy of their National Police Certificate, which gives them the chance to confirm the detail or raise a dispute.
Yes. Run it on its own or alongside right to work, identity, employment history and reference checks in a single request.
Build trust into every Australian hire
Talk to a Veremark screening specialist about running AFP National Police Checks for your team.
