Background Requirements
The Department of Home Affairs requires police clearances from any countries in which the person (aged 17 or older) has spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16 years old.
For those who have recently lived in many countries, this can mean collecting a few police clearances, while for other people who have lived only in their home country may require less.
How to apply for a police check
Step 1 – figure out which countries you need
When you put together where you are travelling
Step 2 – Go to the Department of Home Affairs web page https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/contact-us/offices-and-locations/list
Step 3 - Search the name of the country for which you are looking for police clearance guidance in the box.
Step 4 – Click details to expand the “Police clearance” tab
Step 5 – Click “View more” to expand for the actual guidance (the information available at first is very limited)
Step 6 – Identify the section that applies to you
Many countries have different processes for citizens and non-citizens, and different processes for applying from in the country or from outside the country.
Our top tips for applying for police clearances:
- Some countries take longer than others, be sure to plan ahead – delays in police clearances can often delay a decision on your visa
- Be careful selecting third parties – in some countries, third parties are necessary to obtain your police clearance, while in Australia often using a third party can lead to getting the wrong police clearance and needing to apply again
- Ensure you get all the clearances you need – for many countries, such as Brazil or the United States, you would need to get more than one police clearance: usually a federal and a state police clearance
Contact us if you need any visa assistance.