Police Checks From Countries You Lived In: Getting Them From Australia

Each country sets its own process, so start with Home Affairs' list, which says how each country issues police certificates. From Australia, you usually apply online, through that country's embassy or consulate here, or by authorising someone there to apply for you. A notary is needed only if that country asks for notarised forms, copies or an authority.

Key takeaways

• Home Affairs may ask for a police certificate from every country you lived in, usually where you spent at least 12 months in the past 10 years.
• Its per-country list tells you which authority issues the certificate and how to apply.
• From Australia, the usual routes are online, through the country's embassy or consulate, or through a representative you authorise.
• Some countries want fingerprints or notarised forms; follow that country's instructions, not a general rule.
• Home Affairs treats a police certificate as valid for 12 months from issue, so do not get it too early.
• A notary cannot vouch for a foreign police certificate; it is evidence only from the country that issued it.

When does Home Affairs ask for overseas police certificates?

Home Affairs' page on character requirements says it may ask for a police certificate, also called a penal clearance certificate, from every country you have lived in. At the time of writing, it says this will usually be where you are over 17 and lived in a country, including Australia, for at least 12 months in the past 10 years. The certificate should cover the time from when you turned 16, or the whole time you were in that country.

The page also says certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue, and you may be asked for a new one if you went back to the country after the earlier certificate expired. So read your application form or request letter before you apply: some applications ask for certificates at lodgement, others only when a case officer requests them. Getting one months too early can mean paying for it twice.

For Australia itself, Home Affairs wants an Australian Federal Police National Police Check with the immigration code the page specifies, not a state or territory police check. Our guide to Australian criminal record checks covers that side.

How do you find out how a country issues them?

Home Affairs keeps a page of services outside Australia with a country dropdown. Choose the country and open the police check section, and it points you to the authority or website to use. That is the best starting point, because it tells you which certificate Home Affairs expects from that country, which is not always the one a general search turns up.

Then read the instructions of the authority that issues the certificate. Each country decides who may apply, whether non-residents or former residents can apply from abroad, which identification it wants, whether fingerprints are needed, how it delivers the result and what it charges. Those details change, and they differ a great deal between countries, so rely on the issuing authority's current page rather than someone's experience from a few years ago.

How the country issues checks	What you usually do from Australia	Where a notary may come in
Online portal open to former residents	Apply online with your identity details	Rarely
Through its embassy or consulate	Apply to the mission in Australia as it instructs	Sometimes, for copies of identity documents
In person in that country only	Authorise a relative or agent there to apply	Often, for the authority letter or power of attorney
Fingerprint-based check	Have fingerprints taken on the form it specifies	Only if the form must be witnessed
Certificate not in English	Arrange an English translation	No; use a NAATI translator

Can you apply through the country's embassy in Australia?

For some countries, yes. Their embassy, high commission or consulate in Australia accepts police certificate applications from its nationals, and sometimes from former residents, and forwards them to the police at home. The mission sets its own requirements, which commonly include your passport, evidence of your address in Australia, photographs and a form signed in front of an official. Book early: consular services can be limited and appointments scarce.

If you are not a citizen of that country, its embassy may not help you, and you may need to apply online or through a representative instead. Ask the mission directly rather than assuming.

What if someone must apply for you in that country?

Some countries only accept applications in person, or accept them from a family member, lawyer or agent holding your written authority. That authority is often a letter or a special power of attorney naming the person and saying what they may do for you. The issuing authority may want your signature on it notarised, and sometimes apostilled or legalised, before it will accept it.

This is where a notary is genuinely useful. A notary can witness your signature on the authority, check your identity, and attach a notarial certificate that the foreign authority can rely on. If the country wants an apostille on it, DFAT issues it after notarisation; if the country is outside the Hague Convention, DFAT issues an authentication certificate and the country's embassy legalises it. Membership changes, so check the HCCH status table on the day. Our guide to powers of attorney for use overseas explains the steps.

What about fingerprints?

Some countries run name-based checks and some fingerprint-based ones. For a fingerprint-based check, the issuing authority will say what form it accepts, whether the prints must be taken by police or by another approved person, and whether the form must be signed or stamped by whoever takes them. Read that instruction closely before you book anyone, because a form taken the wrong way is usually rejected. Home Affairs notes that you do not need fingerprints for the Australian check; that says nothing about another country's.

Does the certificate need translating or certifying?

If the certificate is not in English, Home Affairs will want an English translation with it. Translations made in Australia should be by a NAATI certified translator; translations made overseas should include the translator's full name, address, telephone number and qualifications. Our guide to NAATI certified translation explains what a proper translation looks like.

Certification is a separate question. For an online visa or citizenship application, you normally attach a clear copy of the certificate you received, and a notary adds nothing. An Australian notary also cannot vouch for a foreign police certificate: they can certify that a copy matches the original they saw, but not that the foreign police issued it or that it is correct. If a certificate arrives electronically, keep the original email or download so you can show where it came from if asked.

What if you cannot get a certificate?

Sometimes a country will not issue a certificate to a former resident, has no working system, or it is not safe for you to contact its authorities. Do not simply leave it out. Tell Home Affairs what you tried and why it failed, keep evidence of the attempt, and ask what it will accept instead. If contacting the country could put you or your family at risk, get advice from a registered migration agent or a lawyer before you do anything. For ship workers, Home Affairs has its own rule: the certificate comes from the country whose flag the vessel sails under, with a letter of good conduct from the captain or company.

How do you get police certificates from overseas while in Australia?

1. List the countries. Every country where you lived for the period Home Affairs specifies, with your dates and every name you used there.
2. Check the timing. Read your form or request letter so the certificates are still within their validity when you lodge.
3. Look up each country. Use Home Affairs' services outside Australia page, then read the issuing authority's instructions.
4. Choose the route. Online, through the embassy or consulate, or through a representative you authorise.
5. Prepare the paperwork. Identity copies, fingerprints if asked, and a notarised authority if a representative applies for you.
6. Translate the result. If it is not in English, arrange a translation that meets Home Affairs' rules.
7. Attach it when asked. Upload a clear copy to your application and keep the original.

Common mistakes to avoid

The first mistake is applying for the wrong certificate, such as a local or regional check when the country issues a national one that Home Affairs expects; the country list tells you which authority to use. The second is applying too early, so the certificate is out of date before a case officer looks at it. The third is leaving off a former name, such as a maiden name, which can make the certificate incomplete. The fourth is paying a notary to certify a police certificate for an online application, when a clear copy is what the form expects. The fifth is sending a relative to apply with an informal note when the authority wanted a notarised authority. Our guide to documents that are too old explains why issue dates matter so much.

Here is an illustration, not a real case.

Rahul worked in another country for three years before moving to Australia and is now applying for a partner visa. He opens Home Affairs' services outside Australia page, selects that country and follows the link to the issuing authority. In this example, the authority lets former residents apply from abroad but asks for fingerprints on its own form. He has them taken as the instructions specify, applies, and attaches the certificate with a NAATI translation when his case officer asks for it.

In short

Home Affairs may want a police certificate from every country where you lived for a significant time, and each country sets its own process. Use Home Affairs' country list to find the right authority, then follow that authority's instructions: online, through its embassy, or through someone you authorise. A notary is needed only for the pieces that country asks to be notarised, most often the authority for a representative. Our power of attorney and legal declarations page explains how a notary can witness that authority.

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Asked to notarise an authority for someone to collect your police certificate overseas? Send us the issuing authority's instructions, and we will explain each step before you book.