National Police Record Check
Victoria Police provides a service to all Victorians who wish to obtain a National Police Certificate for employment, voluntary work and occupation-related licensing or registration purposes.
Victoria Police does not conduct police record checks for overseas applicants or for permanent residency. For these purposes, please visit the Australian Federal Police website.
Information about an individual's criminal history will not be released without an applicant's written consent other than for law enforcement purposes.
Changes to the National Police Certificate
As a result of the introduction of new secure paper a change to one of the security features on the National Police Certificate issued by Victoria Police will take effect from Tuesday 15 December 2009.
The new paper is Australian made and features an ‘Eagle’ watermark pattern which is visible when the page is held up to the light and will replace the current ‘Wave-line’ watermark pattern. A sample of the new secure paper can be viewed from the Downloads section on the right of the page.
All other security features remain the same.
All certificates processed on and after the above date will be issued using the new secure paper.
Fees
Application fees for national name checks change on 1 July, every year, in accordance with the Police Regulation (Fees and Charges) Regulations 2004.
The current fee for a national name check is $32. For a name and fingerprint search the fee is $131.
Applications forwarded by mail must include a cheque or money order, made payable to Victoria Police.
Please note that any application received with an incorrect fee enclosed will be returned to the applicant for correction and will need to be resubmitted for processing.
Eligibility for reduced fee
Volunteers, student placements and persons who qualify under the Family Day Care Scheme as an adult (18 years or over) residing with a Family Day Care provider can obtain a National Police Certificate at a reduced fee. A valid Community Volunteer Fee (CVF) number must be provided by an organisation registered with Victoria Police to claim the reduced fee. For further details please download ‘Procedure for obtaining a National Police Certificate’.
The reduced application fee of $14.50 only applies to organisations registered with Victoria Police. The application form to obtain a CVF number is available from the downloads list.
Processing timeframes
Please allow a minimum of 10 working days for applications to be processed. It is our aim to process the National Police Certificate within 10 working days of the receipt of the application. To check the status of an application please contact the Public Enquiry Service on 1300 881 596.
Fingerprints
To make an appointment to have your fingerprints taken, telephone 1300 881 596 between 8am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
The fingerprint office is located at:
Victoria Police Customer Service Centre
Lower Concourse Level, World Trade Centre
637 Flinders Street
Melbourne, VIC, 3005
(entrance via Siddeley Street).
Office hours are 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
Payment options at the Customer Service Centre are EFTPOS, credit card, cheque or money order. Please note, cash is not accepted.
Downloads for the National Police Record Check process
Guidelines for completing and lodging the online application form
These guidelines are also available on screen by clicking on the question mark icon in the application form.
Online application form for the National Police Certificate
National Police Certificate - sample
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Procedure for obtaining a National Police Certificate
Information Release Policy - National Police Certificate
Obtaining a Community Volunteer Fee Number (CVF No.) Application Form
Contact us
Public Enquiry Service
PO Box 418
Melbourne, VIC, 8005
Office hours are from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Phone: 1300 881 596
Email: publicenquiryservice@police.vic.gov.au
