Police Check Request Letter for Aussie Businesses

Hiring new talent or contractors? You’ll likely need a police check. Here’s how to draft a clear, compliant request letter that saves you time and sets the right tone from day one.

What is covered in this request letter?

This template helps you formally ask an employee, candidate, or contractor to complete a national police check as part of your hiring or onboarding process. It’s designed to be clear, respectful, and aligned with workplace compliance needs—saving you time while setting the right tone from the beginning.

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

• The request: A clear and respectful ask for the individual to apply for a national police check, along with context on why the criminal record check is being requested, whether it’s due to the nature of the role, regulatory requirements, or internal policy.
• Clear next steps: Practical guidance on how the individual can apply for a national police check online or through their local police station. The letter also includes a prompt to submit the necessary identity documents and outlines where the completed national police certificate should be sent.
• Customisation options: A section you can tailor with any business-specific requirements, such as a due date, preferred contact person, or next steps once the certificate has been provided.

Disclaimer: This template is provided by Employment Hero as general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice.

What is a national police check, and what’s included in it? 

A national police check is an official screening process that searches your potential employee’s name against Australian police records to identify any disclosable court outcomes or pending charges.

This produces a national police certificate—a point-in-time document showing whether the individual has a criminal history recorded on the National Names Index maintained by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

When you request this check, the certificate typically includes:

• The person’s full name and date of birth
• Any court convictions
• Findings of guilt without conviction
• Pending court matters
• Traffic offences (depending on jurisdiction)
• Any spent convictions (subject to spent conviction legislation)

What you won’t find in these checks are overseas convictions, intelligence information, or details about investigations where no charges were laid.

Beyond employment screening, police checks serve many essential purposes in Australian society. Your team members might need to complete these checks when volunteering with community organisations, especially those working with vulnerable groups. Many professional licensing bodies require police certificates as part of their registration process, ensuring industry standards are maintained.

Government departments often require these checks for citizenship applications, while certain countries request them before granting visas to Australians planning to work abroad. Different sectors have varying requirements based on their regulatory frameworks—what’s necessary for healthcare differs from what’s needed in education or financial services.

For your recruitment and hiring processes specifically, how you approach requesting and handling these checks requires thoughtful consideration to maintain compliance with privacy laws and respect your candidates’ dignity throughout the process.

Why would a business require their employees to apply for a national police check?

When you’re building your team, knowing who you’re actually bringing into your workplace is fundamental to safety. For your business, a national police certificate provides essential verification that your candidates don’t pose risks to your staff, customers, or vulnerable people in your care.

Several industries and sectors have compelling reasons—sometimes legal obligations—to request criminal record checks:

• Childcare facilities: Staff work directly with vulnerable children, making thorough vetting through a national police check essential to safeguard young people from potential harm.
• Aged care providers: Employees have access to vulnerable elderly individuals and their personal belongings, requiring verification that staff have no relevant criminal history.
• Financial institutions: Roles involving access to monetary assets or sensitive financial information need assurance that employees have no history of financial crimes.
• Healthcare settings: Practitioners and support staff interact with patients in vulnerable situations, sometimes with access to controlled substances, making background verification critical.
• Education sector: Teachers and support staff work closely with young people, often in positions of trust and authority, necessitating comprehensive vetting.
• Security industry: These roles involve protecting people and property, requiring confidence that employees themselves don’t present security risks.

Beyond protecting those at risk, police checks are a crucial element of your broader risk management framework, helping to ensure your team members consistently uphold your standards. It shows you take seriously your duty of care to both staff and those they serve.

How can an employee apply for a national police certificate?

Your employees have several pathways to obtain their national police certificate, though your organisation may prefer specific channels for consistency and compliance purposes.

#1 Online application process

The most efficient route is typically through accredited online providers or directly via the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s website. Your employees will need to:

1. Complete the online application form with their personal details
2. Provide at least 100 points of identity documents 
3. Pay the processing fee (which varies by provider)
4. Consent to the check being conducted
5. Apply for processing

Many online services offer rapid turnaround times, sometimes delivering results within 1-2 business days for applications with no matching records.

#2 Through a local police station

Some employees may prefer visiting their local police station to apply in person. This traditional method requires:

1. Collecting and completing the appropriate application form
2. Presenting original identity documents for verification
3. Paying the applicable fee
4. Waiting for processing (which may take longer than online options)

#3 Through your organisation

As an HR leader, you might consider establishing a streamlined process where:

1. You provide the appropriate consent forms to candidates or employees
2. Your team collects and verifies the necessary identity documents
3. Your organisation submits applications in batches (potentially accessing volume discounts)
4. Results are received directly by your designated privacy officer

Whichever approach you implement, ensure you’re clear with employees about:

• Who bears the cost of the check (employer or employee)
• The specific level of check required for their role
• How results will be handled and stored
• The confidentiality protocols protecting their personal information
• The consequences, should disclosable records be identified

Processing times can vary based on several factors, including whether the applicant has a common name, has lived in multiple jurisdictions, or if potential matches require further investigation. Setting realistic expectations about timeframes helps manage both your recruitment schedule and candidate anxiety.

For roles requiring ongoing compliance, you’ll also want to establish a clear policy on how frequently these checks need renewal, typically every 2-3 years, depending on your industry regulations.

What identity documents should be used for a police check?

When applying for a national police check in Australia, individuals must provide identity documents that collectively meet the 100-point identification requirement set by the Australian Federal Police (AFP). This system ensures that applicants are accurately identified and helps maintain the integrity of the police checking process.

Understanding the 100-Point identification system

The 100-point check is a personal identification system adopted by the Australian Government to combat financial transaction fraud and is widely used for various identity verification purposes, including police checks. Applicants must provide a combination of documents that total at least 100 points, with specific point values assigned to different types of documents.

Required document categories

To satisfy the 100-point requirement, applicants must provide:

1. At least one primary document, and
2. Additional documents to accumulate the remaining points.

Each document must be current, and an official translation must accompany foreign documents.

Primary documents (70 Points Each)

Primary documents are considered the most reliable forms of identification. Acceptable primary documents include:

• Australian passport (current or expired within the last two years but not cancelled)
• Foreign passport (current)
• Australian citizenship certificate
• Full birth certificate (not an extract)
• A Certificate of Identity issued by the Australian Government to refugees and non-Australian citizens for entry to Australia. 

Each of these documents contributes 70 points towards the 100-point total. 

Secondary documents

Secondary documents supplement the primary document to reach the 100-point threshold. The point value of secondary documents varies:

40 points each:

• Australian driver licence or learner permit
• Government employee ID (Australian Federal/State/Territory)
• Defence Force identity card (with photo or signature)
• Current (Australian) tertiary student identification card
• Photo identification cards are issued for Australian regulatory purposes (e.g., aviation/maritime security identification, security industry, etc.) 

25 points each:

• Medicare card
• Credit card or account card
• Australian marriage certificate (Registry issue only)
• Bank statement (showing transactions)
• Property lease agreement (current address)
• Taxation assessment notice
• Utility bill – electricity, gas, telephone (current address, less than 12 months old)

Applicants can combine multiple secondary documents to accumulate the necessary points.

Key considerations: 

• Document validity: All documents must be current and valid. Expired documents (except for Australian passports expired within the last two years) are not accepted.
• Name consistency: The name on all documents must match. If there has been a name change (e.g., due to marriage), appropriate documentation (such as a marriage certificate or change of name certificate) must be provided.
• Official translations: Any documents not in English must be accompanied by an official translation.
• Certified copies: If submitting copies of documents, they must be certified as true copies of the original documents.

By carefully selecting and compiling the appropriate combination of primary and secondary documents to meet the 100-point requirement, applicants can ensure a smooth and efficient processing of their national police check.

Practical guidance for your HR team

When collecting these documents from candidates or employees:

1. Create a clear checklist of acceptable documents to share during the recruitment process
2. Never retain original documents—certified copies are sufficient
3. Establish a secure destruction policy for copies once identity has been verified
4. Train your team on the proper handling of these sensitive personal details
5. Consider digital verification options that comply with privacy requirements. Once done, document these to create a clear audit trail that can be referenced during future 1:1 discussions or performance management reviews if questions arise about compliance.

By being prepared and transparent about identity requirements early in your recruitment process, you’ll help candidates arrive ready with the proper documentation, preventing delays in their police check application and your overall hiring timeline.

Need a more efficient approach to police checks? Download our template letter for clear, professional communication with candidates. Consider integrating these checks into your performance management system to reduce administrative work and maintain secure documentation in one place.

Get your template today and simplify your compliance workflow.