Identity documents for your police check
To complete a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC), we must verify your identity using three identity documents.
You are required to provide ONE OF EACH of the following:
- Commencement of identity document
- Primary use in the community document
- Secondary use in the community document
At least one document must include your current photograph.
These identity checks help ensure your criminal history check is conducted accurately and in accordance with Australian identity verification requirements.
The following can be used as Commencement of Identity documents
Commencement of identity documents, You must supply one document from this category:
- Australian birth certificate or authorised record of birth (not an extract or birth card)
- Immigration record or document, including:
1. an Australian Citizenship Certificate;
2. an Australian visa (supported by a foreign passport, which is needed for verification); and
3. an ImmiCard issued by the Department of Home Affairs to assist visa holders to provide evidence of their Commencement of Identity in Australia. - current Australian passport (not expired, however, if the Document Verification Service is used to verify the passport, it may be up to 3 years expired)
The following can be used as Primary use in the community documents
Primary use in the community documents, You must supply one document from this category:
- current Australian passport, including Ordinary, Frequent traveller, Diplomatic, Official and Emergency (not expired; however, if the DVS is used to verify the passport, it may be up to 3 years expired);
- an Australian driver licence, learner permit or provisional licence issued by a State or Territory, showing signature and/or photo;
- ImmiCard issued by the Department of Home Affairs to assist visa holders to provide evidence of their Commencement of Identity in Australia;
- Foreign passport issued by a country other than Australia with a valid visa or valid entry stamp or equivalent;
- a proof of age or photo identity card issued by an Australian government agency which shows the name, date of birth, photo and signature of the individual; and
- for persons aged under 18 years with no other primary use in community documents, a student identity document issued by an Australian secondary school. TAFE, university, registered training organisation or State government agency only.
The following can be used as Secondary use in the Community documents
Secondary use in the community documents, You must supply one document from this category:
- DFAT issued Certificate of Identity;
- DFAT issued Document of Identity;
- DFAT issued United Nations Convention Travel Document Secondary;
- Foreign government issued identity documents (e.g. driver's licence). Documents in languages other than English must be accompanied by a NAATI accredited translation;
- Medicare card;
- Proof of electoral enrolment with the Australian Electoral Commission;
- Australian Security Guard/Crowd Control photo licence;
- Evidence of right to a government benefit (DVA or Centrelink);
- Consular photo identity card issued by DFAT;
- Australian Police Force Officer photo identity card;
- Australian Defence Force photo identity card;
- Commonwealth or state/territory government photo identity card (this may take the form of a working with children or vulnerable people card or a government issued occupational licence);
- Australian Aviation security identification card;
- Australian Maritime security identification card;
- Australian Firearms licence;
- Credit reference check issued by a credit provider;
- Australian secondary or tertiary student photo identity document issued by an Australian secondary school. TAFE, university or registered training organisation;
- Certified academic transcript from an Australian secondary school, TAFE, university or registered training organisation;
- Trusted referees report;
- Bank card, credit card (without recording the payment card number/s) issued by a bank, credit union or building society. The Applicant's signature must be on the card. Documents from foreign banks or institutions are not accepted; and
- Tax File Number issued by the Australian Taxation Office.
The two most common forms/options of Commencement Identity documents for New Zealand residents are as follows:
- Certificate of evidence of resident status (i.e. an Australian Citizenship Certificate) or
- Australian visa current at time of entry to Australia as a resident or tourist (VEVO statements are accepted)
The assumption that all New Zealand people have a right of entry to Australia is incorrect- just as not all Australians have right of entry to New Zealand. Unfortunately New Zealand passports or Birth Certificates cannot be accepted as commencement documents, however under the trans-Tasman agreement New Zealand citizens are granted a Special Circumstances Visa (digitally assigned to the applicant's passport) as they pass through customs.
By searching for the website VEVO ("Visa Entitlement Verification Online"), you may use the details on their New Zealand passport to generate a statement of their residency status in .PDF form. This statement can be used as proof of entitlement to an Australian Visa within the Commencement Identity category.
In cases where you arrived in Australia before the automated arrangements above, you can apply for a special circumstances visa through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade instead.
There are special provisions available for people who cannot meet the identity requirements for legitimate circumstances such as loss of documents during natural disasters.
Because the use of special provisions increases the risk for the organisation that you will be employed with or Volunteering with, the organisations can vary what they choose to accept to process your check. If you think you need to use special provisions we suggest you contact the organisation that has requested the check to ask what they will accept.
The preference for the presentation of an applicant's ID documents is always that names are matching across all forms. In cases where the applicant's name differs on the documents supplied (for example, due to marriage), then supporting documentation must be provided..
In exceptional circumstances where supporting documentation cannot be provided, our preference is that the name presented across the primary and secondary use in the community documents are matching. This name should be listed on the check as the applicant's primary name, and any additional names mentioned in commencement documents listed as "Alias" or "Previous".
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