A background check is essential if you want to work in healthcare, childcare, education, aged care or volunteering in Australia. This guide walks you step by step through what a National Police Check (ACIC) and a Working with Children Check (WWCC) are, and where and how to get them. You can apply with a foreign passport regardless of your visa type.
This article is general information for foreign nationals living in Australia and is not legal or migration advice. The fees, validity periods, issuing bodies and required documents for background checks vary from state to state and change frequently. Before you actually apply, always re-check the latest information on the official sites listed below.
To be hired or registered for work in healthcare, childcare, education, aged care, disability support, volunteering and similar fields in Australia, you almost always have to pass a background check. The requirement is the same regardless of your visa type or country of origin.
First, distinguish between the two that are easy to confuse.
If your work involves children directly, you may usually need both. Check first which checks your employer or registering body requires.
You do not apply directly to the ACIC yourself for a National Police Check. Instead you apply through a body accredited by the ACIC (an accredited body) or through your state/territory police. Accredited bodies handle the application on your behalf, online or via a paper form.
Note on validity: A National Police Check is a 'point-in-time' snapshot from the date of issue. It has no statutory expiry date of its own, but employers and registering bodies often set their own rules, such as accepting only checks issued within the last 3–12 months, so make sure the issue date isn't too old.
Where you apply for an Australian police check depends on what it is for. There are two main channels.
Always confirm which check your employer or agency requires first — a check obtained through the wrong channel may not be accepted and may have to be redone.
Below is the general application flow. The detailed steps may differ from one accredited body to another.
A WWCC screens people who want to work or volunteer in child-related roles (usually involving those under 18). It goes beyond a simple criminal history check to also review matters such as reportable workplace misconduct, and unlike a standard NPC, you are continuously monitored even after you pass.
Working in child-related roles without a WWCC may be illegal
Working in child-related roles without a valid WWCC (or the equivalent in your state) is against the law in most Australian states, and both you and your employer may face penalties. Get it before you start work, and confirm your clearance with your employer.
The WWCC is run not by the federal government but by each state and territory. The name, issuing body, fee and validity period all differ, so you must follow the rules of the state where you will work. A WWCC obtained in one state is not automatically recognised in another.
The issuing body is the Office of the Children's Guardian; you apply online and then present your ID at a Service NSW centre.
You apply through Service Victoria (the 'Working with Children Check'), and you can also receive the result digitally (via the Service Victoria app).
The other states and territories each have their own scheme. QLD has the 'Blue Card', WA the 'Working with Children Check (WWC Card)' and the NT the 'Ochre Card', while TAS and the ACT run broader registrations that cover vulnerable people as well as children (RWVP and WWVP). The table below summarises the name, issuing body, fee and validity period for all 8 states and territories.
Note that a police check in WA (a National Police Check through WA Police or an ACIC accredited body) is a separate check — for child-related work you must apply for the WWC Card as well.
| State/territory | Name | Issuing body | Fee | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Working with Children Check (WWCC) | Office of the Children's Guardian (apply via Service NSW) | Paid $112 · volunteers free | 5 years |
| VIC | Working with Children Check | Service Victoria | Paid $139.20 · volunteers free | 5 years |
| QLD | Blue Card | Blue Card Services | Paid $108.30 · volunteers free | 3 years |
| WA | Working with Children Check (WWC Card) | WWC Screening Unit (Department of Communities) | Paid $87 · volunteers $11 | 3 years |
| SA | Working with Children Check | DHS Screening Unit | Volunteers free · paid fee on official site | 5 years |
| TAS | Registration to Work with Vulnerable People (RWVP) | Department of Justice (CBOS) | Volunteers free (for 2 years from Jan 2026) · paid fee on official site | 5 years |
| ACT | Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration | Access Canberra | Paid $135 · volunteers free | 5 years |
| NT |
The core of a background check is verifying your identity. You usually submit 1 primary document + 2 secondary documents, one of which must bear your photo and signature.
The list of accepted documents differs slightly from one body to another, so check the body's 'identity documents' guidance before you go.
What you need for an international police check — one that crosses borders — depends on the direction.
Which certificates you must provide, and when, is ultimately determined by your ImmiAccount checklist and the official Home Affairs pages. This guide is general information only, not migration advice — for individual cases, consult a registered migration agent (MARA-registered).
If English is a burden during the application process, use the free interpreting and translation services. The Australian Government runs interpreting support for foreign nationals living in Australia.
TIS National is a free telephone interpreting service run by the Department of Home Affairs. Call 131 450, say the language you want, and an interpreter is connected to help you talk to the organisation.
Documents issued overseas may require a certified translation (such as one by a NAATI-certified translator). Check with the body you are applying to in advance about which documents need translating.
Information on the National Police Check scheme and accredited bodies — ACIC
AFP National Police Check — applications for citizenship, permanent residence and other Commonwealth purposes ($56)
Visa character requirement — the official rules on which countries' police certificates you need
DFAT apostille and authentication (legalisation) process and fees ($105 per document)
NSW check for those in child-related work — Office of the Children's Guardian
NSW WWCC online application and fee/document information — Service NSW
Victoria Working with Children Check information and application — vic.gov.au
QLD Blue Card application, fees and renewal — Blue Card Services
WA WWC Card application, fees ($87/$11) and validity — WWC Screening Unit
SA Working with Children Check application and fees — DHS Screening Unit
TAS Registration to Work with Vulnerable People (RWVP) application and fees — Department of Justice
ACT WWVP registration application and fees — Access Canberra
NT Ochre Card (WWC Clearance) application and fees — SAFE NT
Free phone interpreting service (131 450) — support in your own language for government enquiries
The links above are Australian Government and official agency sites. Fees, processing times and required documents may change, so always confirm the latest information on each site before you apply.
A National Police Check is a snapshot from the date of issue, so it has no fixed statutory expiry. However, employers and registering bodies usually set their own rule of accepting only checks issued within the last 3–12 months, so a check that is too old may need to be redone.
No. The WWCC is run by each state and territory, and the name, issuing body, fee and validity period all differ. For example, NSW is $112 for paid workers, free for volunteers, and valid for 5 years, while QLD uses a different name, the 'Blue Card'. A WWCC from one state is not automatically recognised in another, so you must follow the rules of the state where you will work. The table in this guide compares all 8 states and territories.
Yes. The combination of a valid foreign passport and an Australian visa is accepted as a primary identity document, so immigrants and temporary visa holders can apply too. You then submit 2 secondary documents in addition. The accepted list differs slightly between bodies, so check in advance.
| Working with Children Clearance (Ochre Card) |
| SAFE NT (NT Police) |
| Paid $89 · volunteers $8 |
| 2 years |
Fees and validity periods are as checked in July 2026 (QLD and NT fees effective 1 July 2026; VIC is for the 2026–27 financial year). The ACT and TAS schemes are broader registrations covering vulnerable people as well as children. For the latest fees, including SA and TAS paid-worker fees, see each state authority's page under 'Official source links' below.
In many states the WWCC is free for volunteers (for example, NSW is free for volunteers, $112 for paid work), while WA and the NT charge volunteers a reduced fee ($11 and $8). However, it varies by state, and if you switch to paid work you may have to pay the difference, so check the official guidance for your state.
For a National Police Check, about 70% come back within minutes, but the remaining 30% require manual checking by police and take longer. It can take longer for common names or where there are many records to match, and processing times are not guaranteed. The police-check portion of a WWCC can take up to 4 weeks, so apply early and allow plenty of time in your schedule.
For Australian citizenship and permanent residence applications, Home Affairs requires an AFP National Police Check ($56, afp.gov.au as at July 2026) if you have spent a cumulative 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years. You must also provide a police certificate from every other country where you spent a cumulative 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. For immigration purposes, certificates are treated as valid for 12 months from issue — time your applications so they do not expire mid-process.
It depends on the type of check. An AFP National Police Check is $56 ($113 with fingerprints), while checks through ACIC accredited bodies are priced by each body. WWCC-type checks vary by state — as at July 2026, paid workers pay NSW $112, VIC $139.20, QLD $108.30, WA $87, ACT $135 and NT $89, with volunteers free in most states (WA $11, NT $8). SA and TAS list their current paid-worker fees on their official sites. Fees usually change around 1 July each year, so always confirm before applying.
