Visa
Identify the requirement in the visa instructions or document request
This current explainer examines Australia's published police-certificate procedures; it does not announce a new October character rule. Home Affairs says applicants must meet character requirements for a visa and may be asked for police certificates or other supporting records. Applicants should read the requirements for their visa and any departmental request before ordering documents, because a police check purchased for employment is not necessarily the document required for immigration assessment.
Home Affairs' Character requirements resource says Australian certificates must come from the Australian Federal Police, rather than a state or territory police service. Applicants must include all names by which they have been known. The page also says fingerprints are not needed for the Australian immigration police check. These instructions help applicants avoid paying for a different screening product merely because it is described as a national check or is accepted by an employer.
Select the immigration purpose and check overseas instructions separately
The How to get a police certificate resource specifies the Australian application purpose: Commonwealth employment or purpose, followed by code 33. That code identifies immigration or citizenship supply to Home Affairs. Use the department's instructions to identify the purpose before completing an application. Where a provider's form or website has changed, confirm that the selected product is the one required instead of substituting a different purpose code to get through the form.
The same official resource directs overseas-certificate applicants to the department's country locations and list view, which identify the relevant authority and procedure. A document issued by an Australian service does not replace another country's police certificate where that country's record is requested. Applicants should examine the instructions for each relevant country, including any restrictions on who may request a certificate and the procedure available to a person living abroad. Charges and processing arrangements should be checked with the issuing authority.
Understand why a general screening service may give different instructions
The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission's I need a check on myself page describes the broader National Police Checking Service. Individuals apply through a police agency or accredited body; the commission does not accept applications from individuals itself. Its process includes informed consent, identity verification and assessment of what information can be released for the stated purpose. This explains why a generic police-screening service may ask about an employment position or another intended use.
That general framework should be read alongside Home Affairs' more specific immigration instructions. The fact that a provider participates in police checking does not establish that every certificate it offers meets the visa request. For example, an illustrative applicant who already holds a state-issued employment certificate should check the required Australian immigration product before uploading it. The question is whether the document matches the issuing authority and purpose requested, rather than whether it looks official or has recently been purchased.
Japanese certificates in Brisbane have their own appointment procedure
Japan's Consulate-General in Brisbane updated its police-certificate instructions on 19 October 2026. Its procedure requires an appointment request by email, including the purpose and, for an Australian visa, the subclass and application status. Applicants must supply specified evidence of the immigration requirement, such as a Home Affairs request letter. The page says a migration agent's request letter is not accepted.
For that office, fingerprints require attendance in person, the certificate is free, and arrival from Japan is estimated at two to three months. These are instructions for the Brisbane consular procedure, not a promise about other countries or offices. Use the linked consular page to check the required passport and appointment evidence. Its sealed-envelope warning also means applicants should seek the receiving case officer's instructions before opening a Japanese certificate for scanning.
Plan document delivery and distinguish certificates from visa decisions
The Australian Embassy in Ireland's Police Clearance page directs applicants to the AFP process and explains that embassy staff cannot assist with clearances. It also flags a separate practical issue: people seeking legalisation or certified copies of an AFP certificate at that embassy must request a hard-copy version because printing access is restricted. That instruction concerns the embassy's notarial service; it should not be read as a universal requirement to legalise every certificate submitted with an Australian visa application.
For the application itself, Home Affairs' Attach documents to your application resource provides the official starting point for submission guidance. Check the application or request for the document category and any outstanding evidence, and preserve the issued certificate rather than replacing it with an informal summary. Overseas document fees and delivery times vary, so this explainer makes no universal price or turnaround promise. A police certificate supplies evidence for assessment; it is not a visa approval and does not remove the obligation to answer the application's character questions truthfully or provide further information requested by the department.
