If you’re applying for an Australian partner, skilled or employer sponsored visa, Home Affairs asks for a police certificate from every country where you’ve spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16. For Ireland that’s a free Garda police certificate, not Garda vetting: from Australia you post the form to the Garda Superintendent for the district where you used to live, and the Gardaí say it takes about three weeks. Spent 12 months or more in Australia too? You’ll also need an Australian Federal Police (AFP) check, which costs AUD 57 online.
Everything below is from Home Affairs, An Garda Síochána and the AFP as of November 2026. Still deciding which visa to go for? Start with our guide to visa options to stay in Australia longer.
Short version
- Who needs one: anyone who has spent 12 months or more in total in Ireland in the last 10 years since turning 16. On a working holiday visa, only if Home Affairs asks.
- What to get: a Garda police certificate (Home Affairs calls it a “Police Certificate of Character”). It’s free and takes about three weeks.
- From Australia: fill in the Garda form, add a certified copy of your passport or licence and proof of your Irish address, and post it to the Superintendent for your old Garda district.
- Not Garda vetting: vetting is for jobs with children or vulnerable adults in Ireland, done through an organisation. It’s no use for a visa.
- Australia too: 12 months or more here in that same 10 years means an AFP National Police Certificate, Code 33, AUD 57. State police checks aren’t accepted.
- Valid 12 months: time it so it’s still in date when you lodge your visa.
Which Australian visas need a police certificate?
Home Affairs’ character requirements page says it may ask for a police certificate from every country you’ve lived in, and that when it does, it’s usually because you’re over 17 and spent at least 12 months there in the past 10 years. The individual visa pages put it more precisely: a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16. So a year in Dublin, a year in Sydney and two years in London would mean three certificates.
The certificate must cover the time from when you turned 16 up to the issue date, or the whole time you were in that country. Here’s how the main visas Irish people apply for word it:
| Visa | What Home Affairs says (November 2026) |
|---|---|
| Working Holiday (417), first or second | It “might ask” for police certificates, and will tell you if you need them |
| Partner (820/801 onshore, 309/100 offshore) | Provide one from every country where you spent 12 months or more in total |
| Skilled (189, 190, 491) | Provide one from every country, including your home country |
| Employer sponsored (186, and the 482 core skills stream) | Provide one from every country, including your home country |
| Citizenship (permanent residents) | A different rule: since turning 18, 12 months or more outside Australia in total and 90 days or more in any one country |
“Provide” means attach it to your application in ImmiAccount. The skilled visa pages say that if you didn’t attach everything when you applied, attach it as soon as you can, and warn that Home Affairs isn’t obliged to ask for more information before it decides. So for partner, skilled and sponsored visas, have your certificate ready.
On a working holiday visa, don’t bother getting one unless you’re asked. Applying for citizenship? Our Australian citizenship guide for Irish people explains the overseas certificate rule in full.
What Home Affairs wants from Ireland
Home Affairs lists what each country issues on its Services outside Australia page (pick “Ireland, Republic of (Eire)” from the drop-down). For Ireland it says:
| Home Affairs entry for Ireland | As of November 2026 |
|---|---|
| Document | Police Certificate of Character |
| Living in Ireland | Apply in person at your local Garda station |
| Living outside Ireland | Apply by post to the Superintendent in charge of the district covering your former address in Ireland |
| Documents | Application form, certified copy of your passport, driving licence or similar, proof of your address or previous addresses |
| Processing time | About three weeks |
| Fee | None |
On garda.ie it’s simply called a Police Certificate. The Gardaí issue it for a short list of purposes, and foreign visas, naturalisation and other immigration matters are first on the list. It states your name, address and date of birth, and whether you have a criminal record in the Republic of Ireland.
Lived in Northern Ireland or Britain?
The Gardaí only cover the Republic, and their FAQ tells people living in Northern Ireland to contact the PSNI instead. For an Australian visa, though, Home Affairs lists one document for the whole UK, Northern Ireland included: the NPCC Police Certificate from the ACRO Criminal Records Office, applied for through ACRO’s website, and you pay a fee for it. If you’ve spent 12 months or more in total in the UK, you’ll need that one too.
How to apply for a Garda police certificate from Australia
- Get the form. Download the Police Certificate Application Form (there’s an Irish version on the same page). It’s a fillable PDF, so you can type into it, print it and sign it. It asks for block capitals.
- List every name and every Irish address. The form asks for all names you’ve been known by, including the Irish version of your name or a name from a previous marriage, and every address you’ve lived at in Ireland, with dates. Tick visa or immigration application as the purpose, and put Australia as the country.
- Add a certified copy of your ID: your passport, driving licence or similar.
- Add proof of your Irish address, or previous addresses. The Garda page doesn’t list what counts, so send something with your name and old Irish address on it, such as an old bank statement or utility bill.
- Find your old district. Look up the station for your old address in the Garda Station Directory, then post everything to the Superintendent for that district.
- Allow about three weeks for processing, plus post both ways.
Who certifies the copy? The Garda page doesn’t say, and the copy is going overseas, so check before you pay anyone. Legal Aid NSW says Public Notaries certify copies for use overseas, while NSW JPs can certify an overseas document for use in Australia.
Ask the district first. Each station in the Station Directory has an email option, and the Gardaí say those emails go to the District Office. That’s the easiest way to confirm the postal address and what they’ll accept.
Can you apply online or by email?
garda.ie now says the form “can now be completed online directly”, but the same page’s FAQ still says to submit it by post, and Home Affairs says non-residents apply by post. We couldn’t find a separate online portal or an application email on garda.ie, so plan on posting it. Use a tracked service and keep a copy of everything you send.
How long does an Irish police certificate take?
The Gardaí say about three weeks to process, and it’s free. Home Affairs gives the same figures. Add international post on both ends, and put an Australian address on the form where you’ll still be in a couple of months, plus your mobile and email so the district can reach you.
How long is it valid?
The Gardaí say the certificate is valid for 12 months, and Home Affairs treats police certificates as valid for 12 months from the issue date. If you go back to a country after your last certificate expired, Home Affairs may ask for a new one.
Garda vetting is not what you need
It’s an easy mix-up, as both come from the Gardaí. Garda vetting is run by the National Vetting Bureau for people in jobs, volunteering or student placements with unsupervised access to children or vulnerable adults. Garda.ie says vetting isn’t done for individuals: it only happens through a registered organisation, which invites you to apply online at vetting.garda.ie.
The Garda vetting page also says police certificates are NOT processed by Garda vetting, and the police certificate page says a certificate can’t be used as Garda vetting, a security clearance or a character reference. A data access request (form F20) won’t do either: the Gardaí say that disclosure can’t be treated as a police certificate.
The Australian police check (AFP)
If you’ve spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since you turned 16, the visa pages ask for an Australian police certificate as well. That catches a lot of Irish people moving from a working holiday or student visa to a partner, skilled or sponsored visa.
- AFP only. Home Affairs only accepts complete disclosure National Police Certificates from the AFP. It doesn’t accept standard disclosure certificates or checks from state or territory police.
- Pick Code 33. Home Affairs says you must choose Code 33, Immigration/Citizenship, for supply to the Department of Home Affairs, and list every name you’ve been known by. You don’t need fingerprints.
- Apply online. On the AFP national police checks page, scan ID worth 100 points (a current foreign passport is on the AFP’s list) and pay AUD 57 by card. You can’t apply at a police station.
- Fast turnaround. The AFP says it completes most checks within 48 hours, though it can take longer, and emails you a digital certificate.
- Citizenship is different. If you’re 16 or over, Home Affairs requests your Australian check for you.
Timing it and uploading it
- Don’t get it too early. With a 12 month life, ordering your Garda certificate a month or two before you lodge leaves time for the post without wasting validity.
- Expiring mid-application? Home Affairs’ partner visa page says that if certificates expire before it decides, it will let you know if you need to provide them again.
- Scan it properly. Home Affairs asks for colour scans, with a multi-page document saved as one file. Label it clearly and attach it once.
- No translation needed for English. Home Affairs only asks for non-English documents to be translated.
- Keep your references: the AFP’s emailed payment receipt and your ImmiAccount Transaction Reference Number (TRN).
- Declare everything. Home Affairs says you must declare all criminal convictions, and charges awaiting legal action, in any country, whatever your certificate shows.
Something on your record? It doesn’t automatically mean a refusal: Home Affairs says it considers all the circumstances, and the Minister can still grant a visa. It also encourages people in that position to apply early with documents. This is where proper advice pays for itself: our partner Migration Unity are registered migration agents who can check your options.
Teachers, doctors and other registered jobs
Your visa check and your registration check are separate. Teaching regulators and Ahpra run their own criminal history checks, with their own rules. Our guides for Irish teachers moving to Australia and Irish doctors moving to Australia cover what each one wants. For everything else on the list, use our moving to Australia checklist and the complete guide to moving to Australia from Ireland.
Waiting on a Garda certificate or stuck on a visa form? Our Facebook groups are full of Irish people in Australia who’ve been through partner, skilled and sponsored visas and can tell you how it went for them.
FAQ
Do I need an Irish police certificate for an Australian visa?
If you’ve spent a total of 12 months or more in Ireland in the last 10 years since you turned 16, partner, skilled and employer sponsored visas ask for one. For a working holiday visa, only if Home Affairs asks.
How long does an Irish police certificate take?
About three weeks to process, according to both the Gardaí and Home Affairs, plus postage to and from Australia.
How much does a Garda police certificate cost?
Nothing. The Gardaí issue it free of charge. Postage, and getting your ID copy certified, may cost you something.
Can I get an Irish police certificate from abroad?
Yes. Home Affairs says people living outside Ireland apply by post to the Superintendent for the district covering their former Irish address, with the form, a certified copy of their ID and proof of address.
Is Garda vetting the same as a police certificate?
No. Garda vetting is only for roles with children or vulnerable adults, through a registered organisation. For a visa you need a Garda police certificate.
How long is a police certificate valid for an Australian visa?
Home Affairs treats police certificates as valid for 12 months from the issue date, and the Gardaí say theirs is valid for 12 months.
Can I use a NSW or Victorian police check for my visa?
No. Home Affairs only accepts complete disclosure National Police Certificates from the AFP, applied for under Code 33.
I lived in Northern Ireland. Who do I ask?
For an Australian visa, Home Affairs lists ACRO’s NPCC Police Certificate for the whole UK, including Northern Ireland. The Gardaí only cover the Republic.
