Apply for a NSW police check online

Apply for a police check in New South Wales

If you need a police check in New South Wales, CrimCheck provides a fast and convenient online application process. Whether you're applying for Employment, Volunteering, Licensing, Registration, Study placements or other approved purposes, you can complete your application online from anywhere in NSW.

A Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check may be used by Employers, Government Agencies, Licensing bodies and other Organisations to assess an Applicant's suitability for a role or purpose. Police checks can include information from police records across Australian States and Territories where legally releasable for the purpose of the check.

CrimCheck allows Applicants to submit their details, provide consent and complete identity verification online without attending a policestation.

‍Apply online today and get started in minutes.

Getting a police check in NSW

New South Wales Applicants commonly require police checks for:

• Employment
• Volunteer positions
• Licensing requirements
• Professional registrations
• Contract work
• Student placements
• Membership applications
• Government requirements

Applicants will generally need to provide personal details, address history and suitable identity documents. If your name has changed, you may also need supporting documentation such as a marriage certificate or change of name certificate.

Requirements can vary depending on the Organisation requesting the check, so Applicants should confirm the correct check type before applying.

CrimCheck supports Applicants throughout Sydney and regional New South Wales. Because the process is completed online, Applicants can apply from anywhere in the State without travelling to a physical location.

Whether you are located in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Central Coast, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, Orange, Tamworth, Albury or elsewhere in NSW, you can complete your application online.

Sydney and Regional NSW police checks

Police checks are commonly requested by Employers, Community Organisations, Educational Institutions, Government Bodies and Licensing Authorities throughout New South Wales.

Organisations may use police checks as part of their broader screening and compliance requirements across industries including Healthcare, Aged Care, Education, Community Services, Transport, Government and Professional Services.

Spent convictions and criminal records in NSW

New South Wales has operated a legislated spent convictions scheme for more than three decades. The Criminal Records Act 1991 (NSW) introduced a framework designed to limit the long-term impact of certain criminal convictions where a person has demonstrated a period of crime-free behaviour. Under the Act, eligible convictions become spent after the relevant statutory period and generally no longer form part of a person's criminal history for most purposes.

The Legislation recognises that people who have remained offence-free for a significant period should not necessarily face lifelong barriers to employment, volunteering, licensing and community participation because of relatively minor historical convictions. Once a conviction becomes spent, it will generally not appear on most police checks and does not usually need to be disclosed except in specific circumstances prescribed by law.

The significance of the NSW legislation extends beyond rehabilitation. Over time, the Act has also been amended to address historical injustices and convictions that are no longer considered appropriate to retain on a person's criminal record. One of the most significant examples concerns historical homosexual convictions.

For many decades, consensual homosexual activity between adult men was criminalised in New South Wales. Following the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1984, many individuals continued to carry criminal records for conduct that would no longer be regarded as criminal. In response, the NSW Parliament amended the Criminal Records Act 1991 (NSW) in 2014 to create a process allowing eligible historical homosexual convictions to be formally extinguished.

Where an application is successful, the conviction is treated as if it never occurred and no longer appears on a person's criminal record. The reform was intended to acknowledge the injustice experienced by people who were convicted solely because of their sexual orientation and to remove the ongoing consequences of those convictions.

Therefore, New South Wales has implemented two significant legislative mechanisms aimed at reducing the ongoing impact of historical criminal records:

• The spent convictions scheme under the Criminal Records Act 1991 (NSW), which allows eligible convictions to become spent after a prescribed period of crime-free behaviour.

• The 2014 extinguishment scheme for historical homosexual convictions, allowing eligible convictions arising from consensual same-sex conduct to be formally extinguished.

Together, these reforms reflect an ongoing recognition that criminal records can create long-term social and economic disadvantages. They also demonstrate an effort by the NSW Parliament to balance public safety with rehabilitation while addressing historical convictions that are no longer consistent with modern community standards.

Start your NSW police check online

If you need a police check for employment, volunteering, study, licensing, registration or another approved purpose, CrimCheck provides a simple and secure online application process for Applicants throughout New South Wales.

Apply online with CrimCheck and complete your NSW police check from wherever you are.