Police Check in Victoria: How to Apply, Fees and the Spent Conviction Rule

In Victoria, a standard National Police Check costs $91.50, is applied for through Victoria Police, and takes at least 10 business days to produce a National Police Certificate.

Victoria Police runs the same national screening scheme, the ACIC accredited Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check, that every state police force uses; see the Australia background checks hub and National Police Checks in Australia for how that national system works. This page covers the Victoria specific application, fees and one genuinely state specific legal wrinkle.

Getting a Police Check in Victoria

Victoria Police uses two names for the same product family. The application is a National Police Check; the document it produces is a National Police Certificate. A separate, fingerprint based product is named the National Police and Fingerprint Records Check, booked through a Livescan appointment, used where the requesting body specifically requires fingerprint verification rather than a name based match. Identity is verified using the standard 100 point check convention shared across NPCS participating forces, at least three identity documents totalling 100 points, with separate category lists for postal applicants; online applicants verify identity through the digital application process instead.

Fees for a Victoria Police Check

Victoria Police's fees page, updated 30 June 2026, lists the standard National Police Check at $91.50 (GST exempt), the reduced Community Volunteer Fee at $31.10 (GST exempt) for Victorian volunteers and students on placement, the fingerprint based Livescan check at $245.20, and ink fingerprint sets at $58.70 for one set, $82.90 for two, and $107.10 for three. The page states fees rise from 1 July each year under the Victoria Police (Fees and Charges) Regulations 2024. It does not spell out an exact effective date beyond that update, so treat $91.50 as accurate as of the 30 June 2026 update rather than an evergreen figure, and check Victoria Police's own fees page directly if applying well after that date.

The Community Volunteer Fee needs the receiving organisation to supply a CVF number online, or CVF details on a postal application, before the discount applies. No separate concession rate for pensioners or seniors, distinct from the volunteer or student rate, was found on the page.

Turnaround and Validity

Victoria Police's own guidance is to allow a minimum of 10 business days for a standard check, or a minimum of 20 business days where fingerprints are required, counted from when the fingerprints are actually taken. The certificate itself is described as "a point in time check only, which means the results only reflect police record on and up until the date and time the result is released." Victoria Police does not set its own expiry window; instead, "the organisation that requires the check will typically determine the timeframe acceptable for a check result to be valid, based on their own risk assessment or operational requirements."

What Shows Up on the Certificate

A Victoria National Police Certificate is filtered through Victoria's own spent convictions scheme before release. See Spent Convictions in Victoria for the Spent Convictions Act 2021's waiting periods and exceptions; this page does not restate them.

Checks That Replace or Add to a Standard Check

A standard National Police Check is not Victoria's Working with Children Check, which has its own eligibility rules and scope; see Working with Children Check in Victoria. A check needed for an overseas visa, or for use outside Australia, runs through the AFP's national process instead, covered on the national anchor page.

Using a Police Check Against You in Victoria

Victoria stands apart from several other states on this point. A spent conviction is a listed protected attribute under section 6(pb) of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, inserted by the Spent Convictions Act 2021, meaning it sits alongside grounds like age, race and disability. An employer, education provider, club, accommodation provider or aged care service that treats someone unfavourably because of a spent conviction is exposed to a complaint under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 itself, enforced through the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC), on top of the separate rule restricting the conviction from being disclosed in the first place. VEOHRC's own public guidance puts it plainly: it is against the law to treat someone unfairly because of a previous conviction that no longer appears on their record, covering employment, education, clubs and sport, goods and services, accommodation and aged care, with exceptions where another law requires or authorises it, such as a police check for certain roles, by court order, to protect the wellbeing of children, or for domestic and personal services.

This is a real extra layer beyond the federal route on Criminal Record and Employment Rights in Australia, which describes the non binding Australian Human Rights Commission conciliation process available Australia wide. In Victoria specifically, a spent conviction complaint can also go through VEOHRC under the state's own Act.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a police check cost in Victoria?

A standard National Police Check costs $91.50 (GST exempt), per Victoria Police's fee page updated 30 June 2026. A fingerprint based National Police and Fingerprint Records Check costs $245.20 through a Livescan appointment. Victoria Police states fees rise each 1 July, so confirm the current amount on its own fees page before applying.

Is there a discounted police check fee for Victorian volunteers?

Yes. A Community Volunteer Fee (CVF) of $31.10 applies to Victorian volunteers and students on placement, but the receiving organisation has to supply a CVF number, or CVF details on a postal application, before the discount can be used. No lower concession tier beyond that rate was found on Victoria Police's own fees page.

How long does a Victoria Police check take?

Victoria Police says to allow a minimum of 10 business days for a standard National Police Check, or a minimum of 20 business days where fingerprints are required, counted from when the fingerprints are taken.

Does a Victoria Police Certificate expire?

No. Victoria Police describes it as a point in time check that only reflects the record on and up to the date the result was released. It does not set an expiry window itself; the organisation that requires the check decides what timeframe it will accept based on its own risk assessment.

Can a Victorian employer discriminate against someone because of a spent conviction?

Not lawfully. A spent conviction is a listed attribute under section 6(pb) of the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, inserted by the Spent Convictions Act 2021, so treating someone unfavourably because of one can be a complaint to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, on top of the separate restriction on the conviction being disclosed at all. See Spent Convictions in Victoria for the underlying waiting periods.

Does a spent conviction show up on a Victoria National Police Certificate?

It should be filtered out once spent under Victoria's Spent Convictions Act 2021. See Spent Convictions in Victoria for the scheme's thresholds and exceptions; this page covers the police check application itself, not the spent conviction rules.