Police check for residents in South Australia (SA)

Are you based in South Australia (SA) and need a police check? Get a nationally coordinated criminal history check online now.

Australian National Character Check - ANCC® is a leading industry provider of background checks in South Australia. The online application process can be completed in under 15 minutes.

70 percent of police checks are returned within 24 hours. Approximately 30 percent of checks may be referred to one or more police agencies and this can take longer than 10 days, due to the manual nature of the process.

The police check application for applicants based in SA can be completed securely from your computer, mobile or tablet.

Applicants can pay securely via credit card, debit card or PayPal.

The police check that we provide to residents in South Australia (SA) is formally referred to as a nationally coordinated criminal history check.

Please note: If applicants require a check that is issued by the South Australia Police (SAPOL), this can only be obtained directly through SAPOL. Australian National Character Check is not affiliated with South Australia Police and applicants must obtain one directly through their website. Applicants should allow a minimum of 10 business days for a check by South Australia Police to be issued.

A police check is a record of an individual’s disclosable criminal offences and convictions with outcomes including pending charges obtained from the databases of all Australian police agencies.

Residents of South Australia can apply through Australian National Character Check’s secure online application form and get their check online.

A police check contains releasable court data and outcomes sourced from the databases of all Australian police agencies.

Disclosable court outcomes (DCOs) can include and are not limited to:

• Releasable convictions and findings of guilt.
• Traffic infringements such as drink or drug driving, excessive speeding for which an individual has been convicted.

Information on police checks is released in accordance with the spent convictions scheme and information release policies. The spent convictions legislation and information release policies vary throughout the states and territories of Australia.

For information on how the spent convictions scheme or information release policies will apply to a nationally coordinated criminal history check, please refer to the ‘legislation’ section of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) website.

A police check is a point in time check and is valid up until the date of issue. There is no set expiry date for a police check.

A police check in SA is generally requested by decision makers to obtain a summary of a person’s criminal background (if any).

Only decision makers can determine the period that will elapse before an updated police check is required.

Most employers and decision makers in South Australia (SA) do not accept a police check that is older than three months. This however will depend on each organisation and their internal risk mitigating strategies.

If you have been asked to provide a police check in SA, there are two main ways of applying:

Option One: You can apply online through an ACIC accredited agency like Australian National Character Check. The process is completed online via a secure online application form.

Option Two: You can apply through the South Australian Police Force (SAPOL) website. To apply via the South Australia police force, an applicant may need to visit a police station or complete the application online via the SAPOL website.

If the purpose of the police check is for employment, probity or licensing, there is no difference in the legitimacy of a police check issued by Australian National Character Check and SAPOL.

Applicants may notice small differences in the layout of the certificate however both checks are equally valid.

Applicants that apply through Australian National Character Check (ANCC) do tend to experience a substantial difference in speed and efficiency when obtaining their police check online.

70 percent of nationally coordinated criminal history checks are returned to applicants within 24 hours. Approximately 30 percent of checks will be referred to one or more police agencies in Australia (including agencies outside of SA) and can take longer than 10 business days to be returned, due to the manual nature of this process. Overall, applicants in SA save time and cost when applying for their police check online.

Applicants should note that the check supplied by ANCC® is formally referred to as a nationally coordinated criminal history check. This check is valid in all states and territories of Australia. Our check is not issued by SAPOL. If you would like a check that is issued directly by SAPOL then please refer to the SAPOL website for that.

• The first page of application consists of your legal name and the purpose for which you are applying for the check;
• The remaining pages consist of your other details (previous known names, gender, address history, place of birth and more);
• Your contact details (email, mobile number);
• Four proof of identity documents and a biometric link as listed on the application form.

Search for and then click on the Australian National Character Check online application form.

• Complete the first page of the application form.
• Choose and enter your payment details. ANCC accepts PayPal as a form of payment.
• Fill and complete the online application form (with correct details).
• Read and sign the informed consent.
• South Australian residents will receive their check result via email. A hard copy certificate can also be requested and this will be sent to them via Australia Post.

A commonly asked question for applicants based in Adelaide or other parts of South Australia is regarding check processing times.

Approximately 70 percent of applicants will receive their police check result within 24 hours. However, a police check application can automatically get flagged for ‘manual processing’ which will delay the person’s application by 10 or more days. Manual processing occurs for around 30 percent of applications.

A manual review for a police check occurs when there is a likelihood of correlation between an applicant’s information and the police criminal database. An official from one or more police agencies must peruse through records before a result can be released.

Just because an application gets referred for a manual processing does not necessarily mean that they have criminal history. It is more than likely that there is an individual in the country with the same or similar name (and date of birth) to the applicant who is of interest to Australian police agencies.

Unfortunately, Australian National Character Check cannot see beforehand if an application will be flagged for manual review.

Our software system will automatically notify the applicant via email when this occurs.

ANCC® is an accredited service approved by the Australian Federal Government to conduct nationally coordinated criminal history checks.

The police check issued by Australian National Character Check is valid Australia-wide and hence also within the state of South Australia (SA).

Australian National Character Check (ANCC) provides a reliable online solution for local Australian businesses and Australian government bodies that are based in South Australia to streamline police checks when hiring or recruiting staff.

The ANCC® Business Portal is used by business, enterprise and government bodies all over Australia.

Please contact us today to find out how we can streamline police checks for your SA based organisation.