Character · Evidence
Police Certificates, Form 80 and Character Evidence for Australian Visas
Character evidence is procedural until it is not: a missing certificate delays a grant; a certificate that shows something not disclosed turns a routine file into a character case. This page sets out which certificates are required, how the main ones are obtained, how long they stay valid, what Form 80 asks, and how a record is disclosed so that it is assessed on its merits.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - Which countries
- Every country lived in 12+ months in the last 10 years (since age 16)
- Australia
- AFP National Police Check — code 33
- Form 80
- Full personal history; disclosure of all charges and convictions
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A record on a certificate is a character case. Have it assessed before the Department sees it.
In the extended consultation I read the certificates and court documents against the character test, tell you whether the test is met or discretion is needed, and set out the disclosure and the supporting file. If you are only arranging certificates, the standard consultation settles which ones and when.
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Which police certificates are required
For permanent visas and most temporary visas of more than a year, the Department requires a police certificate from Australia and from every country in which the applicant has lived for a total of 12 months or more in the last ten years, counted since the applicant turned 16. “Lived” includes cumulative periods, not only continuous ones, and includes countries where the applicant studied or worked. The requirement applies to every applicant aged 16 or over included in the application, including partners and dependants. The Department publishes a country-by-country guide to how each certificate is obtained; some countries cannot issue to applicants overseas and an explanation is required instead.
Australian Federal Police check
Applicants who have spent 12 months or more in Australia need an Australian Federal Police National Police Check, applied for online using purpose code 33 (immigration). The AFP check returns all disclosable court outcomes under Commonwealth spent-conviction rules as they apply to immigration purposes, which is more than appears on a check obtained for employment. State police checks are not accepted in its place.
Overseas certificates: FBI, ACRO, RCMP and others
- United States: the FBI Identity History Summary, fingerprint-based, obtained directly from the FBI or through an approved channeler. State police certificates are not sufficient.
- United Kingdom: the ACRO Police Certificate for visa purposes. It shows convictions subject to ACRO’s stepping-down rules; “no live trace” means a record exists but is stepped down, and the record must still be disclosed.
- Canada: an RCMP certified criminal record check, fingerprint-based, not a local police letter.
- India: a Police Clearance Certificate from the Passport Office (for those in India) or the Indian mission (for those abroad).
- Nepal: a Police Report from Nepal Police, obtained through the mission for applicants overseas.
- Philippines: an NBI Clearance.
- Other countries as set out in the Department’s guide; where a country will not issue, a written explanation and any available alternative evidence.
Certificates not in English require a NAATI-certified translation, or an equivalent certified translation if obtained overseas.
Validity and timing
The Department generally treats a police certificate as valid for 12 months from its date of issue. A certificate that expires before the visa is decided may have to be obtained again, which for fingerprint-based certificates can take months. The usual approach is to order the slow certificates early, lodge the application with what is available, and provide the rest promptly on request, keeping the issue dates in mind against expected processing times. A certificate must cover the period up to the applicant’s departure from the country, so a certificate obtained before leaving a country where the applicant continues to live is not the final one.
Form 80 and the character declaration
Form 80, Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment, asks for a full personal history: every address, every job and period of study, every passport, every country visited, family members, and the character questions. It is requested for most permanent visas, for many temporary visas, and whenever the Department wants to assess character or identity. The character questions ask whether the applicant has ever been charged with, convicted of, or had any other involvement with an offence, in any country, and require details. The answers must match the certificates and the rest of the file; a Form 80 that contradicts an earlier application is itself a problem.
If the certificate shows a record
Disclose it, fully, with the court documents, and address it. The criminal record and Australian visas page explains the character test, the 12-month sentence rule and how discretion is exercised under Direction 110. Where the record is old and isolated, a properly presented file is routinely granted. Where the record is serious or recent, the file is built for the discretion from the start. The worst outcome is a record that the Department finds and the applicant did not disclose.
General information only, current at October 2026; not advice on your own case. Outcomes depend on the Department’s assessment of each application; no registered migration agent can guarantee a result (Code of Conduct, Migration Agents Regulations). Keshab Chapagain, MARN 1576536.
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Which countries do I need a police certificate from?
Every country in which you have lived for 12 months or more in total in the last ten years, since you turned 16, plus Australia if that includes Australia. Partners and dependants aged 16 or over need them too.
How long is a police certificate valid for an Australian visa?
Generally 12 months from issue. If the visa is not decided in that time the Department may ask for a new one.
What does “no live trace” on a UK ACRO certificate mean?
That a record exists but has been stepped down under ACRO’s rules. The record must still be disclosed in the Australian application; the certificate is not the disclosure.
Do I need Form 80?
For most permanent visas and many temporary visas, yes, either at lodgement or on request. It is also requested whenever the Department wants to assess character or identity in more detail.
What if my country will not issue a police certificate?
Follow the Department’s country guide; where a certificate genuinely cannot be obtained, provide a written explanation and any alternative evidence, and expect the Department to accept it or ask for more.
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