A police check — also known as a police clearance certificate, criminal record check, or certificate of good conduct — is a standard requirement for most Australian visa and citizenship applications. If your police check was issued in a language other than English, you will need a certified police check translation Australia immigration authorities will accept.
When You Need a Police Check Translation
The Department of Home Affairs requires police clearance certificates from every country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. If any of these certificates are in a language other than English, they must be accompanied by a NAATI-certified translation.
You will typically need a police check translation Australia services provide for:
- Skilled visa applications (subclass 189, 190, 491, 482)
- Partner and family visa applications
- Student visa applications (subclass 500) for applicants over 16
- Australian citizenship applications
- Working with children check applications in some states
- Employment in regulated industries (healthcare, education, childcare, aged care)
- Professional registration with Australian regulatory bodies
- Adoption applications
Police checks have a limited validity period — typically 12 months from the date of issue. This means you need to plan your translation timing carefully. There is no point getting a translation done months before you submit your application if the underlying certificate will have expired by then.
Different Names for Police Checks Around the World
Police clearance certificates go by many different names depending on the country of issue. Our translators are familiar with all of these formats:
- China: Certificate of No Criminal Record (无犯罪记录证明)
- Vietnam: Judicial Record Certificate (Phiếu lý lịch tư pháp)
- Japan: Certificate of Criminal Record (犯罪経歴証明書)
- South Korea: Criminal Record Certificate (범죄경력회보서)
- Russia: Certificate of No Criminal Record (Справка о несудимости)
- Arabic-speaking countries: Good Conduct Certificate (شهادة حسن السيرة والسلوك)
- France: Bulletin No. 3 du Casier Judiciaire
- Germany: Polizeiliches Führungszeugnis
- Brazil: Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais
- Thailand: Criminal Record Check Certificate
Regardless of the name, format, or country of issue, the translation requirement is the same: it must be done by a NAATI-certified translator.
Languages We Translate Police Checks From
We provide police check translation Australia services from any language. The most commonly requested include:
- Chinese translation — Chinese police checks are the most frequently translated, given the large Chinese-born population in Australia
- Vietnamese translation — for Vietnamese judicial records
- Korean translation — for South Korean criminal record certificates
- Japanese translation — for Japanese police clearances
- Arabic translation — for certificates from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and other Arabic-speaking nations
- Russian translation — for Russian police clearance certificates
- Thai translation — for Thai criminal record checks
- Hindi translation and Urdu translation — for Indian and Pakistani police clearances
- Persian translation — for Iranian police certificates
- Nepali translation — for Nepalese police reports
- Spanish translation — for certificates from Spain and Latin American countries
- French translation — for French casier judiciaire and African police certificates
- Portuguese translation — for Brazilian and Portuguese police checks
- Turkish translation — for Turkish police clearances
- Burmese translation and Cambodian translation
Apostille and Legalisation Considerations
Some countries issue police checks that have been apostilled (for Hague Convention member countries) or legalised through the embassy or consulate. The apostille or legalisation itself may also need translation if it contains foreign language text.
Our translators will translate the entire document as presented, including any stamps, seals, annotations, or apostille certificates attached to the police check. This ensures the receiving authority has a complete picture of the document and its authentication.
How to Order and What to Expect
Getting your police check translated is quick and straightforward. Simply scan or photograph the document clearly, ensuring all text, stamps, and seals are visible. Submit it through our quote form and we will respond with a firm price and turnaround estimate.
Our translations start from $80, with standard delivery in 24 to 48 hours. Each translation is completed by a translator with over 10 years of NAATI experience and includes the full NAATI certification package — stamp, credential number, signed declaration, and date.
The completed translation is delivered as a certified PDF via email. If you also need a birth certificate translation or other documents for the same application, we can translate multiple documents together and often offer a package price.
Because police checks have a limited validity period, timing is important. We recommend obtaining your certified police check translation as close to your application submission date as possible. This ensures both the original certificate and its translation are current when the assessing authority reviews your file. If you are gathering documents for a skilled visa or citizenship application, coordinate your police check requests and translations so everything is ready at the same time.