Do I Need a Police Certificate for 190 Visa in 2026?
Yes — if you are applying for the Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190), you should expect to provide police certificates. Under the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190) page (checked as at July 2026), you must give an Australian police certificate if you have spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since you turned 16, plus an overseas police certificate from every country — including your home country — where you have spent a total of 12 months or more in that same 10-year window. These sit under the "character documents" the department asks you to gather, and this article describes published requirements only; it is general information, not advice tailored to your circumstances, so confirm anything that affects your own application against Home Affairs' current guidance or a qualified professional.
What actually triggers a police certificate for the 190?
The trigger is residence time, not citizenship or where you apply from. The test on the official page is cumulative: a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years, counted from when you turned 16. Months do not have to be continuous, and short trips spread across several years can add up.
That means three things follow in practice:
- Long-term residence in Australia triggers the Australian (AFP) certificate.
- Long-term residence anywhere else triggers a certificate from that country.
- Your country of citizenship is not exempt — the page explicitly includes "your home country."
| Where you lived | What the subclass 190 page asks for |
|---|---|
| Australia, 12 months or more total in the last 10 years since turning 16 | Australian police certificate from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) |
| Any other country, 12 months or more total in the same period | Overseas police certificate from that country |
| Any country's armed forces | Military service records or discharge papers |
Which Australian police certificate does Home Affairs accept?
Only one type. The department states it accepts complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police. Standard disclosure certificates are not accepted, and neither are national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police. If you order a check through a state police force or a commercial provider that issues a standard disclosure version, it will not meet the stated requirement.
For immigration purposes, Australian police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. The page does not state a separate validity period for overseas certificates, so treat any overseas document's timing as something to confirm against the department's current requirements rather than assuming the same 12-month rule applies.
Do I need certificates from countries I only lived in briefly?
No — brief stays do not trigger the requirement. The threshold is a total of 12 months or more in a single country within the last 10 years since you turned 16. A holiday, a short secondment, or a semester abroad below that total does not need a certificate from that country.
The practical difficulty is the counting. Suppose an applicant spent seven months in one country on a work assignment, then returned there for six months two years later. Neither stay reaches 12 months alone, but together they do — and the page asks for a certificate from "every country" where the total reaches 12 months. Keeping a residence history before you start is the simplest way to avoid a gap that later delays a decision.
What else counts as a character document for subclass 190?
Police certificates are not the whole character package. The same section of the official page asks you to complete and provide two forms:
- Form 80, Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment
- Form 1221, Additional personal particulars information
You must also provide military service records or discharge papers if you served in the armed forces of any country. There is no exemption written into the page for service that was compulsory or that ended decades ago; the condition is simply whether you served.
Do my partner and children need police certificates too?
Family members are covered by the character requirement separately. The eligibility page states that you and family members aged 16 and over who apply with you must meet the character requirement, and that family members not accompanying you to Australia must also meet it. Under the partner documents section, you are asked to provide character documents for your partner alongside identity documents and relationship evidence.
So the answer depends on age and whether they are on the application: accompanying family aged 16 and over fall inside the character requirement, and non-accompanying family are not excluded by the fact that they are not travelling.
Where does this fit in the 190 timeline?
Police certificates are part of Step 2, "gather your documents," which comes after you receive an invitation to apply. The department's process runs: submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) in SkillSelect, be nominated by a state or territory government agency, receive an invitation, then gather documents and apply. Once invited, you have 60 calendar days to apply, and the department states this time cannot be extended.
That 60-day window is worth planning around, because overseas police certificates are issued by foreign authorities on their own schedules. The page does not publish processing times for those authorities, so build your own buffer rather than assuming the certificate will arrive within the invitation period.
Does an old conviction automatically mean refusal?
Not automatically, and the page does not say so. What the page does say is that information must be accurate, and it links to what may happen if you cannot prove your identity or do not provide true information. The character requirement is a criterion to be assessed, not a single conviction test; withholding a certificate or a record is a different and more serious problem than disclosing one.
For the same reason, a certificate that shows something in your history is not a reason to leave it out. Every applicant and covered family member is assessed against the same requirement.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an AFP check if I lived in Australia for only 11 months?
The requirement on the official page starts at a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16, so 11 months sits below the stated threshold. Count cumulative months, not a single continuous stay, before deciding. If later stays push the total past 12 months, the certificate becomes required.
Can I use a police certificate from a state police force instead of the AFP?
No. The department states it only accepts complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police. Standard disclosure certificates and national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police are not accepted for this visa.
How long is an Australian police certificate valid for immigration purposes?
Home Affairs states that Australian police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. If your certificate passes that point while your application is still being decided, check the current official requirement rather than assuming the same document remains acceptable.
Do I need a police certificate from my home country if I have lived in Australia for years?
Yes, if you spent a total of 12 months or more in your home country during the last 10 years since you turned 16. The page requires an overseas police certificate from every country where you met that total, and it explicitly names your home country.
Do my partner and children need their own police certificates?
Family members aged 16 and over who apply with you must meet the character requirement, and partner documents listed on the page include character documents. Family members not coming to Australia must also meet the character requirement, so leaving them off the application does not remove the requirement.
Do I need military records if my national service ended long ago?
You need military service records or discharge papers if you served in the armed forces of any country. The page does not set a time limit or exempt past or compulsory service, so the condition is whether you served at all.