National Police Certificate (criminal history check) and statutory declaration
Some placement providers (particularly Queensland Health and aged care facilities) require students to obtain a National Police Certificate (NPC) to identify if you have any history of criminal offences that may be relevant to your placement.
Students are strongly advised to apply for an NPC promptly, as processing can take up to three months.
Some placement providers will require an NPC that is more recent (we will let you know if this is the case). It is your responsibility to ensure that you have obtained an NPC that meets your placement provider’s requirements.
If you have been a citizen or permanent resident of a country other than Australia after turning 16, you must also complete a statutory declaration prior to commencing your placement.
Student requirements
The type of criminal history check required varies based on your student category. Please refer to the information below to identify the requirements specific to medicine students.
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What is a National Police Certificate?
A National Police Certificate (NPC) provides a student with ‘clearance’, or in some cases, a notification of a student's 'disclosable history'. A police certificate discloses whether a person:
- has been convicted of an offence
- has been charged with and found guilty of an offence but discharged without conviction; or
- is the subject of any criminal charge still pending before a Court.
As part of the NPC application process, a police check is conducted based on a search of a person's name against the criminal history records held by police services Australia-wide.
In most instances NPCs are valid for 3 years. Please ensure you have at least 6 months validity on your certificate at the time of submission to InPlace.
Queensland Police NPC's
We will no longer be accepting the Queensland Police NPC's as we are unable to verify them securely and protect student privacy.
If you are convicted of any offence during the 3 year NPC expiry period, you must notify the Faculty of Health, Medicine and Behavioural Sciences Placement Ready team immediately.
If your background check includes evidence of prior criminal activity, please submit your form(s) via email.
What is a criminal history statutory declaration?
If you have been a citizen or permanent resident of a country other than Australia after turning 16, you must also complete a statutory declaration prior to commencing placement stating that you have never, in Australia or another country, been convicted of murder or sexual assault, or convicted of, and sentenced to imprisonment for, any other form of assault.
You must use this statutory declaration template (PDF, 154.2 KB) (no other versions will be accepted).
Need help?
Contact the HMBS Placement Ready team for help understanding and completing your requirements before you go on placement.