No, you can't directly get a police check from Australia Post anymore as they've stopped offering the service themselves, but you can still use selected Australia Post branches to finish an online application, especially for identity verification, by attending in person with your ID, or apply through partners like fit2work. You apply online with providers like fit2work or the Queensland Police, and if your ID can't be verified online, you'll be directed to an Australia Post outlet to complete the identity check, getting a hard copy certificate by mail later.
The fastest police checks are typically online applications for Australian Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Checks, with up to 80% returned within 15 minutes to 24 hours, especially if no further manual investigation is needed. Providers like fit2work, Australian National Character Check, and CVCheck offer rapid digital processing, with results often delivered instantly via email or to a secure online portal.
Take your identity documents and form(s) to a participating Post Office. You can find a list of Post Offices online or call 13 POST (7678). There is no need to make an appointment. An experienced Australia Post representative will perform the identity check.
Australia Post operates in three core markets: letters and associated services; agency services and retail merchandise; and parcels and logistics that span both domestic and international markets.
Post offices offer core mail services (sending letters/parcels, stamps, tracking) and expanded services like ID/passport photos, banking (money orders, transfers, accounts), bill payments, travel insurance, foreign currency, and government licensing/tax services, varying by country (e.g., UK Post Office, Australia Post).
Australia Post is wholly owned by the Australian Government represented by two Shareholder Ministers, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts.
We can conduct identify verification checks face to face in selected Post Office branches. If you've received a letter requesting one, please bring it in along with the documents listed on it. The team in branch will check and digitise your documents.
Australia Post will take your photo, attach it to your form, and make copies of your ID documents. 5. You'll be asked to pay a $49 fee to Australia Post, which can be paid by cash, EFTPOS, VISA or Mastercard. But keep your receipt, because we'll reimburse you for this.
How to Verify Your Identity
Although you will not be able to directly apply for an Australia Post national police check, our fit2work services can help you with a range of background checks including Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check, AFP Australian police checks, International police checks and more.
The process and requirements vary slightly between emirates but can largely be completed online via the Ministry of Interior (MOI) or respective local police authorities.
On average 70% are generally processed within 1-2 business days.
Examples include:
The cost of obtaining a police check is typically borne by the individual employee or job applicant, not the employer. However, in some cases, an employer might reimburse the employee for the cost of obtaining a police check as part of their employment process, especially if it's a requirement for the job.
All police checks carried out in Australia will encompass information gathered from all states and territories like ACT and NT. If you are working in New South Wales and you have a recorded conviction such as a traffic offence in WA, then your national police check will include the details of that disclosable offence.
The Post Office charge £12.75 over the counter to use their ID Checking Service.
Australia Post can still provide witnessing and certifying services, but it depends on what your documents need to be witnessed or certified and where your documents will be used. If you know that your documents can be witnessed or certified by Australia Post, you can skip ahead here, otherwise read on.
Yes, you can get photo ID services at the post office, but it depends on the country and service, with options like taking passport/ID photos, getting digital IDs (Australia Post Digital iD, UK Post Office EasyID), or verifying identity for other documents, but you generally don't get a new government-issued photo license directly from them, instead they help you get official ones like passports or digital alternatives.
Document verification, biometrics, and data-based verification are the three most effective and widely used methods for confirming a person's identity across digital platforms.
No, you don't have to get an Australian Business Number (ABN) if you're a sole trader earning under $75,000, as the threshold mainly applies to mandatory GST registration, but you probably should, because businesses paying you can withhold 47% tax from your payments without an ABN, and it makes you look more professional and helps with business name/domain registration. Getting an ABN is free and simple through the Australian Business Register (ABR).
Yes, AusPost is simply the common, shortened name for Australia Post, the Australian government-owned corporation that provides postal and parcel delivery services across Australia, and they refer to themselves as both. You'll see them use "AusPost" for branding and "Australia Post" in formal contexts, with their website being auspost.com.au and their services covering mail, parcels, and logistics.
The Post Office and its network
The Post Office is a limited company owned entirely by the government. The Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy holds government responsibility for postal affairs, including the Post Office.