Your police check cost depends on the certificate you actually need, not simply the lowest advertised price. Before paying, have the recipient’s request, the purpose, accepted issuing agency, required check type and payment arrangements in front of you.
The selected official fees below are in AUD and were checked on 17 October 2026. They are not interchangeable quotes or a nationwide cheapest-provider ranking. A published application fee also does not establish every extra charge or your final personal cost.
| Agency and check | Published fee (AUD) | Type or route condition | Payment boundary | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFP name application | 57.00 | Confirm purpose and recipient acceptance; AFP is required for Commonwealth or ACT reasons. | Application fee is GST exempt. | AFP |
| AFP application with supplied fingerprints | 114.00 total | Where fingerprints are required, apply by post, not online. | This is the total AFP application charge, not an addition to 57.00. External fingerprint-taking cost is not established here. | AFP |
| WA national police certificate | 66.00 | Confirm the requested type, purpose and accepted agency before choosing this route. | WA fee index includes GST; it does not settle who ultimately pays. | WA fee index |
| WA Volunteer National Police Certificate Program | 17.60 | 2026/27 programme fee; applications go through an eligible registered organisation and its portal link. | WA Police bills the registered organisation monthly. Confirm any personal payment arrangement separately. | WA programme |
| QPS name-only certificate | 78.15 | QPS applicants must live or work in Queensland; confirm suitability with the recipient. | Scheduled certificate fee; applicability of separate processing charges and GST treatment are not established here. | QPS fee schedule |
| QPS name-and-fingerprint certificate | 260.60 | A different check type, not an interchangeable name-only product. | Do not automatically add the schedule’s separate other-purpose fingerprint charge. | QPS fee schedule |
Which police check does the recipient actually require?
Ask the employer, volunteer organisation, licensing body or other recipient to confirm the purpose, check type and accepted issuing agency in writing. Then match those requirements to the application. Do not change the purpose just to reach a lower fee.
The AFP says you must use it for Commonwealth or ACT reasons. It also explains that different purposes can lead to different results. Its certificate is therefore not a general-purpose document that can automatically be moved between unrelated requests.
The QPS certificate guide directs people seeking a certificate for immigration to Australia to the AFP. QPS also tells applicants to check suitability with the employer or licensing body. Price comparison comes after those acceptance checks, not instead of them.
What do the published police check fees cover?
Read each amount alongside its product description. AFP’s AUD 57.00 is the application price without supplied fingerprints; AUD 114.00 is the total application charge when fingerprints are included. It is not a fingerprint surcharge to add to AUD 57.00.
That AFP total does not establish the price charged by an external fingerprint-taking service. If fingerprints are required, confirm the appointment, acceptable format and any capture charge before committing. AFP says applications including fingerprints must be submitted by post.
The WA index explicitly labels its fees as including GST. AFP application fees are GST exempt. The inspected QPS schedule does not explicitly establish GST treatment, so this guide neither adds tax nor labels those charges exempt. Confirm the final amount for your application route.
Can you apply for the AUD 17.60 WA volunteer certificate yourself?
Not directly through this programme. The WA programme guidance says all applications must be submitted through a registered organisation. The organisation gives the individual volunteer a portal link to complete the application.
Volunteer-involving organisations must register with the Department of Communities and meet the programme’s conditions. A national organisation with volunteers in WA may register, but the programme guidance limits its checks to individuals residing in WA. Simply volunteering does not establish your particular organisation’s eligibility or registration.
Before buying a separate certificate, ask your organisation whether it is registered, whether your role and application fit the programme, and how to obtain its link. This is not a self-selected concession for every employment request or a substitute for a purpose that requires AFP.
Who is billed, and who ultimately pays?
WA Police bills registered volunteer-involving organisations monthly under the programme. That identifies the invoice recipient. It does not, by itself, prove that every volunteer pays nothing, that reimbursement is available, or that an employer must pay for a different check.
Ask the organisation to distinguish the fee it receives from any amount it expects you to pay. If reimbursement is proposed, confirm the eligible amount, required receipt and payment timing before paying. Keep an unconfirmed reimbursement out of your available-cash calculation.
For a confirmed personal charge, record it as an irregular expense in your household budget review. Do not count an organisation-paid invoice as your own cash expense. A monthly reserve also does not replace cash needed for an imminent payment.
What would an eligible organisation budget in a hypothetical example?
Suppose a registered organisation has confirmed that two volunteers each need one new certificate through the WA programme. The organisation has checked eligibility, the correct application route and its payment arrangements. Use the published 2026/27 unit fee of AUD 17.60 for this hypothetical invoice-planning example.
Two certificates × AUD 17.60 per certificate = AUD 35.20 in certificate fees. This is an organisation’s planning subtotal for those two applications, not a typical household cost, a quoted all-in service price or an individual’s saving.
Check the fee again when applying because the programme says it is reviewed annually. The calculation does not price unverified extras or determine any ultimate volunteer contribution. Keep this subtotal separate from any personally payable amount until the organisation confirms who bears it.
Which extra amounts should you confirm instead of adding automatically?
The QPS schedule lists AUD 6.95 for processing through the national police checking service as a separate row. The inspected schedule alone does not establish that this must be added to every certificate application. Confirm its applicability and the final payable amount through the actual route.
It also lists AUD 40.55 for fingerprints for purposes other than Police Certificates. That description is not evidence of an automatic add-on to either QPS certificate fee or AFP’s AUD 114.00 application charge. An unknown capture charge is not zero, but it is not this unrelated row by default.
Ask for an itemised final amount identifying the certificate, any required fingerprint capture and applicable processing or delivery charges. Do not turn unverified possibilities into a fee total or treat every agency’s schedule as one combined shopping basket.
Can an existing certificate avoid another application?
Show the recipient the existing certificate before assuming another purchase is necessary. Ask whether its issuing agency, purpose, type and age meet this request. A document already in your inbox is useful only if the organisation accepts it for the required use.
AFP says a certificate may be used more than once for the same purpose, but only for that purpose. The organisation requesting it decides how long it will accept it. There is no universal expiry period here; ask whether the certificate is acceptable for the new role.
QPS likewise leaves acceptance to the requesting organisation. Obtain the answer before paying for a replacement, rather than assuming a new fee is unavoidable or that an unsuitable application will automatically be refunded.
When does this police check cost guide not fit?
This guide does not interpret criminal history, determine what will be disclosed or decide legal eligibility. QPS says its national police certificate is not appropriate for court criminal-record requirements. Ask the relevant authority what document is needed instead.
It also does not price every state, private provider or specialised certificate. Immigration, licensing and other specific requests need the recipient’s and issuing agency’s directions. Acceptance, processing time and the suitable price for your circumstances still need to be confirmed.
Quick decision checklist
- Confirm the required purpose, check type and accepted issuing agency in writing.
- Ask whether an existing certificate’s purpose and age are acceptable.
- For the WA volunteer programme, confirm organisation registration, eligibility and the correct portal link.
- Separate who receives the invoice from your own payment or reimbursement arrangement.
- Confirm the current final amount and applicable extras before paying.
Sources and scope
Official pages checked on 17 October 2026. Fees and conditions may change; use the issuing agency’s current application instructions before paying.
- AFP National Police Certificates: application fees, GST, purpose, fingerprints and reuse.
- WA Police information access fees: national and volunteer certificate prices, including GST.
- QPS National Police Certificates: check types, applicant scope and recipient suitability.
- WA Volunteer National Police Certificate Program: 2026/27 fee, organisation registration, portal route and monthly billing.
- QPS fees effective 1 July 2026: scheduled certificate and separate processing/fingerprint rows.
This guide was prepared with AI assistance and source checking; it has not received professional financial or legal review.
