Police Certificates

A Police Certificate is a certificate in respect of an individual issued by the Gardaí in certain circumstances.  The certificate, which is valid for 12 months, states your name, address, date of birth and also includes information about whether or not you have a criminal record in respect of this jurisdiction.

A Police Certificate is issued by the Superintendent and/or Assistant Principal Officer within the Division where the relevant applicant resides, or formerly resided, in the Republic of Ireland. Please go to our Station Directory to find out who your District Superintendent is. 

Police Certificates are issued solely for the following purposes:

1. Foreign Consular Authorities / Foreign Visas [e.g. applications, naturalisation and / or other immigration matters]
2. Establishing or registering a Business in another EU Member State
3. Employment in the EU Institutions
4. Development / Humanitarian / Aid Workers deployed Overseas on behalf of a Registered Non-Governmental Organisation with supporting documentation issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and / or any other Statutory Agency related to the activity concerned.
5. Irish Citizens participating and / or engaging in an accredited academic programme on a full time basis for a minimum period of one academic year with a recognised Third Level Educational Institution (in the Host State) outside of this jurisdiction.

The following documents are required:

• Completed application form
• A certified copy of your passport, driving licence or similar for identification purposes
• Proof of address and / or proof of previous addresses

The Police Certificate is issued free of charge and will take approximately three weeks to process and can now be completed online directly.

A Police Certificate CANNOT be construed as Garda Vetting, a security clearance or a character reference. Garda vetting is not conducted for persons on an individual basis. It is only conducted in respect of personnel working in full-time, part-time, voluntary or in a student placement capacity in a position in an organisation, through which they have unsupervised access to children and/or vulnerable adults. Garda vetting application forms can only be obtained from an organisation registered with the Garda Central Vetting Unit to vet its prospective employees.

In addition to the above, please be advised that a Police Certificate cannot be regarded as an indication of the Applicants Residency / Immigration Status or history in respect of this Jurisdiction. 

Police Certificate Application Form

Police Certificates Frequently Asked Questions