In this article, you'll learn about the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) checks that Certn offers through our partnership with Intercheck Global Pty Ltd (Certn InterCheck). InterCheck is authorized by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to conduct criminal record checks.

This article is part of a set. To learn more, read our overview article for this check and our article about this check's results.

Before you begin

If you’re new to ordering ACIC checks, start by reading our overview article for this check. In it, you’ll learn the basics of this check and find an overview of the stages of this check.

Prerequisites for this check

To initiate an ACIC check from our platform, you’ll need your candidate’s email address. Additionally, you can opt to provide information about your purpose for ordering the check, or you can allow your candidate to provide this information. To learn more about entering check purpose details, refer to the section How to order this check.

How to order this check

There are several ways to initiate an ACIC check from our platform. This article explains how to initiate this check using our web application. However, you can also initiate this check using our API or using an integration with your applicant tracking software (ATS), if an integration is available for your ATS.

There are two ways to initiate an ACIC check from our web application. You can select each option in the following list to open an article with general instructions for that method.  

• Add to an order
• Add to a package (HR users only)

Using either method above, you’ll reach a step in which you select background checks to include in the order or package. When you reach that point, follow these steps to add an ACIC check:

1. Select the ACIC check: From the list of checks, select Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Check. Three fields appear below the check.
   
2. Complete the fields: The three fields that appeared below the check in the last step can be completed by you now or by your candidate later. The fields are for providing details about your purpose for ordering the check. You can fill all, some, or none of these fields now. Your candidate will need to fill any fields you leave blank.
   

   Note: To help you decide whether to complete all, some, or none of these fields now or whether to leave them for your candidate, answer these questions: 

   • Are you creating a package? If yes, any values you enter in these fields will apply each time you use the package in the future, until you edit the package. If the field values will be different each time, leave them blank. Or, if you know that a specific field, like Purpose of Check, will always be the same when you use this package, you can fill that field and leave the other fields blank. 
   • Will my candidate know what to enter? If you leave any fields blank, your candidate’s online application will require that they complete those fields. If your candidate is not sure what to enter, they may be delayed in completing their application. If you decide to leave any of the fields blank, you may want to provide guidance to your candidate about what to fill in these fields.
   The following information will help you to complete the fields or to support your candidate in completing the fields:
   
   • The first field, Purpose of Check, is a drop-down list. There are three options you can select. The option you select modifies the remaining fields.
   • In the table below, each possible Purpose of Check value appears in the left column, along with information about when you might use that purpose. The right column lists fields that appear that correspond to the selected purpose, along with tips for how you or your candidate might complete them.

   Purpose of check	Required fields
   Employment: Select this purpose if the check supports an application for employment.	Role or Position Title: The job title that the candidate will hold, if successful. For example, trades worker, nurse, or delivery driver. Organization: The organization that will employ the candidate, if successful, or the recruitment company if the end-employer is not known.
   License: Select this purpose if the check supports an application for licensing.	License Type: The type of license for which the candidate has applied. For example, approved manager license, real estate license, or racing license. Issuing Authority: The name of the authority who issues this license type. For example, Service NSW, Department of Mines, or Racing Victoria.
   Other (Position of Trust/Probity): Select this purpose when the purpose is something other than employment or licensing.	Reason for Check: Enter text that helps to explain why the check is needed. For example, house sitter, pet sitter, board member, or insurance claim. Requesting Organization: The organization requesting the check. For example, ABC Nannying Company or ABC Insurance Company.

3. Finish adding the check to your order: When you’ve completed the fields as required in the previous step (whether filled or left blank), select Add to Order. The check appears in your order summary, and you can finalize your order or package per the instructions in the general guide you’re following.

Your candidate's experience

When you order an ACIC check, your candidate receives an email inviting them to complete an application. During the application, the following occurs:

• Your candidate provides their consent for the check to be run.
• We collect some details about your candidate:
  

  Full legal name Any previous names  Phone number Address history (five years) Work location

  Place of birth Sex (M, F, or X) Date of birth Driver’s license (if applicable) Firearms license (if applicable)

• We ask your candidate to provide details about the purpose of the check, if you did not already specify them as part of your order.

• Your candidate uses their device’s camera to take a photo of themself that we use to match them to their identity documents.
• Your candidate uploads four identity documents from this list. 
• Your candidate submits the application for review.
• We review your candidate’s application for completeness before submitting it to the ACIC for processing. During this stage, we will contact your candidate directly to resolve any information that is missing or unclear.

Next steps

After you've placed your order and we've received the required details about your candidate, we send the check request to the ACIC for processing. Typically, you can expect it to complete within its usual turnaround time. 

When the check is completed, you can view its results.