FAQ

1. The accuracy and quality of criminal record checks depend on accurate identification of the applicant (including aliases) according to the information provided in the application form and the comprehensiveness of records.
2. Whilst every care has been taken to conduct a search of criminal record information held by NZ Ministry of Justice that relate to the applicant, the check may not include all criminal history information. Reasons for this include correct name matching and the operation of laws that prevent the disclosure of certain criminal history information.
3. The criminal record check is a point-in-time check and should not be relied upon for an unreasonable amount of time.
4. To the extent permitted by law, all information provided in the report is made available for use on the following conditions:

• National Crime Check makes no representation or warranty of any kind without limitation in respect to accuracy.
• The information in a criminal record check report should form only one part of any process for determining a person’s suitability for any entitlement, profession, undertaking, appointment or employment.
• To the extent permitted by law, National Crime Check accepts no responsibility or liability for any error or omission in the information.

The information provided on the criminal record check report has been obtained according to the following process:

• We search a central index for potential matches with the name(s) of the applicant to compare name matches with criminal history information held by the Ministry of Justice.
• The check identifies any criminal history information held in their criminal records and releases the information subject to relevant spent convictions, non-disclosure legislation, reasons for check/check purposes or information release policies.
• A result is provided to National Crime Check indicating whether a record of criminal history information relating to the applicant is held or not.

All criminal record information is kept for 3 months as per our requirements. All criminal record information is destroyed after 3 months.

You are able to obtain a copy of your criminal record check within 3 months. After this, a new check application will be required.

We are currently experiencing an unprecedented demand for criminal record checks hence delays are being experienced. Checks normally take up to 10 business days to complete. Currently, some applicants are experiencing delays upwards of 1 month to complete. Please ensure you allow yourself adequate time to receive your criminal record check just in case your application requires manual investigation.

A delayed criminal record check is in no way an indicator that an applicant has any criminal history to be disclosed. We strongly urge employers not to discriminate against applicants who are experiencing delays in receiving their check.

Please note that all accredited bodies have equal access to the system and one organisation cannot provide faster results than another organisation. Submitting multiple checks will not facilitate a faster outcome.

You will be advised via email updates in relation to the status of your application.

If you feel that your check has taken too long (past 10 business days), please contact us via email at support@nationalcrimecheck.nz

A criminal record check is not suitable for reuse for multiple purposes as it is considered a ‘point in time’ check. Charges or convictions that occur after the criminal record check result has been issued are not captured on the applicant’s existing check, deeming the result unsuitable for reuse.

If you receive a scam call that purports to be from National Crime Check, please click here for more information.

All names under which you have been or are currently known will be included on your criminal record check. If you are concerned about the disclosure of details relating to your previous known names, please contact National Crime Check via support@nationalcrimecheck.nz.

Your criminal record check may have been flagged for further review if it has been matched against somebody on the database with a similar name, gender and/or date of birth. When this occurs, there is a process of review into the application, in consultation with New Zealand agencies, to resolve the match.

Usually, the check request is finalised in approximately 10-12 business days. However, there may be instances where it takes longer. Once the results of the application have been finalised, we will then generate your criminal record check results and dispatch them to you via your selected dispatch method.

No, there is no need to contact us. You will receive email updates in relation to the status of your lodgment.

You will also receive a second SMS/email as soon as the results have been returned. Then we will automatically dispatch them to you either via your selected dispatch method.

No, the NZ Ministry of Justice cannot discuss the progress of your application. All questions should be directed to National Crime Check.

No - National Crime Check monitors the progress of all flagged checks regularly. We are reliant on the services providing us with the information that populates your check.

Your check may be flagged for further review if it has been matched against somebody on the database with a similar name, gender and/or date of birth. When this occurs, there is a process of review into the application, in consultation with New Zealand’s agencies, to resolve the match.

A criminal record check that is flagged for further review is a systems-generated response that advises the relevant agency of a potential match.

The agencies will then draw on relevant information to manually determine the following: not a match, or a confirmed match and release the criminal history information to National Crime Check accordingly.

There is no way to tell whether a check will be flagged as a potential match. On average, 75% are generally processed within 1-2 business days. The remaining 25% of all checks will be flagged as a potential match.

If there is not a match

Matching by the Ministry of Justice determines that the applicant is not a match. The criminal record check will be released with a result of “No Disclosable Court Outcomes” to National Crime Check who will then dispatch your check via your selected dispatch method.

If there is a confirmed match

Matching by the Ministry of Justice determines that there is a match. The criminal record check application then moves into the vetting stage.

Request for further information

In some instances, the Ministry of Justice may need additional information to assist in making a matching decision. To do this, the Ministry of Justice may request further information. This will generally take the form of additional address details, photo ID or requesting an applicant attend a police station to submit a fingerprint sample.

It is the responsibility of National Crime Check to ensure that the information is supplied and to liaise with the applicant to obtain the relevant information.

Vetting

Once a confirmed match has been determined, the Ministry of Justice undertakes vetting of the relevant information held on its systems. Vetting involves applying relevant legislation and/or policy to the information, to determine what can be released. The agency also takes into account the category and purpose of the criminal record check to determine the type and amount of information that is released. The criminal record check then goes into the Final Vetting stage.

Final Vetting

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for reviewing the vetted results and applying its own legislation/policy to determine what information will be released to National Crime Check.

Results released

A criminal history record through National Crime Check will either be:

• No Disclosable Court Outcomes (NDCO) – there is no criminal record information that can be released to the submitting organisation.
• Disclosable Court Outcomes (DCO) – criminal record information exists that can be released to the submitting organisation. The PHI includes criminal and traffic convictions.

A criminal record check involves identifying and releasing any relevant criminal record information, such as criminal and traffic convictions.

It doesn't include:

• infringements, such as parking tickets
• charges that haven’t gone to court yet
• any charges where you weren’t convicted
• times you’ve gone to court and were found not guilty
• military (Court Martial) convictions
• overseas convictions
• police diversions
• charges in the Youth Court
• demerit points and driver licence suspensions.

If you are getting an error message when entering your address details, please check the following:

1. Your address details should be for the last 5 years.
2. Enter in the number of years and/or months even if it is zero (i.e. 2 years and 0 months or 0 years and 2 months).
3. Ensure that the Country field of each of the addresses provided has been selected.
4. Ensure that you don’t use any punctuation (.,/-\).
5. If you are unsure of the length of time at an address, please approximate the length of time.

Hotmail accounts sometimes block correspondence from National Crime Check and diverts it to the junk/spam folder. If possible, please use an alternative email.

If you continue to have difficulties, contact us at support@nationalcrimecheck.nz

Please visit our Background Checks for Uber Drivers page for more information about background checks for Uber Eats and Uber Rides drivers. This page also has the links to start your background checks, processing timelines, and other important information.

Volunteer checks may only be requested if you:

• perform the role on a voluntary basis for the benefit of the community; or
• not be an employee, contractor, subcontractor, staff member or officer of an organisation; or
• not be entitled to a salary or any other entitlements or benefits associated with the position or role; or
• be a student undertaking a compulsory vocational placement as a requirement of a New Zealand-based academic institution or training course.

While every care is taken, the accuracy of a criminal record check depends on a number of factors, and on occasion, a check is released with incorrect information.

Reasons for a dispute may include:

• the incorrect identification of the applicant;
• information held in records has not been correctly matched to the applicant; or
• incomplete information was provided at the time of application.

Disputes can be raised when an applicant claims that:

• the information released does not belong to them;
• part of the information does not belong to the them;
• the information belongs to the them, but the details are inaccurate; or
• the information belongs to them, but should not have been released.

The graphic below shows the dispute process. 

If you want to raise a dispute please email us at support@nationalcrimecheck.nz with your first name, surname and reference number. One of our customer service team will action your email and ask you to complete a dispute form.

We will then action the dispute through the NZ Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on your behalf. Please be advised, you cannot dispute criminal history information provided by National Crime Check through MoJ directly. All disputes must be raised through National Crime Check.

Only National Crime Check’s internal compliance and verification staff will be able to view your ID. The ID is 100% secure.

The ID is being used solely to verify your proof of identity requirements as part of your criminal record check application.

Upon successful lodgement of your information, National Crime Check will securely purge your ID in line with our compliance requirements and it will no longer be accessible.