Garda Vetting FAQ

No. Vetting is conducted only on behalf of relevant organisations that are registered with the National Vetting Bureau and is not conducted for individual persons on a personal basis.

IACP believe that Garda vetting is a necessary and positive step in the protection of clients and the development of the profession. It provides the public with confidence in a safe and secure service.

The procedure is as follows:-

1. The applicant must manually complete and forward the Vetting Invitation Form (NVB1) to the IACP and provide proof of identity as outlined in the Verification of Identity Form.

2. The IACP confirms proof of identity and enters the applicant’s details into the eVetting System.

3. Following this the Gardaí send the applicant an email with a link attached inviting him/her to complete the vetting application online. The link will expire after 30 days.

4. When checks are complete the vetting disclosure is issued to the IACP. The IACP will, as soon as practicable, inform the applicant of the outcome.

• Once contacted by the IACP, applicants should make payment via the link in the email. The Garda Vetting Policy and Application Pack should be downloaded from the e-mail. The Garda Vetting Form and Verification of Identity documents should be completed as instructed and returned to the IACP.

• After a period of 3 years, the IACP will contact members when they are due to be re-vetted.

  Please Note: No action is required by IACP members at this time. IACP will contact members over the coming months.

Mandatory: the main change is in relation to Vetting becoming mandatory. If a person intends to undertake relevant work, the relevant organisation must get a vetting disclosure from the National Vetting Bureau.

Identity: the identity of the applicant must be validated by the IACP.

Vetting Forms and eVetting: a new vetting form will be required to be completed, with additional information required.Once submitted to the IACP, this information will be entered into the Gardaí’s eVetting database. Following this the applicant will receive a link to complete the remainder of the form online.

Guidelines for Applicant
1. The applicant to present with ID documents to the minimum value of 100 points as can be seen in this below
a. The Documents must display all the following: 1. Photo ID 2. Date of Birth 3. Current Address 4. Full Name
2. Applicants must present in person, with the original documents and photocopies of these documents to one of the listed designated persons (IACP Head Office, Dun Laoghaire (by appointment only), IACP Accredited Supervisor, BACP or IAHIP Accredited Supervisor, Gardaí, Solicitor, Commissioner of Oaths, Notary or Peace Commissioner
3. The designated person will certify that the copies of ID are true photocopies of the original
4. The applicant should return the Verification of Identity Form, signed copies of ID & the Garda Vetting Form to the IACP

The following designated Persons may verify applicant’s identification and sign this form:

• IACP Head Office, Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin (by appointment only)
• BACP or IAHIP Accredited Supervisor
• IACP Accredited Supervisor
• Gardaí
• Solicitor
• Commissioner of Oaths
• Notary or Peace Commissioner

Garda Vetting will cost €30. The €30 charge is in place to process the application. The IACP will incur extra IT, staffing, administration and training costs associated with Garda Vetting. 

Vetting is valid for a period of 3 years from date of disclosure. The IACP will be in touch with members via email when it is time to renew their Garda Vetting.

Yes absolutely. All applications and correspondence are treated with the utmost confidentiality and in accordance with GDPR and the Data Protection Acts.

All IACP Student, Pre-Accredited and Accredited Members. 

Yes, all students are requireed to be vetted. 

No, individuals cannot request Garda Vetting. All applications must go through an organisation that is registered with the National Vetting Bureau. Vetting is not freely available.

Yes. Some individuals may already have completed Garda vetting through bodies other than the IACP. Garda Vetting cannot be transferred between organisations. IACP is responsible for its own vetting regardless if you have recently been vetted for by another organisation.

The information disclosed during vetting is the “property” of the organisation that seeks it in the first instance and therefore (under data protection) shouldn’t be passed from organisation to organisation.

Therefore, the individual will need to complete another Garda Vetting Application Form that will be processed through IACP.

The Liaison Person is a person who has completed the training supplied by the National Vetting Bureau and is authorised to act as the liaison between the organisation requesting vetting and the National Vetting Bureau.

The Liaison Person in the IACP is Stephen Kelly stephen@iacp.ie

• A criminal record in relation to a person means a record of the person’s convictions whether within or outside the state for any criminal offence together with any ancillary or consequential orders made pursuant to the convictions concerned or a record of any prosecutions pending against the person whether within or outside the state for any criminal offences or both.

  A person shall not be obliged to provide details of any convictions to which Section 14A of the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 applies.

This may or may not affect your application / membership / position.

Disclosures however minor or serious must be dealt with on a case by case basis by the Garda Vetting Decision Maker.

Please see the Garda Vetting Policy for further details. 

No. The Administrative Filter is a procedure applied by the Garda, which allows certain minor convictions over 7 years old not to be disclosed. The purpose of this filter is to allow a more balanced, relevant and proportionate approach to Garda Vetting.

Convictions that are disclosed by the NVB will be dealt with on a case by case basis by the Garda Vetting Decision Maker.

This section applies to District Court convictions only.

• Convictions over 7 years for motoring offences other than Section 53(2) of the Road Traffic Act 1961.
• Convictions over 7 years for the following offences under the Public Order Act 1994:

                        Section 4 (Intoxication),

                        Section 5 (Disorderly conduct),

                        Section 6 (Threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour),

                        Section 7 (Distribution or display of material which is offensive),

                        Section 8 (Failure to comply with direction of Garda),

                        Section 9 (Wilful obstruction).

District Court convictions for any other minor offence will not be disclosed after 7 years where the person has one such offence only (excluding motoring or public order offences over 7 years old). 

The Applicant should outline in writing to the Liaison Personr in the IACP the exact basis of their dispute.

The  Liaison Person will submit the Applicant’s report to the National Vetting Bureau.

Further checks will be carried out by the National Vetting Bureau who will correspond with the  Liaison Person in course. Please see the IACP Garda Vetting Policy for further details.

Specified information in relation to a person who is the subject of an application for a vetting disclosure means information concerning a finding or allegation of harm to another person received by the Bureau from An Garda Síochána or a scheduled organisation pursuant to section 19 of the Act.

It is information that is considered to give rise to a bona fide concern that the vetting subject may harm, attempt to harm or put at risk a child or vulnerable person or both. If such information is going to be disclosed to a relevant organisation relating to one of their applicants, the Chief Bureau Officer must, in advance, notify the vetting subject of the intention to disclose the information.

1. Outline in writing to the Liaison Person (Stephen Kelly) in the IACP the basis of their dispute.
2. The Liaison Person will submit the Applicant’s report to the National Vetting Bureau.
3. Further checks will be carried out by the National Vetting Bureau who will correspond with the  Liaison Person in course. Please see the IACP Garda Vetting Policy for further details.

In the case whereby an applicant has a prosecution pending, this information will be transmitted to the IACP by the NVB.

For existing personnel the applicant will remain in their position while awaiting the outcome of the prosecution.

Although, there are automatic exclusions under which an individual’s position with IACP will be suspended. These include:

• Murder, attempted murder, manslaughter
• Rape, attempted rape
• Any conviction leading to inclusion in the Sex Offenders Register
• Ownership, production, possession or distribution of child pornography
• Ill treatment, abuse or neglect of children / minors / vulnerable people

In the case of new applicants with a prosecution pending, their application will be put on hold pending the outcome pf the prosecution. 

If an applicant wishes to appeal a decision in relation to Garda Vetting, they should follow the process of appeal which is outlined below.

The applicant should submit a written comment on the recorded convictions to the  Liaison Person in the IACP. This must be done within 21 days of the notification date on the letter stating that Garda Vetting has been unsuccessful.

The submitted written comment should be up to 500 words, of comments or information pertinent to the reasons stated for rejection

The appeal must be accompanied by the fee of €38.

The Garda Vetting Appeals Panel will hear this appeal and issue their findings to the Liaison Person, who will notify the appellant by letter. The decision of the appeal panel is final.

International Police Vetting

If you have resided in countries outside of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland  you may be required to obtain a Police Clearance Certificate from those countries stating that you have no convictions recorded against you while residing there.

Seeking security clearances from other countries (e.g. UK, USA etc.) are the responsibility of the applicant.

The following websites may be of assistance to you if you are required to obtain a Police Clearance Certificate:

United Kingdom: www.acro.police.uk/police_certificates.aspx www.disclosurescotland.co.uk

Australia www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/police-checks/national-police-checks

New Zealand www.justice.govt.nz/services/criminal-records

United States of America http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/abroad/legal-matters/criminal-record-check.html

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks

Other Countries

For other countries not listed above you may find it helpful to contact the relevant embassies who could provide you with information on seeking Police Clearance.

Note: Only Original Police Clearance Certificates should be submitted (copies not accepted).

In the case whereby the applicant is requested to submit additional documentation, time will be allocated to facilitate this.

Any costs incurred in this process will be borne by the applicant.

A Police Certificate is an official document issued by police or government agency of a country to enumerate any criminal records that the applicant may or may not have. Applicants have to submit personal information to request such a record check, the police or government agency may charge a fee. If no record is found, the certificate will indicate such. 

Please submit as much of the address as possible, for example the street/road, town, county and postcode. You will be required to enter a note on the form stating that you cannot remember the full address. 

For that particular timeframe, you must enter a note on the form stating that you were travelling and did not have one fixed address. Please name the countries through which you travelled.

An inactive member will not require vetting for the period they are they are inactive. When the member chooses to become active again, they will require vetting. 

All data is kept in accordance with GDPR and Data Protection Acts 1988/2003.  All information is kept in a secure cabinet in IACP Head Office. 

Re-vetting for all members is required every three years, in-line with reform to The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012-2016.
 
Following the recommendation from The National Vetting Bureau, the IACP formally adopted re-vetting in the IACP Garda Vetting Policy, which was ratified by the IACP Board in July 2023. Garda Vetting Policy is available to download here.

Re-vetting is also required as part of the reinstatement procedure should a member’s membership lapse and where the individual wishes to reinstate/re-apply as an IACP member.