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September 18 2018

Criminal Checks in Northern Ireland via AccessNI

You may remember from our April newsletter that AccessNI, the government agency issuing criminal certificates for Northern Ireland, are modernising their IT system. We can now share further details of changes to their service.

  • If you use the AccessNI service you must create a new NI Direct account and link this to your existing AccessNI account. For guidance on this process, please click here (you will need to log in first. If you do not have an account please register for one)
  • Using a new NI Direct account, digital certificates will largely replace paper certificates from 17 July 2018.
  • Candidates can opt to receive a paper certificate and can choose where the paper certificate is sent to.
  • We recommend that you encourage your candidates to request a paper certificate.
  • Paper certificates will always be issued if there are convictions.
  • When the candidate's digital certificate is issued to them, they can view and share the certificate to an email address.
  • When the candidate shares the certificate, the certificate can be viewed for up to 3 days.
  • Status updates available to you via the AccessNI portal will remain the same as before. For example, applications will show as 'Certificate issued' when the check is finished.