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Kenya Certificate of Good Conduct for Australia: apply once, and only when asked

Tips · 2026-11-09 · 8 min read

If an Australian or New Zealand authority asks for it, a Kenya Certificate of Good Conduct for Australia is applied for online through eCitizen when you live in Kenya, and through a Kenyan embassy or commission when you live elsewhere. Home Affairs calls the document a Police Clearance Certificate. Apply only when a visa officer or employer asks, because not everyone needs one, and read the request first so you order the right certificate for the right purpose.

When a Kenya police certificate is actually needed

Home Affairs may ask for a police certificate from every country a person has lived in, usually if they are over 17 and lived there for at least 12 months in the past 10 years. That is a request from the department, not a rule that applies to every Kenyan with a job offer.

So the first step is to wait for the instruction in your visa application or from your employer, and then check the exact wording. Our visa guides cover each route, and our guide to moving to Australia from Kenya on a Skills in Demand (482) visa explains where these requests sit in the wider process.

There is one exception worth knowing about. If a subclass 482 applicant is sponsored by an accredited sponsor, they do not need police certificates from countries other than Australia when they attach the sponsor's reference confirming good character and no criminal convictions. Whether that applies to you is for the official page and your sponsor to confirm, so do not skip a certificate on a guess.

For New Zealand, Immigration New Zealand says Accredited Employer Work Visa applicants must be of good character, and it asks applicants to check whether police certificates are needed. Start from the official AEWV page; our AEWV guide for Kenyans covers the rest of the visa.

Which document Home Affairs expects from Kenya

Home Affairs' "Services outside Australia" entry for Kenya names the document a "Police Clearance Certificate" or "Confirmation of Police Clearance". It lists the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and eCitizen as the websites to use. In everyday Kenyan speech most people say Certificate of Good Conduct, so expect the two names to mean the same thing on your application.

Home Affairs also has a country dropdown on its Services outside Australia page that explains how to get a police certificate in each country. Check Kenya's entry there on the day you apply, because pages like this can change.

Where you apply depends on where you live

If you are a Kenyan now working in another country and you need the certificate for your Australian or New Zealand application, the third row is your route. The embassy or commission can say how to apply and which documents it needs.

Steps for a Kenyan citizen living in Kenya

These are the steps Home Affairs lists for the eCitizen route. Follow the screens on eCitizen itself if they differ, since the portal decides what you see.

1. Log in to your eCitizen account and choose the Police Clearance Certificate service.
2. Pick the area where your fingerprints will be taken.
3. Choose a payment mode and pay.
4. Take the C24 (the fingerprint form on eCitizen), the invoices and your original birth certificate to the area you chose.
5. Wait for the SMS that tells you the certificate can be downloaded from your eCitizen account.

Home Affairs lists the fee only as "payable" and gives no processing time, and the DCI page could not be opened when we last checked. We therefore cannot give you a price or a number of days. Read both on eCitizen before you pay, and do not trust anyone who quotes you a "faster" price by phone or WhatsApp.

What to prepare before you start

Gather the documents first so the fingerprint visit is a single trip. Keep a clear scan of each one, since an English CV and certified copies are often asked for together with a police certificate. If you are tidying your application papers, a clean CV helps too: Build AI CV can help you set out your work history in plain English.

• Your eCitizen login, and access to the phone number linked to it for the SMS.
• The original birth certificate, if you are a citizen applying in Kenya.
• Your original passport and immigration status papers, if you are a non-citizen.
• The visa or employer request that says why you need the certificate, and for which country.

Timing: when to apply and how long it lasts

Police certificates for Australian visas are valid for 12 months from the issue date. They must cover the time from age 16 up to the issue date, or the whole time you were in that country. Apply too early and it may expire before the department reads it; apply too late and your application waits.

Home Affairs also says an Australian police certificate has to be an Australian Federal Police National Police Check (Code 33, Immigration/Citizenship). State or territory certificates are not accepted. That matters if you have already lived in Australia and are returning on a new visa.

Anyone who spent more than 12 months in the last 10 years working on merchant ships, cruise ships, private yachts or oil rigs must give a police certificate from the vessel's flag country plus a letter of good conduct from the captain or company. Read the Home Affairs character page for the full wording.

What changed recently on criminal record checks

A plan for five visa countries to share criminal records was shelved. Our note on what the shelved record-sharing plan means for Kenyan applicants explains why you should still supply the certificate you are asked for. The official character rules above are what apply to your case.

Common mistakes

• Applying before anyone has asked. Not everyone needs a certificate, and it expires, so wait for the request.
• Paying an agent or "fixer" who promises a faster result. Use eCitizen yourself, and read our warning signs in Australia job scams in Kenya.
• Forgetting the original birth certificate on the day of fingerprinting.
• Ordering the certificate for the wrong purpose, or for the wrong country, and having to start again.
• Assuming a certificate decides your visa. It is one document among many, and the department makes the decision.
• Treating a job offer as proof that you can pay nothing more. Check the offer first with our job offer letter checks.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Kenya Certificate of Good Conduct needed for every Australian visa?

No. Home Affairs may ask for a police certificate from countries where you lived, and the request depends on your visa and your history. Wait for the instruction in your application and apply for exactly what it asks.

Where do I apply if I no longer live in Kenya?

Home Affairs says people who do not live in Kenya apply through a Kenyan embassy or commission in their country of residence. That office can say how to apply and which documents are needed for your case.

How much does the Kenyan police clearance cost and how long does it take?

We could not verify a fee or a timeline. Home Affairs lists the fee only as payable and gives no processing time, so read both on eCitizen before you pay and ignore any figure quoted by a stranger.

How long is the certificate valid for an Australian visa?

Home Affairs says police certificates for Australian visas are valid for 12 months from the issue date. Plan the application so the certificate is still current when you lodge.

Does the certificate replace an English test or skills assessment?

No. It is a character document only. English evidence and any trade assessment are separate steps; see our guide to the English test for Australia from Kenya.

Key takeaways

• Request the certificate only when a visa officer or employer asks for it.
• In Kenya, apply through eCitizen; from abroad, use a Kenyan embassy or commission.
• Bring the C24, the invoices and the original birth certificate to fingerprinting.
• Australian visa police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date.
• No fee or processing time was verified, so read them on eCitizen and never pay a middleman.

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