Flag of Ireland embodying a logo of Garda Siochana and Subject Access Request abbreviationIrish criminal record check (Garda Síochána SAR Disclosure)

Source of information: Garda Criminal Records Office 
Local name: an Garda Síochána
International information exchange department name:
(name appearing in the letter)
Data Protection Unit

Information disclosed in the certificate:

Type of conviction

  • Severe offences, felonies
  • Minor offences, misdemeanours
  • Juvenal punishment convictions
  • Traffic offences

Information on the penalty

  • Type of penalty
  • Penalty suspension, probation or parole

Coverage: Nationwide
Time scope: Specified by the applicant
Certificate format: Garda letter
(Electronic file worded in English)
Turnaround time (based on data from the last three months): 18 - 35 (average 22) business days
Price: 79 GBP
Service description: We provide this service by obtaining information from the Irish centralised criminal register operated by the An Garda Síochána (Garda), basing on your authorisation to file a Subject Access Request (SAR) on your behalf.

To ensure the Report best serves its purpose you can customise the search criteria by determining:

-the time scope,

-whether to include just unspent or both: unspent & spent (expunged) convictions.

Although the document issued by Garda as a part of this process lacks the formal qualities of the ‘Police Certificate’ or the ‘Garda Vetting’, it presents the same (or higher) informative value and shares their core attributes:

1. It is issued by a state authority, which guarantees the data authenticity.

2. Garda obliged under Data protection Act to disclose any personal data of the subject they process, which guarantees the data completeness.

Report format: There are two possible templates of the reply Garda  Síochána issue at their discretion:

1. Standard SAR reply (first two pages of the below sample report) – certifying a search was carried out against the personal data provided (and appearing in the certificate) and no criminal convictions were found.  This template  includes Garda’s notice: ‘This document should not be construed as Proof of No Convictions,  A Police Certificate, a Garda Reference or Garda Vetting.’ Please note this statement applies to utilisation of this document solely in the Republic of Ireland. Furthermore, as long as we agree this document legally should not substitute a ‘Police Certificate’ or ‘Garda Vetting’, it certainly proves lack of convictions, as it is issued by a state authority as part of the official process. Also, it is at the document recipient’s discretion to determine its suitability for the purpose it was requested for.

2. ‘Failed to establish the existence of any data’ reply (last two pages of the below sample report)   -   certifying a search was carried out against the personal data provided (and appearing in the certificate), but no such a data subject was found in the Garda database.

We regard both templates as equally valid proofs of no criminal conviction.

Service exclusions: You should not use this service, if:

1. The process, in relation to which you are requesting your Irish criminal record check, requires a specific format of the document certifying lack of convictions (e.g. a Police Certificate, Garda Reference or Garda Vetting)

2. The intended recipient of the Reports is based in Ireland and specifically requested you used this particular service, or obtained information on yourself under Article 15 of the GDPR or under section 91 of the Irish Data Protection Act 2018 (Subject Access Request), in relation to:

- your recruitment as an employee,

- continuation of your employment,

- or a contract for the provision of your services.

(As per the section 4 of the Irish Data Protection Act 2018)

Alternatives: If you hold a citizenship of one of the eligible EU member states you can request one of the below services through this ORDER FORM:

1. European Union criminal record check, covering all of the EU member states, including Ireland.

2. Irish (EU) criminal record check, which is the above service narrowed down to exclude any information deriving from states other than Ireland.

 

Irish criminal record check (SAR Disclosure) provided by European Criminal Record Information Services.