Completing the Garda Vetting Application Form
The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) will assist applicants in completing the Garda Vetting Application Form. Please click on the questions below or downloaded the FAQs here.
We recommended that you read the FAQs in full before completing the form.
The completed form must be clearly legible and completed in BLOCK CAPITALS. If a section of the form is not applicable, indicate this by inserting N/A. Inaccurately completed forms or forms that have not been signed will be returned to the applicant for correction, resulting in a delay in the vetting process.
Registration with the Teaching Council cannot be completed until such time as:
- the Garda Vetting application form has been fully processed and all of the required documentation for registration and Garda v etting has been received, and
- the Garda Vetting result has been issued to the applicant.
Ensuring that the form is correctly completed and that additional documentation has been submitted, will expedite the registration process.
An alias is any other name that you are known by other than the forename that is recorded on your birth certificate. For example, someone named Kathleen may be known as Kate or Katie.
Yes, all addresses from birth to the present date including term addresses and addresses outside of Ireland and/or Northern Ireland should be stated on the application form.
If you cannot remember the month in which you moved to any address an estimation of the month is acceptable.
If you cannot remember the full address, submit as much of the address as possible, for example the street/road or town and county. 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..
The form must contain your original signature and cannot be completed by a third party on your behalf. The form must NOT be signed by a representative of the Gardaí at local level. The Teaching Council is the authorised body designated to submit Garda Vetting Applications Forms and will liaise directly with the Garda Central Vetting Unit (GCVU). Completed forms must be returned to The Teaching Council.
If you wish to include an initial in your signature, for example
John M. Smith
, you must provide the full name the initial stands for in the Forename section i.e. John Mark.
The signature used must match the name in which the form is completed. You may complete the Forename and Surname sections in both the English and Irish versions of your name then sign the form in either the English or Irish version.
Once the form is completed, please review all details to ensure they are correct. Please read, sign and date the declaration section and return the form to The Teaching Council, Vetting Section, Block A, Maynooth Business Campus, Maynooth, Co. Kildare. An inaccurately completed form will be returned to you for correction with the omissions/errors highlighted.
Please provide an approximate month and year.
Registered teachers are not required to provide this additional documentation.
The Garda Central Vetting Unit currently undertakes vetting on addresses in Ireland and Northern Ireland only. If you have resided outside of Ireland and/or Northern Ireland for a cumulative period of three years or more after the age of 18, you are required to provide the following supporting documentation when submitting your Garda Vetting application form:
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Certified copies of police clearance documents from all jurisdiction(s) / state(s) of previous residence referring to the time spent in each country. The Teaching Council only accepts police clearance documents which are less than one year old or which cover the entire period of residence in other jurisdictions.
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A certified copy of a certificate of good standing or letter of professional standing from the authorised body or Competent Authority of the country in which you are currently registered e.g. QTS. This is only required if you completed your teacher education qualification outside of Ireland and you are applying for registration in the Primary or Post-primary sectors. This requirement does not currently apply to applicants wishing to register as a teacher in the Further Education Sector.
Only certified copies of the above documentation should be submitted. Uncertified copies will not be accepted and will be returned with a request for a certified copy. Please see question 12 below for further details on the Certified Copy policy. All original documents received by the Council will be returned by standard post.
Certified Translations must be provided for any of the above documents not written in the English/Irish language. Please see question 12 below for further details on Certified Translations.
The Council reserves the right to seek a sworn declaration where a satisfactory police/criminal records disclosure is not available. In such a circumstance, a Declaration form for this purpose may be issued by The Teaching Council.
To certify a photocopy of an original document, a member of An Garda Síochána or a Solicitor or Commissioner for Oaths must sight the original document and the photocopy of the document at the same time. The certifier will provide a signature, stamp and date on the photocopy which confirms that the photocopy is a true copy of the original document.
Certified Translation Policy
A Certified Translation must include either a statement/certifying clause or a separate certification page which confirms that the translation is a true, accurate and correct rendering of either the original document or of a certified copy of the original document.
A Certified Translation should state the language from which the translation has been carried out and must be signed by the translator, stating his/her name, address and contact details and the date, together with a certification stamp affixed at the end of a translation.
The onus is on you to obtain your police clearance from the jurisdictions in which you resided. A list of bodies and organisations that may be of assistance in obtaining police clearance can be found on The Teaching Council website under Garda Vetting – Overseas Documentation Requirements. This is not a complete list and may not include the country in which you resided. You may wish to contact the embassy of the country in which you resided to seek further information. A list of embassies can be found on the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs - www.dfa.ie
In the event that you are having difficulty obtaining your overseas police clearance you may contact the Vetting Section of the Teaching Council by calling Lo Call 1890 224 224 or (01) 651 7900 or emailing vetting@teachingcouncil.ie
No. Please send your completed Garda Vetting application form to the Teaching Council so that the vetting process can commence. Please quote your name and PPS number on any additional documentation submitted.
If you have provided the additional documentation listed at Question 11 above, you can be accepted onto the Register. However, a Garda vetting result is required for employment purposes. To obtain this, a new Garda vetting application form which includes an Irish address must be submitted by you once you are resident in Ireland.
Once the vetting process has been completed by the Garda Central Vetting Unit, the result will be forwarded to the Teaching Council. You will then be sent a Garda Vetting letter from the Teaching Council. This letter will give the result of the vet and the Garda Central Vetting Unit reference number.