Accessing digital certificates for Northern Ireland Criminal Checks:
With Access NI making the switch to digital disclosure certificates on 1 September 2025, all certificates, including those which contain criminal history information, will be issued digitally.
From 1 September 2025, candidates will no longer be able to select a paper certificate.
Paper certificates should not be accepted as valid certificates if dated after 1 September 2025.
Once a Northern Ireland criminal check has been completed, candidates will receive an email from Access NI to inform them that their disclosure certificate has been issued.
They will be advised to log into their NIdirect account to view their certificate, and will have the option to share their certificate by entering the email address of their employer or voluntary organisation.
Only one email address can be entered at a time, so if the certificate needs to be shared with multiple individuals, each email address should be entered individually.
The recipient will receive an email with a link to view the candidate’s certificate. The link is active for five days and can only be accessed ONCE. If the recipient does not view the AccessNI certificate within 5 days, they can ask the candidate to share it again.
Sample email:
Certificates should only be accessed via the official token/email -screenshots or printed copies must not be accepted. Recipients must handle disclosure certificates in line with the Data Protection Act.
If printing is necessary, the certificate will display ‘Valid Certificate Unless Printed’, and organisations should obtain the candidate's consent before printing or retaining it.
Sample certificate:
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