Public Affairs Update

Key Requirements for International Students

International students play an increasingly important role in Early Years and School Age Care settings. Ensuring that robust Garda Vetting processes are followed is essential to safeguarding children, supporting services, and protecting students themselves.

Why Garda Vetting Matters

Garda Vetting is a key safeguarding measure and a legal requirement for anyone who will have access to children or vulnerable persons. For international students, vetting requirements are more detailed due to time spent living outside Ireland.

International students aged 16 years and over, cannot begin placement until all vetting requirements have been fully completed and cleared.

Garda Vetting Requirements for International Students

Identity validation is a critical step to ensure compliance and the safeguarding of children. As international students are abroad, the requirements of the identity validation process differ, so it’s important to understand what applies to you as the validator before you start. To make things easier, we’ve created a Tip Sheet with everything you need to know for validating your applicant’s identity.

The Tip Sheet has two different pathways explaining the Identity Validation process:

1. For applicants living in Ireland
2. For applicants living outside of Ireland

Each pathway is designed to guide validators through every step of the identity validation process, ensuring clarity and compliance. To make this even easier, you can download and print our Tip Sheet, which you can display in your service for quick reference whenever needed.

Download our Tip Sheet here.

Important: Police clearance certificates are still required in addition to Garda Vetting — one does not replace the other.

Timing: Plan Ahead

Due to ECRIS additional checks, any applicant who has previously lived or living in another EU Member State (other than Ireland) or the UK will experience longer Garda Vetting application processing times. Please keep in mind the following current processing timelines:

Standard applications (Irish addresses only):

• 18–20 working days (previously shorter)

Note: Around 20% may take longer, especially if an applicant’s details are entered incorrectly

Applications with EU address history:

• Add up to 10 extra working days

Total: approx. 28–30 working days

Applications with UK address history:

• Add up to 20 extra working days

Total: approx. 38–40 working days

Best practice: Begin the vetting process as soon as placement is being considered.

Students Aged 16 but Under 18 Years of Age

International students aged between 16 and 18 will be subject to the same application processing timelines outlined above.  Garda Vetting for students aged 16–17 is referred to as Under 18s vetting and to begin, validators will need to obtain the following documents:

1. Parent Guardian Consent Form

• The parent/guardian must complete this form
• The parent/guardian must sign and date their consent

2. Under 18 Vetting Invitation NVB1 form

• Must be completed in full and be legible 
• Parent/guardian must provide their own email address and phone number (not the student’s) on the Vetting Invitation NVB1 Form
• Consent box ticked (digital tick not accepted)
• Signed and dated by the applicant using a handwritten signature (digital signatures not accepted)

3. Proof of Identity and Written Reference from the Accepted Document Table

• Students must provide either of the following as proof of identity:
• Passport
• Birth certificate
• Students need to provide a written statement by their school principal confirming attendance
• Letter must be on school letterhead paper

The Most Common Issue that causes Delays

The most common cause of delays in the vetting process is a lack of follow-up with applicants. It is your responsibility as an Early Years and School Age Care setting to follow up with your applicants to ensure that they have:

1. Received the link sent by the NVB to complete their application
2. Completed and submitted the link correctly sent by the NVB

If the applicant cannot access or has not received the link from the NVB, the vetting process cannot begin.

Common reasons for applicant’s not receiving links from the NVB include:

• Incorrect email address (e.g., spelling mistakes)
• Incorrect date of birth entered

To prevent this, it is vital that all information entered online matches the hard-copy documents (NVB1 form and the Identity Document Validation Form) identically.

Avoiding delays is essential, but is particularly important for international student applications, as placement timelines are often time sensitive. Given current processing times, delays must be avoided, so please ensure you follow up with applicants to confirm their applications are completed promptly

Key Takeaways

• Garda Vetting and Police Clearance are both mandatory
• Police clearance is required from each country of residence (6+ months)
• Plan ahead: Keep in mind current application processing times
• Follow up with your applicants to ensure link has been received and completed
• No placement may begin until garda vetting is complete