Iranian Police Clearance (NAJA) for Australian Visa: Mikhak, SANA, and Consulate Process

The Australian Department of Home Affairs requires a police clearance from every country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years. For Iranian applicants, this means a penal clearance certificate from NAJA — the Islamic Republic of Iran Police Force. Obtaining this while living outside Iran is one of the most logistically complex steps in the entire skilled migration process, with timelines that can run anywhere from four weeks to five months depending on which pathway you take.

This article covers the exact process for Iranians in Australia and those applying from a third country, along with the SANA shortcut that significantly reduces waiting time.

Why This Is Different from the Canada Version

Iranians applying for Canadian immigration face the same NAJA requirement, and there are existing guides online covering that process. For Australian visa purposes, there are two specific differences worth knowing upfront.

First, the consular contact point is the Iranian Embassy in Canberra — not a VAC center or third-party service. Second, the DHA processes Australian visa applications under a different character framework (Section 501 of the Migration Act) than Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The core Mikhak-to-consulate workflow is the same, but the documentation requirements and acceptable proof letters differ. This guide is written specifically for the Australian application context.

Step 1: Mikhak Portal Registration

The Mikhak system (mikhak.mfa.ir) is the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' portal for consular services abroad. This is where the police clearance process begins for any Iranian who is not physically in Iran.

Create an account using your national code (Kode Melli) and a valid phone number. Once registered, navigate to the police clearance section and fill in your personal details: full name in Farsi and Roman script, national code, date of birth, father's name, current address abroad, and passport details.

Upload scanned copies of your Iranian national ID card (Kart-e Melli), your current passport bio-data page, and a proof of residence abroad if required by the specific consulate you intend to visit.

After submission, you will receive a reference number and an appointment code for your chosen consulate. Do not proceed without this reference number — walk-in fingerprinting is generally not accepted.

Step 2: Consulate Appointment for Fingerprinting

If you are in Australia, your consulate appointment is at the Iranian Embassy in Canberra. Contact the embassy's consular section directly to book the appointment; wait times vary but are typically 2–4 weeks for available slots.

At the appointment, bring:

• Your original Iranian passport (not a copy)
• Your Kart-e Melli (national identity card)
• Your Mikhak reference number / appointment code
• The consulate's appointment confirmation
• A completed application form if required by the specific post

The consulate takes your fingerprints — either via live-scan digital capture or, in some posts, ink-based. These prints are then transmitted to Interpol in Tehran, which conducts the background check against NAJA records.

If you are outside Australia and applying from Turkey, the consulates in Ankara and Istanbul both process police clearance requests through the same Mikhak system. Istanbul is generally the more popular option due to volume and appointment availability.

Step 3: Processing and Receiving the Certificate

After fingerprinting, the timeline depends on where you fall in the queue. The standard consular channel takes:

• Minimum: 30 days
• Typical: 2–3 months
• Maximum: 4–5 months for complex cases or periods of high backlog

The Iranian Embassy in Canberra can provide a Proof Letter while your request is processing. This costs approximately AUD $45 and confirms to the DHA that a police clearance has been formally requested and is pending. Some DHA case officers accept this letter when requesting further documents before the actual certificate arrives; others will not count it as the clearance itself. Check the current DHA position before relying on this letter as a substitute.

When the certificate is ready, it is typically made available for collection at the consulate or posted to the address you provided. Some applicants report the option of digital collection if the certificate was generated via the SANA system (see below).

The SANA Shortcut: What It Is and Who Can Use It

SANA is the Iranian Judiciary's electronic services portal. If you have an active SANA profile linked to your national code, your police clearance can often be generated electronically and downloaded as a PDF — significantly faster than the consular channel.

The SANA pathway works for applicants who:

• Have a Shahrvand account or Melli Card linked to their SANA profile
• Have not had their SANA account deactivated due to prolonged absence from Iran
• Are requesting a clearance for a country the Iranian system recognizes as a standard destination

If your SANA profile is active and accessible, log in, navigate to the police clearance section, and request the certificate digitally. Many applicants who have done this report receiving the certificate within 1–3 weeks. Print the certificate, have it officially translated, and obtain the required Judiciary and MFA stamps.

If your SANA profile is inactive or you have never registered, the consular channel is your only option. Some applicants ask a trusted family member in Iran to assist with SANA registration on their behalf; the viability of this depends on the current state of the system.

Document Authentication Requirements for Australian Visa

A raw NAJA clearance certificate is not sufficient for the DHA. The document must be authenticated through a chain that accounts for Iran not being a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention.

For onshore Australian visa applications: The DHA requires translation by a NAATI-accredited translator (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters). The translation must accompany the original authenticated document.

For offshore applications: The DHA generally accepts translations done by an official Iranian Judiciary-certified translator, provided the certificate carries both the Judiciary stamp and the MFA stamp. Many migration agents recommend using NAATI even for offshore applications to eliminate the risk of a Section 56 request for more information.

The authentication chain for the police clearance is:

1. Original NAJA certificate (with official stamp)
2. Translation by Judiciary-certified translator
3. Judiciary stamp on the translation
4. MFA stamp on the stamped translation
5. NAATI certification (if onshore or if your agent recommends it)

What to Do If Processing Is Taking Too Long

For Australian visa purposes, the DHA understands that Iranian applicants face genuine delays obtaining police clearances from abroad. If your visa application is under active assessment and DHA requests the clearance before you have received it, submit the Proof Letter from the Canberra embassy and a written explanation of the Mikhak submission date and consulate appointment date.

Document every step with timestamps: your Mikhak portal submission confirmation, your consulate appointment confirmation, correspondence with the embassy regarding the status of your request. This paper trail demonstrates that you are not avoiding the requirement — you are navigating a genuinely slow administrative system.

The Iran → Australia Skilled Migration Guide includes a complete NAJA clearance workflow, the SANA registration process, and templates for written explanations to DHA when clearances are delayed. It also covers the interaction between police clearance timing and your overall visa processing sequence — specifically when to initiate the Mikhak process relative to your visa lodgement date.

See more Australia guides →