Garda Vetting for Cleaning Staff: What Employers Must Know in Ireland (2026)

Why Garda Vetting Matters for Cleaning Staff

Cleaning staff have a unique position in any organisation. They have unsupervised access to premises, often outside business hours. They enter offices, boardrooms, server rooms, and patient areas. They have access to confidential documents, IT equipment, personal belongings, medication cabinets, and security systems. In healthcare settings, they work around vulnerable patients. In schools, they share spaces with children.

Garda vetting provides a level of assurance that cleaning staff do not have a criminal history that would make them unsuitable for this position of trust. It is not just a legal requirement in certain settings — it is a fundamental safeguarding measure that every responsible cleaning company should implement as standard practice.

At Optus Glean, every member of staff is Garda vetted before being assigned to any client premises, regardless of the setting. This is a non-negotiable part of our recruitment process.

The Legal Framework: National Vetting Bureau Act 2012

The National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012–2016 established the legal framework for vetting in Ireland. Key provisions include:

• Mandatory vetting — Any person who carries out “relevant work or activities” with children or vulnerable persons must be vetted. “Relevant work” includes any work in a healthcare setting, educational institution, childcare facility, residential care setting, or disability service.
• Offence to employ unvetted persons — It is a criminal offence under Section 12 of the Act for an employer to allow an unvetted person to carry out relevant work. Penalties include fines up to €10,000 and/or imprisonment up to 5 years.
• Retrospective vetting — Existing staff who were not previously vetted must be vetted under the Act. There is no exemption for long-serving employees.
• Re-vetting — The Act allows for re-vetting of previously vetted persons. While there is no statutory re-vetting interval, best practice (and many client contracts) require re-vetting every 3 years.
• National Vetting Bureau — The vetting service is operated by the National Vetting Bureau of An Garda Síochána. Applications are submitted electronically through the e-Vetting system.

Which Cleaning Settings Require Mandatory Vetting?

Garda vetting is legally mandatory for cleaning staff working in the following settings:

For settings not listed above (offices, retail, hotels, warehouses), Garda vetting is not legally mandatory but is strongly recommended as best practice. Many clients now require it contractually regardless of the legal position.

The E-Vetting Process

The National Vetting Bureau operates an electronic vetting system (e-Vetting). The process works as follows:

1. Organisation registration — The cleaning company must be registered with the National Vetting Bureau as a “relevant organisation,” or use a registered liaison body to submit applications on their behalf.
2. Invitation — The cleaning company invites the applicant to complete an e-Vetting application through the online system.
3. Application — The applicant completes the online form, providing personal details including name, date of birth, address history, and any previous names.
4. Processing — The National Vetting Bureau checks the applicant against Garda records, including the Pulse database of criminal convictions and the Sex Offenders Register.
5. Disclosure — The result is returned to the registered organisation (not directly to the applicant). The disclosure will show either “no prosecutions or no pending prosecutions” or will list any convictions, pending prosecutions, or specified information (soft information such as investigations that did not result in prosecution but are relevant to the work).
6. Decision — The employer reviews the disclosure and makes an employment decision based on a relevance assessment.

Processing Times

Current processing times for Garda vetting through the e-Vetting system:

• Standard applications — 5–10 working days (average)
• Applications requiring additional checks — Up to 4 weeks
• Applications involving overseas checks — Variable; can take 8–12 weeks for police clearance from some jurisdictions

Cleaning companies should factor these timelines into their recruitment process. At Optus Glean, we maintain a pool of vetted staff to ensure we can always provide properly vetted cleaning teams without delay.

Overseas Staff

Ireland’s cleaning workforce includes a significant proportion of overseas nationals. For staff who have lived outside Ireland, the Garda vetting process covers Irish records only. For a complete picture, employers should:

• Submit a standard Garda vetting application through the e-Vetting system (this covers any Irish records)
• Request a police clearance certificate from the applicant’s country of origin
• Request police clearance from any country where the applicant has lived for more than 6 months
• For EU/EEA nationals, the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) may facilitate cross-border checks
• Retain copies of all clearance certificates on file

Processing times for overseas police clearance vary significantly by country. Some countries issue clearances within 2 weeks; others take 3 months or more. Plan accordingly.

Renewal and Re-Vetting

The National Vetting Bureau Act does not specify a mandatory re-vetting interval. However, best practice and industry standards recommend:

• Every 3 years — Re-vet all cleaning staff every 3 years as standard practice
• On change of role — Re-vet when a staff member moves to a more sensitive setting (e.g., from office cleaning to healthcare cleaning)
• Client requirements — Some clients, particularly in healthcare and education, require re-vetting every 2 years or on contract renewal
• HIQA requirements — HIQA may require evidence of recent vetting during inspections of healthcare facilities

What If a Disclosure Shows a Record?

A criminal record does not automatically prevent employment as a cleaner. Under the Criminal Justice (Spent Convictions and Certain Disclosures) Act 2016, certain convictions become “spent” after 7 years and do not need to be disclosed (with exceptions for relevant work with children or vulnerable persons).

For convictions that are disclosed, the employer must conduct a relevance assessment. This means considering:

• The nature and seriousness of the offence
• How long ago it occurred
• The age of the person at the time
• The relevance to the specific work they will be doing
• Whether there is a pattern of offending
• Any evidence of rehabilitation

The decision must be fair, proportionate, and documented. It is unlawful to have a blanket policy of rejecting anyone with a criminal record. However, certain offences (violence, sexual offences, theft) are clearly relevant to a role involving unsupervised access to people and property, and a decision not to employ in such cases would likely be considered proportionate.

Employer Responsibilities

If you employ cleaning staff directly or use a contract cleaning company, you have responsibilities regarding Garda vetting:

• In-house cleaning staff — You are responsible for vetting your own employees if they work in relevant settings. Register with the National Vetting Bureau or use a liaison body.
• Contract cleaning company — The cleaning company is responsible for vetting its own staff. However, you should verify that vetting has been carried out. Request written confirmation that all staff assigned to your premises are vetted.
• Record keeping — Retain records of vetting confirmations for the duration of the cleaning contract.
• Contract clauses — Include a clause in your cleaning contract requiring the provider to Garda vet all staff and provide confirmation on request.

For guidance on what else to check when choosing a cleaning company, see our selection guide.