Službeno osnovana 2002. godine od strane Ujedinjenih Naroda, i to prije proglašenja nezavisnosti, ova policija svoje korijene ima u 2000. godini, kada je UNTAET (Prelazna administracija UN-a za Istočni Timor) prikupila kandidate i počela sa njihovom obukom. Od 10.08.2001. počinju raditi zajedno sa Civilnom policijom UN-a. Nekoliko puta mijenjaju ime (Policijska služba Istočnog Timora, pa Policijska služba Timor-Leste) da bi sadašnji službeni naziv bio: Nacionalna policija Timor-Leste PNTL. 20.05.2002. proglašenjem nezavisnosti CivPol predaje sve ovlasti ovoj policijskoj službi. Pripadnici UN-ove misije sada služe kao treneri i učitelji PNTL-a.

      Postoje i tri specijalne jedinice unutar PNTL-a, Rezervna jedinica policije (bivša Jedinica za brze reakcije), Granična policija i Posebna interventna jediica UIR, ustrojena po modelu Portugalsk nacionalne republikanske garde, koja je služila na Istočnom Timoru prije proglašenja nezavisnosti zemljeu 2002. godini.

      Establishing in May 2002 by the United Nations before sovereignty was passed to the new state with a mandate to provide security and maintain law and order throughout the country, enable the rapid development of a credible, professional and impartial police service. Recruitment drives were conducted in early 2000 and basic training commenced on March 27, 2000, under the auspices of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET). On August 10, 2001, the East Timor Police Service was officially established, working alongside CivPol. It later changed its name to the Timor-Leste Police Service, before finally adopting its current title of the Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL). It was not until independence, on May 20, 2002, that an agreement was signed outlining the terms and timetable of the handing over of full policing duties from CivPol to the PNTL.

      The PNTL finally assumed responsibility for the whole country on December 10, 2003. There are at least three special units within the PNTL, the Police Reserve Unit, formerly the Rapid Deployment Service, the Border Patrol Unit, and the Rapid Intervention Unit or UIR, modelled after the Portuguese National Republican Guard riot police, which served in East Timor before its independence in 2002.