Apostille & Legalization in Canada

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A Criminal Record Check (CRCs) is a common document that one country requires from another. There are a variety of different reasons you may be asked for one, but when you are, you want to know what do to. Here are some key points on CRCs for international use and the CRC attestation process.

What is a Criminal Record Check?

A Criminal Record Check is one form of police record check. It shows records of police convictions or felonies, if you have ever been charged with one. If you have never been convicted of a crime or felony, a simple one page document shows that there are no records on file.

If there are any records to show, the document will contain the following information:

  • The nature of your conviction,
  • Whether or not you were found guilty,
  • What type of pardon you were granted (if any), and,
  • Whether there is an arrest warrant in your name.

There are different kinds of CRCs or background checks. Typically for use inside of Canada, a basic CRC can be requested online on the Canadian Police Services website. This type only requires your name and date of birth, along with answering a few credit-related security questions. When you apply on the Canadian Police Services website, it can take between 7 to 10 business days to receive the record.

However, if you are outside of the country or require a check for international use, you may need a criminal record check with fingerprints — or certified record checks. These act as an added layer of protection. The CRC ensures that you and/or the person you authorize in your application are the only ones who can see your records.

When might you need a CRC and CRC attestation?

You might be asked for a CRC if you are involved or with with vulnerable sectors. Some common examples of vulnerable sectors include young children, older seniors, and some disabled people. For example, if you applied to work in an elementary school in another country, the government of that country may require that you provide a CRC to verify that you have a clean background. They are trying to assess whether you will pose any risks to the people who will be exposed to you through the course of your involvement.

Foreign employment, education, or international travel visas all may require a certified CRC with fingerprints.

What about attestation of the CRC?

After you obtain your RCMP certified criminal record check, the next step for making it good for international use is legalizing the document. You would submit the CRC to Global Affairs Canada (GAC) in Ottawa to obtain a document authentication. GAC will review your CRC and ensure that is has all of the appropriate signatures.

After authentication, you need to legalize your document. The embassy of the country where you will be using your CRC will do this for you. The embassy will review your document to ensure that it meets all of their country’s standards, and that the GAC stamp is valid. Once they are satisfied, they too will affix a stamp or certificate to your document.

Authentication and legalization make your CRC document valid for use in the country where you intend to use it. While the processes are relatively simple, they can be time consuming if you haven’t gone through them before. For example, our documents are processed at the GAC in as little as 1 business day, whereas the normal processing time can take up to 20 days. Time is not the only thing you save when you entrust us with your CRC authentication and legalization needs. Accidental errors and omissions can lead to having to resubmit your documents, which can be quite costly. Since we regularly process CRCs for authentication and legalization, there is little room for errors and omissions.

How can we help?

Legalization Service Centre has an A+ standing with the Better Business Bureau and a 5-star rating on Google. Our professionals are experts at what they do, and have served thousands of customers reach their authentication and legalization needs with ease and efficiency. We’ve processed many criminal records for international use and have experienced all sorts of scenarios. Contact us to speak to one of our agents to find out exactly what you need to do next. We’re always happy to hear from you!

 

Image Credit: South Grey News

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