Did you know? There is no such thing as “the” criminal record check. There are three distinct police record checks, each releasing a different amount of information, and above them sits a separate federal product searched by fingerprint. Ask for the wrong one and you will either be refused for over-disclosure or sent back for under-disclosure — both of which cost weeks.
Employers rarely explain the distinction, and applicants rarely know to ask. Somebody is told to “get a police check,” pays for the cheapest option, and learns at the interview stage that the role required a vulnerable sector check they were never eligible to request on their own.
This guide sets out the three types of record checks, exactly what criminal records and judicial matters each one discloses, when you will be asked to provide fingerprints, what the application requires, and how to apply for a criminal record check from outside Canada.
Need help with document apostille/legalization/authentication/attestation — and/or criminal record check in Canada? Contact us via our form, call us at +1-613-501-0555 (WhatsApp available) or +1-800-857-1215 (toll-free), fax us via 1-844-786-2001, or text us at info@lsccanada.ca.
The Three Types of Police Record Checks
Ontario’s Police Record Checks Reform Act, which came into force on November 1, 2018, standardized what had been an inconsistent patchwork. Other provinces use their own terminology — British Columbia, for instance, runs a separate review programme for people working with children or vulnerable adults — but the three-tier structure is broadly recognizable across the country.
Criminal Record Check
The most basic level. It discloses criminal records — convictions that have not been sealed by a record suspension, along with those findings of guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act that the law permits to be released. Summary convictions can generally only be disclosed for five years.
This is the standard police check most general employment and licensing requests mean.
Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check
Known as a CRJMC in Ontario and as a police information check in much of the rest of the country. It covers everything in the first level and adds judicial matters: outstanding charges and warrants, judicial orders, peace bonds, absolute and conditional discharges that remain in effect, and probation and prohibition orders attached to convictions.
Time limits apply here too. An absolute discharge falls away after a year, and a conditional discharge after three.
The Vulnerable Sector Level
The most searching of the three, and available only where the position creates authority or trust over children or vulnerable people. It contains everything in a CRJMC, plus findings of not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder, record suspensions related to sexual offences released through the pardoned sex offender database, and, in narrow circumstances, non-conviction information.
That last category is tightly controlled. Non-conviction information is disclosed only where a strict exceptional disclosure test is met — broadly, where police have reasonable grounds to believe an individual has engaged in a pattern of predation indicating risk to a child or vulnerable person.
Two limits matter in practice. This level cannot be requested simply because a job involves contact with vulnerable people; the position must create real authority or trust. And accredited private agencies cannot perform them at all — you must apply through your local police service.
What Gets Released, and What Does Not
The governing principle behind all three record checks is that more criminal records become visible at each level, and that non-conviction information stays out of the first two entirely.
- Convictions appear in all three record checks, subject to record suspension and the five-year summary limit
- Charges and warrants appear only from the second level upward
- Peace bonds, probation and prohibition orders likewise
- Non-conviction records appear only at the vulnerable sector level, and only exceptionally
- Pardoned sexual offences appear only there as well
Results are normally returned to the applicant rather than to the employer, and it is then your decision whether to share them. Organizations receiving the information may only use it for the purpose it was requested for.
Where there is nothing to report, the result confirms that no criminal records were matched in the police databases searched. Some authorities abroad describe that outcome as a clearance letter or a police certificate — different labels for the same evidence.
Name-Based Versus Fingerprint-Based
All three record checks are searched by name and date of birth against the RCMP’s Canadian Police Information Centre, which draws on national and local police databases. That approach is fast and inexpensive, and it has one structural weakness: names repeat.
Where CPIC returns a possible match on name, gender and date of birth, the applicant is asked to provide fingerprints so identity can be settled biometrically. This is not an accusation — it is arithmetic, and it happens to people with common names constantly.
The Certified Check
A certified criminal record check, issued by the RCMP, searches the National Repository of Criminal Records using fingerprints rather than biographical details. Because prints cannot be confused between two people, this is the version demanded where identity genuinely matters: immigration and visa applications, adoption, federal security clearances, professional licensing, and police certificates requested by foreign governments.
The consent form for a certified check is distinct from the CPIC consent form, and the two products are not interchangeable. If an organization has asked specifically for a fingerprint-based result, a name-based one will be rejected on receipt.
Need help with document apostille/legalization/authentication/attestation — and/or criminal record check in Canada? Contact us via our form, call us at +1-613-501-0555 (WhatsApp available) or +1-800-857-1215 (toll-free), fax us via 1-844-786-2001, or text us at info@lsccanada.ca.
How to Apply: Forms and Identification
Most police services now accept an online application for the first two levels, while a vulnerable sector search and anything involving fingerprints are usually handled in person.
What a Record Check Application Needs
- Two pieces of government-issued identification, at least one bearing a photograph
- Your full name, any previous names, gender and date of birth
- Current address, and often addresses for the past five years
- A signed form authorizing the search, and consent to share the outcome
- The reason for the request, and a letter from the organization where a volunteer rate or a vulnerable sector check applies
Accuracy on the original form matters more than people expect. A misspelled former surname or an omitted middle name is a routine cause of an inconclusive result, and the correction usually means starting over rather than amending.
Fees and Volunteers
Fees are set locally and vary between services. Volunteers can often obtain results at no charge, and in Ontario may request up to five free copies of a criminal record check or CRJMC when the application is submitted, provided the request is made at the outset rather than afterwards.
If Fingerprints Are Required
Digital capture has replaced ink almost everywhere. A scanner checks image quality as prints are taken, so poor impressions are corrected on the spot rather than discovered as a rejection weeks later. The file is then submitted electronically to Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services, the RCMP branch that maintains the national repository. Processing times depend on whether a match is found: clean submissions clear fastest, and anything needing manual review takes considerably longer.
Applying For RCMP Criminal Record Check From Outside Canada
We can help you!
You’ll get a fingerprint-based certificate issued by the RCMP. We digitize your ink-and-roll fingerprints and submit them electronically — you can be anywhere in the world.
In order to process the RCMP CRC certificate we need to receive from the clients their fingerprints taken on C-216C form or similar and other completed forms provided in the Application Package below.
Use the “General” option for most countries and the “Personal Use” option if you need the CRC Certificate for immigration to USA.
General
1. Application Package
Start here. The package contains the full document checklist, Form #2, Form #3 and the RCMP identification requirements.
Everything must be completed without errors — mistakes and missing information delay processing.
▼ Application Package (General)
2. Form #1 (C-216C)
Have your fingerprints taken on the official RCMP C-216C form using the ink-and-roll method only — digital or live-scan printouts are not accepted.
We need two (2) complete sets, with all fields filled in and the name, signature and stamp of the official who took them.
Fingerprints must be clear and high-quality — not smudged, faded, or blurred. All ridge details must be clearly visible on the form. Failure to provide clear, high-quality fingerprints may result in the RCMP rejecting the submission.
Fingerprints outside Canada can be taken by the following entities:
- Police Service
- Embassy / Consulate
- Government Department
- Notary Public
- Foreign private fingerprinting company with an MOU with a local police force or government department
Under “Reason for application”, tick the option that matches your case — Visa/Waiver, Canadian Citizenship, Employment, Adoption, and so on.
▼ Example of Correct Impressions
3. Form #2 (Third Party Consent)
Found inside the Application Package.
This form authorizes the RCMP to release your results to us.
Complete it, sign and date it, and place one fingerprint in the box — the form is not valid without it.
4. Form #3 (Applicant Information)
Found inside the Application Package.
Print clearly in CAPITAL LETTERS and double-check your name, date of birth and address — any typo here can delay or invalidate the search.
5. Consent Form
This is the official RCMP consent form that authorizes CCRTIS to search the National Repository of Criminal Records and release the results.
Read each section, tick every checkbox, then sign and date it.
Select the application type that matches your case — for most travel and work purposes this is Visa / Border Crossing / Foreign Travel / Work.
Without this consent the RCMP cannot process your application.
▼ Consent for Certified Criminal Record Checks – Immigration and Travel (RCMP 6674e)
6. LSC Order Form
This is our service order. Fill in your contact details, tick “Canadian Criminal Record Check/Background Check Certificate” under Services Required, and sign the form to confirm you agree to the terms.
Please print clearly and include a working email address and phone number — we use them to send your invoice and any updates.
7. Send
First, email us scans of all completed forms plus PDF scans of your two government-issued IDs (at least one with a photo) and photographs of those IDs taken from different angles. The full list of acceptable ID is on the last page of the Application Package.
We’ll review everything and confirm it meets RCMP requirements. Ship the originals only after we approve your scans.
Include two recent passport-size colour photos with your name and the date written on the back.
Courier to:
Legalization Service Centre Canada, 440 Laurier Ave W, Suite 200, Office 218, Ottawa, ON K1R 7X6
When your originals arrive we’ll arrange a short video call to verify your IDs, then digitize your fingerprints and submit them to the RCMP electronically.
8. Pay and Receive
Upon receiving your documents, we will email you the invoice for payment.
The fee is $125CAD per certificate + $25CAD RCMP fee (if applicable). Return shipping (as selected in the Order Form) and applicable taxes are extra.
We accept payments by credit card / PayPal (+3.5%), Interac e-Transfer, money order or certified cheque.
After we receive the CRC certificate from RCMP we will courier it to the address you provided in the LSC Order Form.
Processing time to obtain the CRC certificate from the RCMP is approximately 5–20 business days. This is an estimate and may change at any time without prior notice. If there is a criminal record found, the processing time can be longer.
We can also arrange an apostille for your RCMP CRC certificate in Canada for an additional fee.
Personal Use
1. Application Package
Start here. The package contains the full document checklist, Form #2 and the RCMP identification requirements.
Everything must be completed without errors — mistakes and missing information delay processing.
▼ Application Package (Personal Use)
2. Form #1 (C-216C)
Have your fingerprints taken on the official RCMP C-216C form using the ink-and-roll method only — digital or live-scan printouts are not accepted.
We need two (2) complete sets, with all fields filled in and the name, signature and stamp of the official who took them.
Fingerprints must be clear and high-quality — not smudged, faded, or blurred. All ridge details must be clearly visible on the form. Failure to provide clear, high-quality fingerprints may result in the RCMP rejecting the submission.
Fingerprints outside Canada can be taken by the following entities:
- Police Service
- Embassy / Consulate
- Government Department
- Notary Public
- Foreign private fingerprinting company with an MOU with a local police force or government department
Under “Reason for application”, tick Privacy Act.
▼ Example of Correct Impressions
3. Form #2 (Applicant Information)
Found inside the Application Package.
Print clearly in CAPITAL LETTERS and double-check your name, date of birth and address — any typo here can delay or invalidate the search.
This is the address the RCMP will mail your certificate to — make sure it’s correct and that you can reliably receive regular mail there.
4. Consent Form
This is the official RCMP consent form that authorizes CCRTIS to search the National Repository of Criminal Records and release the results.
Read each section, tick every checkbox, then sign and date it.
Select Criminal Record Check for Personal Use – Other.
Without this consent the RCMP cannot process your application.
▼ Consent for Certified Criminal Record Checks – Other Purposes (RCMP 6676e)
5. LSC Order Form
This is our service order. Fill in your contact details, tick “Canadian Criminal Record Check/Background Check Certificate” under Services Required, and sign the form to confirm you agree to the terms.
Please print clearly and include a working email address and phone number — we use them to send your invoice and any updates.
You can leave Sections 5 and 6 (return shipping) blank — the RCMP mails your certificate directly to you.
6. Send
First, email us scans of all completed forms plus PDF scans of your two government-issued IDs (at least one with a photo) and photographs of those IDs taken from different angles. The full list of acceptable ID is on the last page of the Application Package.
We’ll review everything and confirm it meets RCMP requirements. Ship the originals only after we approve your scans.
Include two recent passport-size colour photos with your name and the date written on the back.
Courier to:
Legalization Service Centre Canada, 440 Laurier Ave W, Suite 200, Office 218, Ottawa, ON K1R 7X6
When your originals arrive we’ll arrange a short video call to verify your IDs, then digitize your fingerprints and submit them to the RCMP electronically.
7. Pay and Receive
Upon receiving your documents, we will email you the invoice for payment.
The fee is $125CAD per certificate + applicable taxes.
We accept payments by credit card / PayPal (+3.5%), Interac e-Transfer, money order or certified cheque.
The certificate for Personal Use will be sent by RCMP directly to your address provided in the Form #2 by regular mail only.
Processing time to obtain the CRC certificate from the RCMP is approximately 5–20 business days. This is an estimate and may change at any time without prior notice. If there is a criminal record found, the processing time can be longer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I request the highest level for myself?
Not on your own initiative. The organization must confirm that the position involves authority or trust over children or vulnerable people.
Does a record suspension remove my criminal records?
It removes the conviction from the searchable database of criminal records for most purposes. Pardoned sexual offences remain visible to a vulnerable sector search.
Do results expire?
Not formally, but institutions apply their own currency rules, commonly treating a result as stale after six to twelve months.
Are youth criminal records disclosed?
Only in narrow circumstances defined by the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and disclosure is restricted in the context of background screening.
My check found something I do not recognize. What now?
Errors in criminal records are rare but real, and they usually trace back to a shared name. The RCMP operates a correction process, and fingerprints are what resolve the question definitively.
Need Help With Fingerprinting and Certification?
Since 2009, Legalization Service Centre has assisted clients with Canadian police checks, apostille, authentication and legalization. Based in Ottawa, close to both the RCMP and Global Affairs Canada, our team handles fingerprint submissions and the certification that follows as one file rather than two.
Get Your Documents Ready for International Use
Canadian record checks rarely satisfy a foreign authority on their own. Depending on the destination, it may need an apostille, or full consular legalization where the country sits outside the Hague Convention. Because a certified search of Canadian criminal records is a federal document, Global Affairs Canada handles it — roughly 20 business days by mail, with no expedited option.
Confirm which of the record checks you need before applying, arrive with the right identification, and find out early whether the finished certificate will require certification for use abroad.
Need help with document apostille/legalization/authentication/attestation — and/or criminal record check in Canada? Contact us via our form, call us at +1-613-501-0555 (WhatsApp available) or +1-800-857-1215 (toll-free), fax us via 1-844-786-2001, or text us at info@lsccanada.ca.