What’s included in a police record check?

When you apply for a job or a volunteer position, you may be asked for a police record check. You may also need a police record check for:

• a visa or other international travel document
• a citizenship application
• a name change application
• a record suspension application (pardon)
• an adoption application

There are 3 kinds of police record checks:

• a criminal record check
• a criminal record and judicial matters check
• a vulnerable sector record check

Criminal record check

A criminal record check will only include:

• criminal convictions
• findings of guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act for the time that those records can be accessed

Criminal record and judicial matters check

A criminal record and judicial matters check will include the information that's in a criminal record check and also:

• court orders, charges, warrants, peace bonds, probation and prohibition orders that are still active
• any crime that you got an absolute discharge for, unless you were sentenced more than one year ago
• any crime that you got a conditional discharge for, unless you were sentenced more than 3 years ago

Vulnerable sector record check

A vulnerable sector check will include everything that's in a criminal record and judicial matters check and also:

• recent cases of not criminal responsible by reason of mental disorder, unless you received an absolute discharge
• record suspensions for sexual offence convictions
• non-conviction information such as withdrawn and dismissed charges in exceptional cases

Information that can’t be included

When the rules apply, there's some information about contact you had with the police that can't be included in any record check.

For example, a record check can't include information about you:

• being stopped and questioned by police
• being arrested but not charged with a crime
• having contact with the police because of a mental health crisis
• contacting the police to report a crime

Fingerprints

If you have any criminal convictions on file, you must have your fingerprints taken and given to the RCMP. Fingerprints are required so that the police can be sure that the criminal records are yours before they release the information.