Apostille CanadianCriminal Record Checks

To use your Canadian criminal record check in a country other than Canada, you will often need to have it apostilled, or authenticated and legalized. To find out whether you need to have your criminal record check apostilled, you should ask the organization or person to whom you are sending this document.  They are the only ones who can accurately tell you whether they first require that your document be processed.

Note that you may be told that you need to apostille or attest your criminal record check.  In Canada, the terms “apostille” and “attestation” and “authentication and legalization” all refer to the same process. If you have any questions about what type of processing your criminal record check requires, contact our friendly staff. We are happy to answer your questions.

We specialize in helping people and organizations just like you, to rapidly navigate the apostille process. You send your criminal record check to our Ottawa office and we handle all aspects of the apostille process for you, rapidly returning your processed document.

Contact our friendly specialists for a free consultation to discuss your situation. We will work with you to determine what is required in your specific situation and answer your questions.

How long it will take to apostille your criminal record check will depend on the type of criminal record check and the destination country. There are two types of criminal record checks and not all countries accept both. Be sure to do your research.

Our expertise helps ensure that your documents are submitted correctly the first time, for rapid and accurate processing.

For more information on how long the apostille process will take for your documents contact one of our friendly specialists.

There are three steps to the apostille (or authentication and legalization) process:

Step 1) document preparation – make sure your criminal record check meets the criteria of the entire process.

Step 2) document apostille – your criminal record check is apostilled, or authenticated, at the appropriate government office.

Step 3) document legalization (if applicable) – if the destination country is not a signatory of the Hague Apostille Convention, your criminal record check is legalized by the embassy or consulate of the destination country.

Click on these terms for further information on each step. Feel free to contact our friendly specialists to discuss the requirements that apply to your specific situation.

The answer to this question depends on what type of criminal record check you have and what the recipient abroad has requested. 

The basic “name and date of birth” based criminal record check that is issued at a local police department must be notarized before going through the apostille process. The “RCMP certified criminal record check” with fingerprints does not need notarization if going through Global Affairs Canada for the apostille. However, if the “RCMP certified criminal record check” with fingerprints can go through the provincial apostille office, it would first require notarization.

Be careful because not all countries accept name based criminal record checks. You should check with the recipient abroad as to which one they want. If your destination country is not an apostille signatory country, you should also check with the embassy or consulate involved as they may have their own requirements in regards to the format of the criminal record check.

Contact our friendly staff to clarify whether your criminal record check needs to first be notarized before apostille, or authentication and legalization.

In some cases it may be possible to apostille a copy of your criminal record check instead of the original, but we don’t always recommend it. With criminal record checks, we strongly recommend that you apostille your original document whenever possible.

To find out if a copy of your criminal record check will be acceptable, you will need to consult with the person or organization to whom you are sending your document. If you have confirmed that a copy of your criminal record check is acceptable, then the first step is to have a certified true copy made. If you have any questions about apostille of a copy of your criminal check, don’t hesitate to contact our friendly specialists.

If you are in Canada, you may obtain your criminal record check by either visiting a local police detachment or an agency that has been accredited by the RCMP. If you are outside of Canada, you must use a fingerprinting agency that has been accredited by the RCMP in order to obtain your criminal record check. They will digitize your ink fingerprints and submit the application on your behalf.

You may have the criminal record check sent directly to our office to save time. We can then notify you that it has arrived and begin the apostille process.

If you need assistance to determine what agencies you may use, you can review this list provided by the RCMP, or feel free to contact our friendly specialists for advice.

We cannot produce a Canadian criminal record check for you, but we can certainly assist you in finding an accredited agency in Canada who can submit your application. To speed up the apostille process, you may request to have your criminal record check sent directly to our office when it is issued. This way, you won’t have to wait while it is delivered to you to then turn around and re-send it to us for apostille.

Contact our friendly staff to discuss your options. We specialize in helping you apostille your criminal record check, which is often necessary when you are using your document outside of Canada.

RCMP Certified Criminal Record Checks take 7-10 business days to be issued by the RCMP headquarters. They are shipped by Canada Post regular mail to the mailing address you provided on your application. If you have ordered a criminal record check from your local police, the processing time may vary from 1 – 7 days.

You can certainly have the criminal record check sent directly to IDC to save time. Contact us to discuss the apostille of your criminal record check.

Yes! To save time our clients frequently have their criminal record checks delivered directly to our Ottawa office. As soon as it arrives in our office, we begin the apostille process on your behalf. Our address is:

International Documents Canada
310 Beechgrove Ave., Suite B
Ottawa, ON   K1Z 6R3

Feel free to contact our friendly specialists if you have any questions. We can also provide you with a free detailed quote.

Yes, in Canada there are two types of criminal record checks.

The first is a basic Criminal Record Check, where only your name and date of birth are used to identify you when the RCMP database is searched. No fingerprints are involved in obtaining a basic Criminal Record Check.

The second type is called a Certified Criminal Record Check, which also uses your fingerprints as an identifier when searching the RCMP database. Certified Criminal Record Checks are considered more reliable because they use fingerprints as an identifier and this is the type of criminal record check most commonly required.

Contact our friendly specialists for information on the apostille of your criminal record check.

We apostille a lot of criminal record checks for our clients and have heard these documents called by different names. The official name is a Criminal Record Check or Certified Criminal Record Check. However, we also frequently hear Background Check, Police Check, RCMP Check, and Police Clearance Certificate.  In other countries, they may also be referred to as a Non-Criminal Record Check or Certificate of Good Conduct. If you have any questions about this, feel free to contact our friendly specialists who can help you clarify which particular type of document you are dealing with.

You may be told that you need to “apostille” or “attest” your criminal record check. This is because different terms are used globally to describe this process of signature verification on documents intended for us abroad. In Canada, the terms apostille and attestation and authentication and legalization all refer to the process.

If your destination country is a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, your criminal record check will need an apostille. If your destination country is not a signatory to the Hague Apostille Convention, your criminal record check will need to be authenticated and legalized.

Contact our friendly specialists for more information on the apostille and attestation process in Canada. Call us toll-free at 1-888-433-1011 or send us an online enquiry.

The pricing for the apostille of a criminal record check will vary depending on several factors. These variables include whether or not you require notarization, the services and speed of service you choose, and the processing times with the diplomatic mission (if legalization is required).

When you contact our friendly staff for your free consultation, we’ll discuss your options and provide you a detailed quote, so you’ll know exactly what is involved. For general information on our pricing visit our pricing page.