Background Checks

Types of criminal background checks

Criminal record check

A criminal record check will determine if a person has been charged or convicted of a crime. There are two ways to check if you have a criminal history:

  • Name-based criminal record checks, starting from 40$
  • Using names and dates of birth is the most common way to check a person's criminal history.
  • Certified criminal record checks, starting from 50$
  • A fingerprint search of the National Repository of Criminal Records is conducted by RCMP's Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services (CCRTIS).
  • Please make an appointment to take your fingerprints for RCMP certified criminal background check by clicking here or write us below for more information.

Good Conduct Certificates, aka CPIC Checks or Police Checks

We offer basic police certificates, also known as name checks, CPIC searches, police checks, police clearances, good conduct certificates, or criminal background checks. These searches are conducted by a regional police service and are done through the CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) database. The are based solely on the name and date of birth of the applicant. The fee for the basic police certificate is $40. The processing delay is a maximum of one business day. It is usually processed within one hour.

Establishing Clean Record Using a Name-Based System

The results will not list any criminal offense; only a result stating ‘negative’ or ‘incomplete’ will appear on the certificate. If you have previous criminal offenses/criminal record, you must proceed with fingerprinting for submission to the RCMP in order to obtain your criminal record with a list of offenses. We offer this service at our office and fees vary between $50 and $60.

Please note that when you have a criminal record and submit your fingerprints to the RCMP, the RCMP delay to process your criminal record can take up to 120 days (but normally takes around one month).

Fingerprinting, Record Checks
and More, with Accuracy & Speed

Whether you need fingerprints for a background check, a criminal record check, USA waiver or a criminal pardon, we are here to help.

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FAQ About Police Certificates / CPIC Checks

Great question! The CPIC check uses your name and your date of birth to check against the CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) criminal record database. If there’s no match, you’re good to go. There are no fingerprints involved. If you have been asked to submit a fingerprint-based criminal record check, the CPIC check is the wrong check! If you have simply been asked for a police record check (and you have verified that you do not need fingerprints), you can use the CPIC check. Please note that if someone with the same name and date of birth has a criminal record in Canada, you will not get a cleared CPIC check returned. Instead, at that point you will need to do the fingerprint-based RCMP criminal record check – since fingerprints are unique, while it may take a day or two longer, the fingerprint-based RCMP Canadian criminal record check is a more thorough and accurate system.

If you have been asked to submit a fingerprint-based criminal record check, you’ll want the RCMP certified criminal record check. This is the record check that is often used for immigration, employment and other screening processes. If you have been asked for a simple police check, good conduct certificate, namecheck, CPIC search or police clearance, it’s the CPIC check that you can use. Just verify beforehand that the authority or entity asking for the check does NOT require a fingerprint-based criminal record check.

Typically, the CPIC check can be turned around in one business day and sometimes in as little as one hour. You’ll get results that state “negative” or “incomplete.” If there is a match, you’ll then have to go through the fingerprinting process and submit to the RCMP certified criminal record check.

We are a privately owned fingerprinting agency, independently operated, that is considered by many to be a trusted partner in obtaining fingerprint-based criminal record checks and other background checks & related services. The RCMP has granted us accreditation to submit electronic fingerprints for its certified Canadian criminal records checks, as we have passed a number of standards considered by the RCMP as necessary to be an accredited agency to perform electronic fingerprints accurately and securely. We also work with a local police service to gain access to the CPIC (Canadian Police Information Centre) criminal record database.

No. These are different entities. We cannot process vulnerable sector checks, so if you have been asked to go through one of these background checks, your best bet is to contact your local police service.