How do I find out if I have a criminal record?
In the United States? This answer is Québec and Canadian law. The US side of this site answers different questions, state by state: different law, and different coverage. Go to the US side
Short answer
In Canada, you get a criminal record check from your local police service or from a company accredited to take fingerprints. A fingerprint-based check is the only one that formally confirms identity and gives a reliable answer.
In detail
There are two kinds of check. A name-based check (a CPIC search using name, sex and date of birth) is a preliminary search. It does not formally confirm identity: two people with the same name can be mixed up.
A fingerprint-based check is the reliable method. The RCMP presents it as the surest way to confirm an identity, because it prevents both a person escaping their past and another person being wrongly linked to a record that is not theirs.
To get a copy of your own file, you can make a request under the Privacy Act. If a record exists, a copy is sent to you as a report setting out file numbers, the date and place of the convictions, the charges and the decisions.
There is also an expanded check, known as a vulnerable sector check, which adds a search of the sex offender registry. It is required in certain workplaces and volunteer settings.
What to document
Keep the check report you receive, with its date. A report that is several years old proves nothing about the current situation. Note as well where and when you made the request, and the reference number: that speeds up any later request.
Put your facts in writing, free. Writing your version down early, keeping your documents dated and preparing your questions for a lawyer: the tool is there to document, never to advise.
Open the application Up to 3 files, no card · see the plans
And to put it in order: our free tools · number your exhibits, set your facts in date order, request a copy of your file. No account, and nothing leaves your browser.
Official sources
- Criminal record check · Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Where to go for a check · Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Related questions
- Does a withdrawn charge or an acquittal leave a trace?
- Can an employer refuse to hire me because of my criminal record?
- Is my youth record a criminal record?
- How long do I have to wait to apply for a pardon or a record suspension?
- How much does it cost to apply for a record suspension?
See all the answers · the full guide collection · Lire en français
What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.