How much does it cost to apply for a record suspension?
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
Since January 1, 2022, the record suspension application fee charged by the Parole Board of Canada is $50. You can file the application yourself, without a lawyer or a third-party service.
In detail
The regulated fee was reduced to $50 on January 1, 2022. It had previously been more than $600, which was a major obstacle.
That $50 covers the Parole Board of Canada's processing of the application. Other costs can come up along the way: fingerprinting, obtaining court documents and local police checks. Those fees are charged by the organizations that provide those services, not by the Board.
Private companies offer to prepare the application for you, for several hundred dollars. That is not required: the Board publishes an application guide and the necessary forms, and it is possible to go through the process on your own.
An incomplete application is sent back, which lengthens the process considerably. The hard part is usually not the form, but gathering the documents.
What to document
Open a single file for the application: a list of all your court files with their numbers and judicial districts, the court documents you obtain, proof that fines and victim surcharges were paid, and the dates your sentence and probation ended. Note every document you request, the date you requested it and the date you received it. Keep proof that you paid the fee.
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
Related questions
- Does a record suspension erase my criminal record?
- Who is not eligible for a record suspension?
- Can I travel to the United States with a criminal record?
- Can the public see my criminal file at the courthouse?
- Can my name be published in the media if I am a victim?
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.