What shows up in my criminal record?
Short answer
A criminal record is the record kept by the RCMP in the National Repository of Criminal Records: it contains findings of guilt, with the date and place of the conviction, the charges and the court decisions. It is not the same thing as local police files or as the court docket.
In detail
Three things are often confused and need to be told apart.
The criminal record: the national record kept by the RCMP, built from fingerprints. It shows convictions, with file numbers, the date and place, the charges and the decisions.
Local police files: police forces keep information about their own interventions, including where no conviction followed. That information can show up in certain expanded checks.
The court file (plumitif, the court docket): the register of court proceedings, open to the public at courthouse registries.
That distinction explains a common situation: a person “with no criminal record” can still see a trace of an old charge surface during an expanded check or at a border crossing.
What to document
Request a criminal record check to find out what is actually recorded under your name, rather than relying on your memory. Keep the report you receive, with its date. Keep the court documents for every file that concerns you as well: they are often needed to correct information or to support an application.
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
Official sources
- Criminal records — Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- The criminal record and the traces left by a criminal offence — Éducaloi
Related questions
- How do I find out if I have a criminal record?
- Does a withdrawn charge or an acquittal leave a trace?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?
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.