Police Records
Inside Canada: Applicants who are physically present in Canada should contact their local police service or Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) office regarding criminal record check procedures. Applicants may obtain a certificate of no conviction issued by any Canadian police service so long as it notes that Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) or the national criminal records repository was searched using the applicant’s name and date of birth. Applicants should ensure that the search includes all names that they have previously used, including maiden names, prior married names, or names used before Canadian naturalization. (Note: Because records checks based on name and date of birth only are sometimes less thorough than those based on fingerprints, U.S. diplomatic offices reserve the right to request that certain applicants obtain fingerprint-based searches from the RCMP.)
Applicants who have been convicted of a crime in Canada must contact their local RCMP office to obtain a “Certified Criminal Record Check,” which lists an applicant’s criminal history, indicating the section of the Canadian Criminal Code under which the applicant was charged, the disposition of the case, and the penalty imposed, if any. Obtaining a Certified Criminal Records Check requires submission of a fingerprint chart; the RCMP could take between two and twelve months to process a request for a Certified Criminal Record Check. (Note: If a namecheck by a police agency reveals a conviction record, that agency may be unwilling to issue a certificate and may refer the applicant to the RCMP for a Certified Criminal Record Check.)
Canadian pardons have no effect under U.S. law. Applicants who have been convicted of a crime in Canada that was subsequently pardoned must contact an RCMP office to obtain both a Certified Criminal Record Check and copies of their pardoned criminal record. Additional information is available online.
Outside Canada: Applicants who are not physically present in Canada must obtain a Certified Criminal Record Check by sending a duplicate set of fingerprints (taken by a local police force) to the RCMP. Fingerprint submissions must include the following:
rolled and flat impressions of all ten fingers taken with black ink (may use a standard FD-258 FBI fingerprint card)
full name, date of birth, and sex of the applicant
the name and address of the police agency taking the fingerprints
the signature of the official taking the fingerprints
the reason for the fingerprint submission (U.S. visa)
the processing fee of CAD 25.00 or USD 18.00, payable to the "Receiver General for Canada" by certified check or money order.
Fingerprint submissions should be sent to: RCMP, Civil Fingerprint Screening Services, P.O. Box 8885, Ottawa, ON, K1G 3M8. Additional information is available online.
Applicants who have been convicted of a crime in Canada should obtain a certified copy of court records from the clerk or registrar of the court in which they were convicted. Court records should state the section of the Canadian Criminal Code under which the applicant was convicted, the disposition of the case, and the penalty imposed, if any. Court records must also indicate whether the case was handled as a summary or indictable offense.
