To begin please click the green ‘start now’ button on our homepage https://www.instantrecordcheck.ca/ 

Alternatively, you can also begin by creating an account.

Our criminal record checks can take as little as 15 minutes to as long as 24 hours to process. Once your identity is verified, our automated system usually takes as little as a few hours to email you your report. However, times may vary based on the volume of applications submitted. Please allow 24 hours before contacting us.

To get your criminal record check through Instant Record Check, you will need to provide your personal information including name, phone number, birth date, current and past addresses, and if you have previously been convicted of a crime. You will then need to verify your ID by uploading one piece of government-issued ID.

We work with police departments across Canada to process your criminal record check requests. Police departments use the information submitted in the application to lookup your personal details in the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC).

On the result pdf, please view the second page that is attached. The Second page provides all the information needed to ensure the document is authentic. Going to the authentication page, https://www.instantrecordcheck.ca/authenticate, will allow you to input the serial number provided on the original document. It will then automatically download the document again. From here you can view and ensure that the document you received is the same as the document in our system. This ensures that no documents can be tampered with.

Your Criminal Record Check includes the date it was created and is valid as of that date. Each organization determines its own threshold for how long they consider a CRC to be “valid.” While most organizations recognize a CRC to be valid if it is less than three months old, some may ask for a new one based on the specific reason for its use.

You can download your result PDF by opening the completed criminal record check report from your account and selecting the Download PDF button on the report page.

Yes, you can apply for a criminal record check with us even if you are outside of Canada. You can skip the corresponding form page that asks for current Canadian information.

We only offer name-based Criminal Record Checks. This is different from other types of criminal record checks such as vulnerable sector checks or certified criminal record checks. To have these types of Criminal Record Checks please visit your local police station in person.

1. BC Name Change
2. Canada Citizenship, Permanent Residence, and Visa
3. International Visa Purposes
4. Record Suspensions
5. US Immigration/Visas – Privacy Act
6. US Waiver

If it is for the purposes mentioned above, please coordinate with your local police station.

The information contained in our checks is provided by the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) based on the name and date of birth of each applicant. These may indicate the existence of criminal convictions for which a pardon or record suspension has not been granted. The report will also include any criminal history disclosed by the individual.

Yes. Almost 80% of employers require pre-employment background checks on candidates, including Criminal Record Checks. These checks relate to personal information and should always comply with Canada’s privacy laws and regulations.

Your Criminal Record Check reflects your criminal record at the time of the search. Information is submitted by each jurisdiction, resulting in a possible delay before being available to the Canadian Police Information Centre.

We can only provide a criminal record check on the individual who fills out the application and verifies their identity. However, we do offer organizations the ability to request that someone else completes a criminal record check and that the results are shared with the organization account. To sign up as an organization, please visit the Organizations page.

Instant Record Check is fully authorized by the RCMP to provide this service on their behalf and closely works with Canadian police departments to complete these criminal record checks. Our name-based criminal record checks are valid across Canada.

A certified physical/hard copy of your criminal record check is optional. But in the event you require a hard copy result of your criminal record check, you’ll have the option to add it during your application. There will be an additional postage charge of $15 for this service and mail will be within 5-10 business days.

Please ensure you provide the correct current mailing address because once your application has been submitted to our police partners, the address can no longer be changed.

There are a few ways to share your results with another party. When completing your criminal record check, you will be asked if you would like to share your completed results after completing your ID verification. You can enter in the contact details and that person will automatically receive an email with a secure link once your result is ready. If your result comes back Incomplete, an email will not be sent.

Alternatively, when you receive your results, you can download a PDF report from the website and share that directly with your contact.

An Enhanced Criminal Record Check is a combination of a regular name-based Criminal Record Check with an add-on Enhanced check portion. The Enhanced Criminal Record Check uses the Police Information Portal (PIP) as well as other local and regional police databases to perform additional checks including:

• Summary convictions, for five years, when identified.
• Findings of Guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act within the applicable disclosure period.
• Outstanding entries, such as charges and warrants, judicial orders, Peace Bonds, Probation, and Prohibition Orders.
• Absolute and conditional discharges for 1 or 3 years respectively.

An Enhanced Criminal Record Check is therefore much broader in scope compared to a Criminal Record Check that specifically assesses only for convictions as an adult that have not been pardoned as part of a record suspension.

Yes, we do, but they are called Enhanced Criminal Record Checks. You can purchase them as an add-on when applying for a criminal record check or during the request process as part of an organization.

It is illegal for an individual to request a Criminal Record Check on behalf of or in the name of another person. Instant Record Check provides everything you need to verify your identity using Government-issued documentation and physical ID verification.

If you are having difficulty verifying your ID please follow these steps below: 

1. Ensure the area you are taking the photos in has ample lighting.
2. Switch your device, as some devices may have a better camera than others. For example, switching from a desktop computer to a mobile device.
3. Make sure your ID is placed within the on screen borders. 
4. Make sure your face is lined up in the on screen oval and follow any directions provided.
5. Clean off the camera on your device to ensure that you are getting a clear photo.

To get started, you can sign up for an account by going to the Organizations page and clicking on the Get Started button. From there, you can start by signing up with your email and password, and a verification email will be sent to your email address. Once you click on the link to verify your email address, you will be asked to fill in your organizational profile details. Once you complete your profile details, you can invite your first applicant.

Instant Record Check works with organizations of all sizes to help them streamline their background check processes by providing a central dashboard and service to send out requests for applicants to complete criminal record checks. Our service is fast, easy and reliable. We partner with police departments across Canada to process all requests. We offer flexible payment options as well to allow for either the organization to pre-pay for the check, or to allow them to designate the applicant as the payer. By using Instant Record Check, you will be able to save time and money.

If your applicant has been sent a request and has not started their application yet, there are a few steps we suggest that you take:

1. Verify that their email address was correct.
2. Follow up with your applicant to see if they received the email and encourage them to complete it.
3. If the applicant is having issues completing their criminal record check, encourage them to contact support via the website or emailing us directly at support@instantrecordcheck.ca.
4. Ask them to check their spam or junk folder in case the email got lost there.
5. If all else fails, please contact Support to see if there is anything else we can do such as resending the invite email or providing a direct link for them to click and get started.

When you are requesting a new criminal record check, you can select who pays for the check. If the organization pays, there is a discounted rate for them and you will need to pay before the check is sent out. If the individual pays, they pay the regular individual rate and only pay once they have submitted their information and before their ID verification.

An applicant has decided to share the result of their criminal record check securely with you. If you believe you received this share request in error, please contact our support team to let us know.

To access the report, simply click the unique link from the View Report button and sign up for your account. You will be directed to create a Business account. Once you sign up and complete your profile, you will see the results in the home page dashboard.

If you have received a share request from someone to view their report, you will need to create an account to view the results. You must create an account in order to maintain the security and privacy of all applicants on our system due to the sensitive nature of this information as mandated by the RCMP. If you do not wish to create an account, please contact your applicant so that they can send you a PDF report directly instead.

Refunds are only offered for the following two scenarios:

1. You have not received your criminal record check after 24 hours. We guarantee that all criminal record checks will be completed within 15 minutes or up to 24 hours latest form the time of submission.
2. You have made payment and have not submitted your application to one of our police department partners.

Refund requests must be submitted to support@instantrecordcheck.ca within 30 days of submitting your application.

We do not offer refunds for any other reasons.

For example, refunds will NOT be issued if:

• Your employer does not accept third-party criminal record checks (please check before submitting your application).
• You received an ‘Incomplete’ response because you made an error entering your personal information and/or your criminal record declaration.
• You require a different type of criminal record check other than the one we provide (ex. Vulnerable Sector Check).

For these reasons, we suggest checking with your employer to ensure that third-party criminal record checks are acceptable before purchasing. Kindly also make sure you enter your most accurate information and confirm the type of criminal record check you require before submitting your application.

Payment can be made online using your Mastercard and Visa credit/debit cards.

This indicates that your submission was unsuccessful. Typically, this means that your ID could not be verified and you will need to resubmit your ID to be verified before your application can be processed. Please contact a member of the support team, if you are unsure as to why your ID could not be verified. Some reasons as to why your ID could not be verified include: blurry/unclear photos, taking the photo too far away from your ID, taking photos in an area with dark lighting or taking the photos with other individuals or other documents in the frame. Please be sure to follow all instructions when taking the photos required for ID verification.