You are in a foreign country and have been informed that you must submit a Canadian criminal record check. Furthermore, you have been informed that this document needs to be apostille before being submitted! If so, you most likely have two crucial inquiries:
1) What is an apostille and why do I need it?
2) How can I obtain a criminal record check in Canada?
A formal certification of a Canadian document’s authenticity is obtained through the apostille procedure, which makes the document acceptable for use internationally. An apostilled copy of the Canadian criminal record check is a prerequisite for acceptance in many other countries. There are several reasons why you could be required to provide a criminal background check when traveling to another country. Among the most popular ones are to study overseas, to apply for a job, or for immigration reasons.
Accredited Canadian provider of an apostille (authentication and legalization), Document Legalization of Canada assists customers daily in obtaining and apostilling criminal record checks for international use. Everything you need to prepare your criminal record check for usage in another country is provided below.
All around the world, the word “apostille” is frequently used. But Canada before January 11, 2024 is unable to genuinely issue an apostille. Our page on the Hague Apostille Convention clarifies this potentially perplexing scenario, if you’re curious as to why. Canada has a comparable procedure known as document authentication and legalization in place of the apostille process. Therefore, if you’ve been informed that you need to get an apostille in order to obtain a criminal background check from Canada, what you’ll be doing is obtaining the legalization and authentication of this document.
A criminal record check or police clearance letter is a document that is issued by a police detachments in Canada. This document is issued after the name and date of birth of an individual is searched in the database of National Repository of Criminal Records. This national database is maintained by the RCMP. One might be asked to obtain a Criminal Records Check in the event that they are going abroad for work, schooling etc. Should a Criminal Records Check be required, this document will need to be Apostilled or authenticated by Global Affairs Canada and then legalized if required by the foreign embassy located in Ottawa. In addition to the criminal records check or police clearance letters one might be required to have fingerprints taken. The fingerprints can be taken by a police detachment or one can use an authorized third party fingerprint service.
Various Names for Criminal Record Checks
The term “criminal record check” or “certified criminal record check” is the official term in Canada. Other words that are commonly used, nevertheless, are police clearance certificate, RCMP check, background check, and police check. They could also be known as a Certificate of Good Conduct or Non-Criminal Record Check in other countries.
It is crucial to make sure you have the correct type of police check for the particular purpose and country in which it will be used before ordering a Canadian police check for an apostille stamp or for authentication and legalization. This will guarantee a smooth legalization procedure at the appropriate embassy or consulate and an authentication process at the Provincial Authority or Global Affairs Canada (JLAC).
You can choose the type of criminal record check you get if you’ve been asked to submit an apostilled (authentication and legalization) criminal background check. There are two kinds of criminal record checks available in Canada. The first is a basic criminal record check, in which the RCMP database is checked using only your name and birthdate to identify you. To get a simple criminal record check, no fingerprints are required.
If you live outside Canada and require a certified criminal record check, you must have your fingerprints taken by a company accredited by the RCMP. If you are outside of Canada, get in touch with us for additional information about obtaining a criminal record check in Canada.
Get in touch with us for Apostille Services for your Criminal Record Check from Canada!
Our specialty at Document Legalization of Canada is helping clients expeditiously and precisely navigate the Canadian apostille (authentication and legalization) process. Apart from apostille services, we provide our clients with a range of related services including notarial and translation that they frequently require. Call us right now Toll-Free (833) 700-5342 and request a free consultation! We would be pleased to answer any questions that you may have.
Before certain police documents can be authenticated by Global Affair Canada (JALC) They may need to be notarized by a Canadian Notary. Once the documents have been authenticated they can. Then proceed with legalization at a particular diplomatic mission with the ultimate goal of being used abroad.
You may be told that you need to “apostille” or “attest” your criminal record check. This is because different terms are used globally to describe this process of signature verification on documents intended for us abroad. In Canada, the terms apostille and attestation both refer to the authentication and legalization process. So, if you have been told that you need to apostille your criminal record check, what you will actually be doing is authenticating and legalizing your document. Contact our accredited apostille specialists for more information on the apostille and attestation process in Canada. Call us at our toll-free number 1-833-700-5342 or fill up the below form.
Our expert staff at DLC is very familiar with what is required in order to have a Criminal Records Check apostilled by the authentication section of Global Affairs Canada. Our office is also able to assist with the legalization of the documents at a particular Embassy or Consular Office if necessary. Should notarization be required for the Criminal Records Check. We can assist with that also.
If you are in Canada, you may obtain your criminal record check by either visiting a local police detachment or an agency that has been accredited by the RCMP. If you are outside of Canada, you must use a fingerprinting agency that has been accredited by the RCMP in order to obtain your criminal record check. They will digitize your ink fingerprints and submit the application on your behalf. You may have the criminal record check sent directly to our office to save time. We can then notify you that it has arrived and begin the authentication and legalization process. If you need assistance to determine what agencies you may use, you can review this list provided by the RCMP, or feel free to contact our expert specialist for advice.
If you want to process documents in the mail, the length of time it will take may depend on a few factors. For example, how you sent the documents and where you sent the documents will affect the length of processing time. When handling the document authentication and legalization process (also known as document apostille or document attestation) by mail, it can take 4 months. This is because Global Affairs Canada has a mail-in processing time of a minimum of 4 months as of July 2024. Once Global Affairs Canada has authenticated your documents, then they can be forwarded to the embassy or consulate of the destination country for the legalization portion of the process. Embassies and Consulates each have their own standard processing times ranging from 1 day to 2 weeks. If you need to expedite the authentication and legalization process, or simply want someone else to navigate this confusing process for you, we can help! Contact our accredited apostille specialist for a free quote. We will happily discuss your situation and answer your questions. Call us at our toll-free number 1-833-700-5342 or fill up the below form.
Yes, in Canada there are two types of criminal record checks.
The first is a basic Criminal Record Check, where only your name and date of birth are used to identify you when the RCMP database is searched.
No fingerprints are involved in obtaining a basic Criminal Record Check.
The second type is called a Certified Criminal Record Check, which also uses your fingerprints as an identifier when searching the RCMP database.
Certified Criminal Record Checks are considered more reliable because they use fingerprints as an identifier and this is the type of criminal record check most commonly required.
Contact our apostille specialists for information on the authentication and legalization or apostille of your police background record check.
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