How Can I Get A Canadian Police Clearance Certificate In India?

An RCMP clearance certificate from Canada certifies that you have not been involved in any criminal activity during your stay in Canada. Canadian citizens, PR, and TRV holders can apply for the Canadian Police’s background check. Getting this certificate while you are in India can be a bit of a hassle since there is a fingerprint submission step involved.

We have written this blog to make it easier for you to complete your Canadian Police Clearance certificate application from India. The blog also contains information on hiring an accredited company, submitting your fingerprints, and getting your PCC apostilled for use in India.

Here is a breakdown of common scenarios where a PCC might be required:

When Dealing with Canadian Immigration

• Applying for permanent residence, citizenship, or visitor visas in Canada often requires a PCC. Other countries also have this requirement for their immigration programs. 
• Specific requirements and document validity periods can vary depending on the immigration program you are applying under. We recommend always checking out the documentation requirements for your visa type before applying.

Study and Work Visa

• Indian professionals who have previously stayed in Canada are required to submit their Canadian background checks when applying for work in Canada. Businesses and organizations are mandated by law to conduct background checks on new hires. A clearance certificate from the RCMP is usually among the list of documents that they request from foreign professionals. 
• Similarly, students from India planning to pursue their higher education in Canada are also required to submit RCMP checks. You can contact your educational institution in Canada to ask for their background check requirements. 

Child Adoption

• An RCMP check might be requested by the relevant authorities if you are an Indian resident involved in international adoption or child custody arrangements involving Canada. 
   

You have to choose from the RCMP’s list of accredited companies when applying for a Canadian Police Clearance certificate from India. This is because direct fingerprint submissions are not accepted for Canadian police checks. We recommend reading online reviews of these companies before making the final choice. 

The RCMP’s preferred fingerprinting format is its C216C card but you don’t necessarily have to use this form for your Canadian police check application. You can simply get ink and roll fingerprinted on the Indian police’s fingerprinting form. Your chosen accredited company will digitize this form and submit your fingerprints to the RCMP.  

After getting fingerprinted in India, the next step is to mail your form and supporting documents to an accredited agency in Canada. The following supporting documents must be sent to the RCMP along with your fingerprints:

• At least one photo ID (CNIB Card, Municipal Card, and Driver’s License are some examples)
• Another photo ID or non-photo ID such as a Birth Certificate (Canadian) or an Immigration Permit.

We are often asked by our clients if they can send in their health cards as a form of identification. The RCMP does not accept health cards as valid IDs so you will have to choose an option from the list above.  

The Globeia portal is a convenient way to apply for your Canadian PCC from India. We have set up the application process in such a way that you do not get confused at any step. Moreover, our customer support staff is also available to assist you with completing the RCMP’s requirements. 

You will be able to track your application’s progress and receive an update once we have received your fingerprints and documents from India. We aim to keep the processing times to a minimum so a Globeia staff member will digitize your fingerprint cards as soon as they are received. This is where the two forms requirement comes into play as we will simply use the second form if there are any legibility issues with the first one. Finally, we will forward your request to the RCMP after conducting a thorough review of your application for accuracy. 

Getting your PCC issued from the RCMP is one thing but you cannot use it in any other country except Canada without an additional step. While Canadian employers and organizations will accept your RCMP check, authorities in other countries will ask you to get it apostilled first. 

For this purpose, you will have to submit an apostille request to Global Affairs Canada. With Globeia, you can not only apply for an RCMP check but also get it apostilled in one go. We will ask you to sign a third-party consent form if you would like us to also process your apostille request. This consent form will authorize Globeai to receive your police check results from the RCMP and then prepare the certificate for apostille verification. You can click here to be redirected to the Globeia portal.