What Is RCMP in Canada? Canada Criminal Record Check Online Explained

The RCMP stands for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It is Canada's federal police service, established in 1873, and the authority that manages Canada's national criminal records database. For most people outside Canada, the RCMP matters for one reason: getting an RCMP Criminal Record Check for immigration, a visa, or employment screening.

What many applicants do not realise is that Canada has several types of Criminal Record Checks. The one required for immigration is completely different from the one used for local employment. Getting the wrong type means starting over. This guide explains the difference, which type you need, and how to apply from anywhere in the world.

Also read: RCMP vs Name-Based Police Check

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police operates at three levels at the same time: federal, provincial, and municipal. Most national police services operate only at one level. The RCMP is different.

At the federal level, it enforces legislation across the entire country, investigates organised crime, and manages border security. At the provincial level, it serves every province and territory except Ontario and Quebec, which fund their own forces. At the municipal level, it polices smaller towns and communities under contract with local governments.

The reason the RCMP controls Canada's criminal records is structural. Because it operates nationally, it is the only authority with visibility across all provinces and territories. The Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services, known as CCRTIS, sits within the RCMP and maintains the National Repository of Criminal Records. Every fingerprint-based Criminal Record Check in Canada runs through CCRTIS. Every result comes from the RCMP directly, regardless of which accredited agency collected the fingerprints.

Canada has multiple types of Criminal Record Checks. They are commonly referred to as Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 for local and provincial purposes, with the RCMP fingerprint-based check sitting separately as the federal document used for international use.

Level 1: Standard Criminal Record Check

The Level 1 check is the most common type and is also known as a name-based check. It searches the RCMP National Repository of Criminal Records and local police databases using your name and date of birth. No fingerprints are required. It is fast, available online through most local police services, and accepted for standard employment and volunteer positions in Canada.

It is not accepted for immigration to other countries. A name-based search cannot confirm identity with certainty, which is why immigration authorities do not accept it.

Apply for your Name-Based Check and get results in a few minutes!

Level 2: Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check (CRJMC)

The Level 2 check covers everything in Level 1 plus outstanding charges, warrants, judicial orders, peace bonds, probation orders, and conditional discharges. It is also referred to as the CRJMC, Enhanced Criminal Record Check, CPIC2, or ECPIC depending on the province and provider.

It is commonly required for student placements, security guard licensing, retail management, and other roles where pending court matters are relevant to the employer. It is issued by local or provincial police and does not require fingerprints in most cases.

Level 3: Vulnerable Sector Check

The Level 3 Vulnerable Sector Check is required for anyone working with or volunteering around children, elderly people, or anyone defined as a vulnerable person. It covers everything in Levels 1 and 2, plus a search of the Pardoned Sexual Offender Database.

If a potential match is found in that database, fingerprints are then required to confirm identity before the information is released. This is the only local check that can trigger a fingerprint requirement.

Common roles requiring a Level 3 check include teachers, teaching assistants, healthcare workers, foster parents, childcare staff, social workers, and youth sports coaches.

RCMP Criminal Record Check: The Federal Fingerprint-Based Check

The RCMP Criminal Record Check is a separate document from the three local levels. It is issued by the RCMP directly and is based entirely on ink fingerprints. Because fingerprints verify identity before the search runs, it is the only type accepted for immigration and visa applications to other countries.

This is the document immigration authorities in Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, Costa Rica, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, and most other countries require when asking for a Canadian criminal history document.

Local Level 1, 2, or 3 checks are not substitutes for the RCMP check when applying for immigration or a foreign visa.

Many people search for a Canada Criminal Record Check online expecting a fully digital process. What is possible online depends on which type you need.

For Level 1 name-based checks, an online process is fully available in most provinces. Local police services and provincial portals let residents apply, pay, and receive the document electronically.

For the RCMP fingerprint-based Criminal Record Check, there is no fully online process. Fingerprints must be collected in person on the official C-216C form by an RCMP-accredited agency, or you can complete this by using mobile fingerprinting services. The application coordination can be managed online through an accredited provider, but the fingerprint collection step must be completed as per RCMP standards.

The RCMP Criminal Record Check is required for:

• Immigration applications to countries including Australia, New Zealand, the UAE, Costa Rica, Spain, Germany, and many others
• Permanent Residency applications requesting a Canadian criminal history document
• Work permits and employment visas for foreign countries
• Adoption applications in Canada or abroad
• Record suspension applications in Canada
• Security clearances for federal government roles
• Regulated professional licensing in specific industries

If you have lived in Canada for six months or more and are applying for long-term residency or a visa in another country, the immigration authority will ask for a Criminal Record Check from Canada. The RCMP fingerprint-based Criminal Record Check is the document they require.

If you are currently living in Canada, the process works in four steps.

Step 1: Find an RCMP-accredited agency

You cannot submit fingerprints directly to the RCMP as an individual. You must go through an RCMP-accredited fingerprinting agency. Accredited agencies are listed on the RCMP website. They collect your ink fingerprints on the official form, verify your identity, and submit the completed application to RCMP CCRTIS. Globeia Incorporated in Toronto is RCMP-accredited to take fingerprints and submit them to the RCMP. 

Step 2: Have your ink fingerprints collected

Your fingerprints are taken on the C-216C form or equivalent using ink. The agency verifies your identity using government-issued photo ID and completes the required paperwork alongside the fingerprint card. If you are in the GTA and nearby area, you can book Globeia's mobile fingerprinting services or book an in-person appointment. 

Step 3: Pay the federal processing fee

A federal processing fee of CAD $25 is payable to the Receiver General of Canada. This is separate from the accredited agency's own service fee. The federal fee goes to the Government of Canada, not to the agency that collected your fingerprints. This fee is additional if you are using professional services. 

Step 4: Wait for the RCMP to process and issue the Criminal Record Check

Accredited companies like Globeia will digitize fingerprints (if taken by ink) or submit them directly (if captured with live scan technology) to the CCRTIS division. The RCMP determines processing times based on current application volume. Times range from 3 to 120 days. The RCMP sends the completed Criminal Record Check directly to the address you specified, or to a nominated third party.

For applicants living outside Canada, the process is the same, but the ink fingerprint collection requires an RCMP-accredited provider operating internationally.

Globeia Incorporated is accredited and certified by the RCMP to take and submit civil fingerprint verification requests to the RCMP for civil purposes. For applicants abroad, Globeia collects ink fingerprints through trained associates at the applicant's location, mails the completed C-216C forms to Globeia Incorporated in Toronto, and coordinates electronic submission to RCMP CCRTIS. The RCMP independently processes and issues the Criminal Record Check.

This applies to applicants in India, the UAE, the United Kingdom, Australia, and other countries.

If your Criminal Record Check also needs a Canada apostille and translation before use in a foreign country, the realistic total timeline from fingerprint submission to a ready-to-file document is 2 to 4 months. Plan for this well in advance.

Read more: Fingerprinting for Immigration Applications

The RCMP Criminal Record Check is the only Canadian criminal history document accepted internationally. It is not the same as a local or provincial check, and it cannot be obtained without ink fingerprint collection by an RCMP-accredited agency. If you are applying for immigration, a long-stay visa, or a work permit in another country and you have lived in Canada, this is the document you need. Start early. Processing takes time, and if your application also requires apostille and translation, plan for 2 to 4 months from start to finish.