Applying for a Record Suspension

Get your fingerprints taken. Visit an accredited fingerprinting company or a police service that can submit your fingerprints electronically.

Ask your local police service if they offer this service or visit "Where do I get a criminal record check?" for more information.

Your electronic fingerprint submission must clearly state you are applying for a record suspension.

Wait to receive your criminal record (criminal convictions, conditional and absolute discharges) or a Certification of No Criminal Record from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Any documents provided by the RCMP must be included with your application.

If you have convictions outside of Canada, you MUST also submit information to the Parole Board of Canada on these convictions, along with your criminal Record.

When you receive your criminal record, check it to ensure all of your convictions are included. It is your responsibility to report all of your convictions to the Parole Board of Canada.

If ALL your convictions are included, go to STEP 2.

If any of your convictions are missing from your criminal record, you must get a Proof of Conviction for each one. To get this, contact the court that heard your case and/or the police service that arrested you to get this information.

The Proof of Conviction must include the:

• Date and court where you were sentenced;
• Offence that resulted in your conviction;
• Sentence you received;
• Arresting police force.

If the court and/or police service do not have a record of your convictions call the Parole Board of Canada's toll-free info line: 1-800-874-2652.

You must get court information for each of your convictions. This MUST include proof and date of last payment for any fines, victim surcharges^{Footnote 1}, restitution, and compensation^{Footnote 2} . 

Answer questions 1 to 6 on the Court Information Form.
Tip: Make copies of the form in case you need to provide the same information to another court.

Contact the court that heard your case

If you were sentenced in more than one court, you must ask each of them to complete the form.
Give each court a copy of your criminal record and ask them to fill in the section “For Court Use Only”.

Check that the information on the Court Information Form is the same as your criminal record.

• If the information on the Court Information Form and criminal record do not match, or if the court has a record of conviction that is not on your criminal record, you must ask the court for a Proof of Conviction.
  See STEP 1: Proof of Conviction.

If you are not a current or past member of the Canadian Armed Forces, go to STEP 4.

If you are a current or past member of the Canadian Armed Forces (Regular or Reserve) you must get a certified, signed and dated copy of your Military Conduct Sheet by contacting the appropriate organization below. If no conduct sheet exists, you must provide a letter from your Commanding Officer or the appropriate organization, which indicates that no information is available.

You must get a local police records check for:

• The city or town where you live now (your current address); and
• Each city or town where you lived during the last 5 years (if you lived in that place for 3 months or more).

How to get a local police records check

Fill in all questions on page 1 of the Local Police Records Check Form.

Tip: Photocopy it for each local police service you contact.

Contact the local police service for the address where you live now. If you have lived in different places during the last 5 years, you must contact the police service for each place. If you are not sure who to contact, ask your local police service.

If you lived outside of Canada you still need to contact the local police service where you lived. If the police service outside Canada will not give you a local police records check, a signed letter from the police service stating that you have been law-abiding will be accepted. If it is in a foreign language, you must have it translated into English or French and submit both the original and the translated version with your application form.

Show your criminal record to each local police service and ask them to fill in the section on the Local Police Records Check Form called “For Police Use Only” on page 2 of the form.

You will need to show them a current photo ID and a second piece of ID.

Tip:  Contact the local police service in advance to find out the types of ID they accept.

You need to provide a clear photocopy of a document which supports your identity with your application. This valid government issued (Federal, Provincial or Municipal) document must have your name, date of birth and signature.

Under Section 4(2) of the Criminal Records Act (CRA), a person is ineligible to apply for a record suspension if he or she has been convicted of an offence referred to in Schedule 1 (sexual offence involving a child) of the Act with certain exceptions.

• If you have NOT been convicted of a Schedule 1 offence under the Criminal Records Act, skip to Step 7.
• If you HAVE been convicted of a Schedule 1 offence, you MUST complete the Exception Form. Under Section 4(3) of the Criminal Records Act, a person who has been convicted of an offence referred to in Schedule 1 may apply for a record suspension IF the Parole Board of Canada is satisfied that the convicted person:
  • was not in a position of trust or authority towards the victim of the offence and the victim was not in a relationship of dependency with him or her;
  • did not use, threaten to use or attempt to use violence, intimidation or coercion in relation to the victim; and,
  • was less than five years older than the victim.

You must use the Record Suspension Application Form.

As per section 4.1 of the Criminal Records Act, you must clearly describe how receiving a record suspension would provide you with a measurable benefit AND sustain your rehabilitation into society as a law-abiding citizen. Fill in all sections of the Measurable Benefit/Sustained Rehabilitation Form.

If you do not fill in all sections, the Parole Board of Canada will return your application to you. If you do not have enough room to include all the requested information, attach additional pages to the form.

You may wish to include information on the circumstances of your offence(s) to help with the processing of your application. 

You may also complete questions 3. b) and 3. c) in this section if you would like to share how your personal and social history may have contributed to your involvement in the criminal justice system.

The current Record Suspension Application Processing Fee is:
$50.00 (CDN [Canadian dollars])
Important: In order to include the current fee, consult the updated Record Suspension Application Guide at Canada.ca/record-suspensions or contact the Parole Board of Canada at 1-800-874-2652 or suspension@pbc-clcc.gc.ca.

Record Suspension Application Checklist

Have you included these documents in your application?

1. Original criminal record or Certification of No Criminal Record AND Proof of Conviction documents, as required (explained in Step 1)
2. Original Court Information Form(s) (explained in Step 2)
3. Original Military Conduct Sheet, if required (explained in Step 3)
4. Original Local Police Records Check Form(s) (explained in Step 4)
5. Photocopy of your identification document (explained in Step 5)
6. Original Schedule 1 Exception Form, if required (explained in Step 6)
7. Original Record Suspension Application Form (explained in Step 7)
8. Measurable Benefit/Sustained Rehabilitation Form, if required (explained in Step 8)
9. Application Processing Fee (explained in Step 9)

Mail your Application Form, the Application Processing Fee, and all official documents (originals only, with the exception of your identification document) to this address:

Parole Board of Canada
Clemency and Record Suspension Division
410 Laurier Avenue West, 5^th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R1