How to get a police certificate (police checks)

Settlement ISC Citizenship & Immigration

You need a police certificate if you are coming to Canada as a live-in caregiver, tourist, student, temporary worker, or when you apply to become a Canadian permanent resident, you must submit a police certificate.

For your citizenship application, you have to submit a police certificate in original if you were present for six months or longer (cumulative) during the four years immediately before the date of your application.

A police certificate is a copy of criminal record. They may be called:

  • police clearance certificates
  • good conduct certificates
  • judicial record extracts or
  • other names.

If your police certificate is not in English or French, send it along with the original copy of a translation done by a certified translator.

IRCC offers an online tool to find out how and where to get a police certificate overseas.

police certificate

For more information regarding the police certificate, please see the link.