Canada Criminal Record Check: Process, Data Sources, Coverage, and Privacy

## Who is the source of criminal check data in Canada? Provincial Courts of Canada ## What is the process in Canada? The requesting party will request the check from the ATS or their Zinc account. - Automated instructions are delivered to provide some personal details in a dynamic web form. - Zinc submits the request to the authorities. - Zinc receives the results (digitally) and provides a signed digital report. - The candidate receives a notification to say the process is complete. ## What details are required from the candidate to submit the check? - First Name - Last Name - Birth Date - **Address** - The last registered addresses in Canada ## What is covered in the criminal check? The Court Search Canada service provides access to criminal litigation information involving Canadian citizens and individuals lawfully residing in Canada. Information is extracted from nine databases and includes records from the following judicial bodies, with a seven-year look back period. The search covers: - All federal courts and tribunals in Canada. - First-instance (district) courts and appellate courts in: - British Columbia - Alberta - Saskatchewan - Manitoba - Ontario - Quebec - New Brunswick - Nova Scotia - Prince Edward Island - Newfoundland and Labrador - Yukon - Northwest Territories - Nunavut The provision of the results is subject to the candidate’s consent and is intended to serve one particular purpose indicated during the application process. The results contain information on criminal convictions and offences, except those deleted under rehabilitation laws or considered spent. Coverage includes: - Violence against the person - Sexual offences - Burglary - Robbery - Theft and handling of stolen goods - Fraud and forgery - Criminal damage - Drug offences - Motoring offences - Crimes against national security - Crimes against public order - Crimes against the fundamental laws of the state, including offences such as violation of domicile and crimes against religious worship. The current address is not required to conduct the search. However, it may be used as an additional identifier when a secondary identifier is unavailable. Where retrieved records (e.g., judgments, orders, or decrees) contain the applicant's address, this information supports accurate matching and verification of the records. The legal prescription of a sentence varies, depending on the type of offence committed and the sentence pronounced. ### Restrictions/Exclusions Due to privacy laws, there might be restrictions in accessing case information that the parties to the case have explicitly prohibited the public disclosure of. ### Period covered by the check: The records are kept based on the legal prescription and rehabilitation periods applicable for each type of conviction provided by the local regulations in Canada. For accurate reporting purposes, cases from up to 7 years ago will be included in the report. ## What is the expected turnaround time? [Here.](https://zincwork.com/turnaround-times) ## Privacy statement The details contained in this report should not be used as the sole reason for making a decision. Zinc Work Ltd is not liable for any inaccuracies or incompleteness in the information appearing in this report since it is provided to Zinc Work Ltd by third parties. This report has been produced for the purchaser of the report and Zinc Work Ltd will have no liability to loss.