There are different fingerprinting services for various reasons with different costs. Please refer to our website for detailed information. Please check out our price list for more information.

There is no expiry date for the RCMP criminal background check certificate.

However, there may be a validity period set by the relevant authority (usually within 6 months to a year from the issue date). Please check with the requesting authority to confirm the validity of the report.

Even though we accept walk-ins, we highly recommend you schedule an appointment in advance. Clients with appointments will be given priority and we may not be able to serve you if we are fully booked when you walk in. Please click here or call us at (905) 247-3868 (Ontario) or (403) 731-3535 (Alberta) to book your appointment.

You will need to carry 2 valid government-issued IDs and any instructions/request letter from the requesting organization (if applicable).

It usually takes around 15 minutes.

Our technicians will take the time needed to ensure your fingerprints are of the best possible quality to minimize rejections.

Fingerprinting is a process to confirm an individual’s criminal background check. This is the most accurate and widely-accepted method for criminal background check.

Your fingerprints are submitted to the RCMP and verified against the National criminal record database to confirm whether or not you have a criminal record. Fingerprint-based background check is typically required for many purposes:

• Employment Applicants ( Federal, Provincial, Municipal or Private Organizations)
• Applicants for Foreign Travel, Passports, Work Permits, Visas and US Waivers
• Canadian Citizenship & Permanent Resident Applicants
• US Immigration / US Visas (FBI Fingerprinting Card)
• International Adoption Applicants
• Security License Applicants
• Membership to a professional organization (doctor, nurse, lawyer, real estate agent, accountant..etc.)

Fingerprints are captured and sent to the RCMP to conduct your Canadian criminal background check for a specific purpose. Once the process is complete, the fingerprints are destroyed. There is no record of your fingerprints kept either in our systems or with the RCMP’s, once the certificate is issued. As such, you much submit a new set of fingerprints every time you need a RCMP criminal background check.

Regardless of which agency you go to in Canada to have your fingerprints taken, there is NO option to expedite the process. This process is the same for everyone across Canada.

All fingerprints are sent to the RCMP and processed by the RCMP in Ottawa. An official certificate is mailed by Canada Post regular mail service only.

Please allow sufficient time to complete the fingerprinting process to avoid delays in your immigration application or employment.

Currently, Frontier Onc Inc. is providing fingerprinting services in 9 locations across Ontario and Alberta.

In Ontario: Brampton, Mississauga, Kitchener, St. Catharines, Vaughan, Markham, Burlington, Milton, Hamilton, London

In Alberta: Calgary NE, Calgary SE

Our offices are open all week long to serve you for your fingerprinting inquiries. Hours may vary depending on the location.

Please check our locations and hours for more information.

RCMP currently does not provide this service. Results will only be mailed out by regular mail (Canada Post).

Digital fingerprinting is the process of capturing your fingerprints through a certified optical scanner which leaves no ink residues on your fingers. This is a preferred method by most requesting authorities (Immigration, Employment…etc) as the process is quick, convenient and highly accurate.

However, some applications do require a traditional ink-and-roll method in which your fingerprints are captured using actual ink. Frontier One Inc does offer both digital and ink-and-roll services.

NO. We are a private company accredited by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to CAPTURE and SUBMIT your fingerprints to them for civil purposes.​

We DO NOT process fingerprints or have access to the Canadian criminal record database.

WE ARE NOT associated with any local police, the RCMP or the government other than being authorized to capture and submit fingerprints.

There are generally 2 types of background check that one could complete: Name-based background check and fingerprint-based background check.

• Name-based Background Check: This check is conducted by some agencies and local police. It is done solely based on your name and date of birth to check against the National Criminal Repository Database and the result could be much faster (within 24 hours). However, due to the high risk of possible name & date of birth matching with other individuals with criminal records, many requesting authorities or employers DO NOT accept this type of criminal record check.
• Fingerprint-based Background Check: This check is conducted by any agencies accredited by the RCMP (including some local police). It is done by capturing your fingerprints and submitting them to the RCMP for processing. Your unique fingerprints, along with your name and date of birth are checked against the National Criminal Repository Database. The RCMP will issue an official certificate indicating whether or not a criminal record was found. The normal processing time is 3 business days (up to 120 days if you ever had a criminal record) and the certificate will be mailed to your chosen address by regular mail. The mailing time could be between 1-2 weeks depending on Canada Post.

Although both types of check can serve the same purpose, the fingerprint-based process is more stringent and widely accepted by most authorities. Please be sure to check with the authority or organization who request the background check before proceeding.

• Biometrics is the process of taking your fingerprints at the time of your Immigration application and stored at RCMP’s database for future identification verification purposes. As such, this can only be done by the Government of Canada (i.e. Service Canada). No private agency is permitted to perform this service. This is ONLY collected by Immigration Canada (IRCC) for immigration application.

For example: if a border officer has any doubt about identity of the person entering Canada at a port of entry (airport, land border…),they could take the fingerprints on the spot and compare to the biometrics they have on file at the time of the application to ensure it is the same person.

• RCMP criminal background check is the process where your fingerprints are taken and sent to the RCMP systems for conducting criminal background check. This can be for many different purposes including, immigration, employment, ..etc. Once the process is complete, your fingerprints are destroyed immediately.

Each process is considered a separate application by the RCMP and a fee is charged whether from the same individual or not.

We do provide ONE complimentary re-take in the extremely rare circumstances where your fingerprints were rejected due to low quality. If your fingerprints were rejected, we will notify you within 48 business hours and discuss your options. However, you are required to pay the RCMP processing fee of $25 again if your application type had that fee.

If you require pricing for a team or a group 5 or more employees, please contact us at business@f1fingerprint.ca to discuss your options.

Two government-issued IDs are required (SIN cards, health cards, and credit cards are not accepted by the RCMP), along with any instructions/request letter/consent form, etc. sent from the requesting organization.

– For the RCMP Criminal Record Check: We will take your fingerprints and submit them electronically to the RCMP. A police report will be mailed back to you or any designated third party from the RCMP after a criminal check has been conducted.

– For fingerprint cards to send abroad (C-216C, FD-258, etc.): You will be given the card right away after your fingerprints have been taken either with ink or electronically. You will need to send it to an appropriate organization to perform the foreign police check from that country.

The processing time depends entirely on the RCMP or foreign police departments who conduct the criminal check. Please refer to their website or contact them for more information.

There is no expiration date for the Police Check Certificate, but the requirement of how new it is will depend on the organization to which it is submitted.

We accept walk-ins, but we highly recommend you schedule an appointment in advance, as we prioritize customers with appointments and cannot guarantee to serve you if we are fully booked.

It normally takes around 15 minutes for the fingerprinting service at our office.

The fingerprints are mainly requested for the criminal background check purpose, and it is required for various applications.

For the RCMP background check, even though we take and submit your fingerprints electronically to RCMP instantly at the time of the appointment, the RCMP needs time to complete your background check and issue the certificate. Furthermore, the RCMP also needs to send the result either to your home address or a third party via Canada Post. Therefore, the whole process usually takes between two and three weeks.

The fingerprints for criminal background check are one-time used and cannot be retained by either a fingerprinting agency or the RCMP due to confidentiality. Therefore, you will need to submit your fingerprints every time you apply for the police check.

Since the RCMP receives thousands of electronic requests for the Canadian background check every day, their automatic system treats them all in a first come, first served basis. Therefore, there is no way to expedite the process and everyone will receive their police report in their mailbox at around the estimated time.

RCMP currently does not provide this service. The result will only be mailed to you via Canada Post’s regular mail.

The RCMP processing fee of $25 CDN will be charged for almost all applications, except for Immigration, Federal Employment, Police Employment, Volunteer and Privacy Act Request. For more information, please refer to the RCMP website at http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/processing-times-and-fees

For confidentiality, our system will automatically remove your fingerprints as soon as the transaction is complete and submitted to the RCMP. However, your application will be kept in our secured system within 6 months for tracking purpose.

You do not need a request letter from IRCC to complete the background check nor upfront for your PR application.

However, most clients and/or their lawyers prefer to have it done upfront to avoid delays as IRCC would likely ask for the RCMP background check further into the process.

Please consult with your lawyer/immigration consultant to consider whether or not you should apply for one upfront.

The specific fingerprinting request/purpose is printed on the official RCMP certificate. You may need to complete a new background check if you need it for a different purpose.

Unfortunately, the RCMP only issues one hard copy of your police check certificate. You must do it again if your result was lost. For more information, please contact RCMP at:

ccrtis-scictr@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Or Call 613-998-6362

Please provide the following information in the email and on call:

• Your full name and date of birth
• Date of your application was submitted
• Reason for the criminal record check
• A Phone number that you can be reached
• The document control number (DCN)

*Please note that you must use an email that reflects your first and last name in the email address. For example: the RCMP might not accept an email coming from dark_knight@anyemail.ca as a true email of Mr. John Doe.

Your fingerprints will be submitted to RCMP to conduct a criminal background check. Depending on IRCC’s request letter, the RCMP will send the result to the corresponding address on the letter.

IRCC will update your application on your online portal once they receive the result. In addition, once you completed the service with us, we also notify IRCC at the end of the day that your fingerprints were completed. This is a complimentary service that we provide to all of our citizenship clients to ensure IRCC is aware that fingerprints were done in time.

You can follow these steps to find out if your fingerprints were received:

1. Check your IRCC online portal. IRCC will update your online application once your fingerprints have been received/reviewed by them.
2. If it does not show up, please follow up with IRCC via phone (1-888-242-2100) or submit a web form after 6-8 weeks from your fingerprinting date.
3. If they have not received your result, please contact the RCMP as indicated below:

Via email: ccrtis-scictr@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Or Call 613-998-6362

Please provide the following information in the email and on call:

• Your full name and date of birth
• Date of your application was submitted
• Reason for the criminal record check
• A Phone number that you can be reached
• The document control number (DCN)

*Please check with IRCC after 6-8 weeks before contacting RCMP.

An ORI number represents a specific federal organization that you apply to work for, or a federal organization to process your security clearance for you to work with the government. The result of your fingerprint-based criminal record check from the RCMP will only be sent to that federal organization for further processing. Therefore, without the ORI, your fingerprinting application cannot be processed due to the lack of the delivery destination.

• With a person’s name and date of birth, the RCMP can conduct a name-based background check using the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system.
• Fingerprint-based criminal record checks are the gold standard. They are sometimes referred to as “certified criminal record checks” and are performed by the Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services (CCRTIS) of the RCMP. Fingerprint-based checks search through the National Repository of Criminal Records.

Unfortunately, name-based check is not widely accepted as fingerprint-based check in many cases. Please ensure the correct type of police check for your application.

• With a person’s name and date of birth, local police can conduct a name-based background check using the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) system. However, people may have the same names, use nicknames or legally change their names which make the person’s identity verification impossible. In this case, the fingerprint-based criminal record check will be conducted by RCMP’s Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services (CCRTIS).
• Please note, for some applications, the certified criminal record check (fingerprint-based) will be the only acceptable type of check, not the name-based background check. Please check the type of check that you need carefully before heading to get one.

• Criminal Record Check (Background Check): is to determine if a person has any criminal records in the National Repository of Criminal Records. This check is widely used for various purposes.
• Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check: includes the criminal convictions like the Criminal Record Check, plus a check for outstanding entries (warrants, charges, peace bonds, judicial orders, probation and prohibition orders etc.) along with absolute and conditional discharges for 1 or 3 years respectively.
• Vulnerable Sector Check: is a name-based check conducted by local police, plus a check to see if a person has a record suspension for sexual offences. This check is requested for people working or interacting with vulnerable persons, including children, disabled person, and the elderly.
• We will not know the exact type of police check that you need unless your employer let you know via email, phone, instruction letter or at least you provide us with the information of your employment.

Yes. Please bring all request forms or instruction letters from your employer as they may help to confirm the type of the required fingerprints or background check.

We can provide a fingerprinting service to have your fingerprints taken on the FD-258 form so you can mail it to the FBI for the US background check.

• It depends on the organization or the board that you need to send the fingerprints to. Some of them will accept the livescan and some may strictly request the inked one (on their fingerprint form). In case you are submitting your fingerprints to an agent rather than directly to a board, the livescan fingerprints will be good enough. Therefore, please bring any instruction letter to us to clarify the type of fingerprinting service.
• Please note, livescan fingerprints is much more convenient to take and they are clearer than the inked fingerprints. We always prefer this method unless it is specified on an instruction letter that the inked fingerprints must be taken.

No matter if it is for your employment, immigration, travel, etc. purposes in another country, the type of RCMP Criminal Record check will be Visa/Border Crossing group.

Not only for employment but the requesting reason is obligated for all RCMP Criminal Record Check Request. Firstly, the reason is to determine if it is eligible for requesting the background check. Secondly, the information to be disclosed may differ depending on the requested reason. Finally, the background check process will also be different for different reasons (the fingerprints will be printed off or submitted electronically, who will receive the result from the RCMP, the result will be sent electronically or via mail, and if there is any next step involved, etc.)

You will be able to do so if it is employment with either Municipal, Provincial, Federal or Police. Otherwise, the RCMP will reject your request for obtaining the Criminal Record Check.

• RECO requests for applicants’ Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check (CRJMC) from the local police, which can be done without the need of fingerprints. However, the police may need your fingerprints to complete the check in some cases and we can take care of this fingerprints part.
• Please note, while RECO requests for the CRJMC from local police, other real estate councils in other provinces (such as RECA in Alberta) may request for the Criminal Record Check only and we can 100% take care of that. Please follow those organization requests to obtain the proper check.

This Criminal Record Check could be done with the local police without the need for fingerprints. However, you can also choose to do the fingerprint-based Criminal Record Check with us as well.

If you are requested to obtain a Certified Criminal Record from the RCMP with your fingerprints, that is the one we are offering. Otherwise, a name-based check from local police should be good enough. However, there will be a risk if your background check cannot be completed based on your name and date of birth, you will eventually have to obtain the certified check with your fingerprints from us.

How do I get my RCMP police certificate when I am outside of Canada?
We can help you to get the RCMP police certificate even when you are currently outside of Canada.

The fingerprints must be taken at your local police station or fingerprint agency. You will need to mail the original fingerprint cards and required documents to our office, so they can be converted and submitted to the RCMP electronically.

Please refer to our International Fingerprinting Service for more details

For all international applications, the RCMP requires an original fingerprint card to be submitted via an RCMP accredited fingerprinting agency.

The IRCC does not accept the fingerprints sent from outside of Canada to them. The fingerprints must be submitted to the RCMP via an accredited fingerprinting agency first, then the RCMP will send the result to the IRCC.

The RCMP can only send the results to Canadian and US addresses via Canada Post’s regular mail (no tracking number).

If you want the results to be sent to your country of residence, Frontier One can receive the result from the RCMP and mail it to you for an additional mailing fee.

For international fingerprint applications, all the IDs and requested forms are valid for 6 months but the fingerprint card will be valid for one year, starting from the date shown on the forms.

You can print all requested forms in black-n-white. They are not required to be in color.

We will provide you with step-by-step instructions including an example of an acceptable fingerprint card.

We will provide a preliminary review of your fingerprint card PRIOR to mailing the physical fingerprint card to us.

Please ensure you scan your fingerprint card at the highest possible quality and email it to us for review.

You may consider doing several fingerprint cards to ensure the best one to use.

• Our team will email you a confirmation of your application’s submission to the RCMP. The email will also provide instructions on how to follow up with the RCMP regarding the application.
• If you have any questions about international fingerprinting service, please contact us at: (905) 703-6810 or email us at international@f1fingerprint.ca

Once we receive your package, we will send you an invoice to make a payment online via Credit Card. Or you can do an E-transfer if you have eligible Canadian Bank Card.