Capital Authentication: Your Trusted Partner > Commonly Requested Documents > Criminal Records Check Authentication and Legalization

Criminal Records Check Authentication and Legalization

Our office regularly assists individuals with the authentication and legalization of their Canadian documents, including their Criminal Records Check document. You may have been asked to Apostille your Criminal Records Check. Not to worry, in Canada we use the Authentication and Legalization process. Essentially, it means the same thing. What is most important is that you obtain the correct Criminal Records Check as there are a few of them and not all are accepted in the various countries.

Reach out to our expert staff to see how we can help you authenticate and legalize your Criminal Records Check. Our specialists are a simple mouse click or telephone call away.

Excellent service. Prompt, quick and answered my queries with full detail. Also the best price around! I highly recommend using their services.
– Robyn

Common Criminal Records Check Questions

A Criminal Record Check can be obtained from a fingerprint agency who is accredited by the RCMP. The documents are submitted on your behalf. An alternative, you can obtain a Criminal Record Check from a local Police Detachment in Canada. The preferred Criminal Record Check for use abroad is the one issued by the RCMP.

Depending upon where the Criminal Record Check was obtained will determine if the original is suitable for authentication and legalization. An RCMP Criminal Record Check can be processed using the original document. If the Criminal Record Check was obtained by any other Canadian Police Detachment the document will require notarization before it can be authenticated by Global Affairs and then legalized by a specific countries Embassy.

In many cases, a notarized document of the Criminal Record Check can be used abroad. It is recommended that you reach out to the entity in the foreign country who is asking for the documentation and confirm whether a local police detachment Criminal Record Check is sufficient. In most case, it is preferable to use an RCMP Criminal Record check with fingerprints.

The authentication and legalization process is quite efficient provided that you are using a third party service provider like our office. The Criminal Record Check can be authenticated by Global Affairs typically within a twenty for hour turn-around time. The amount of time required to legalize a document depends solely upon the diplomatic mission. Some process the document while you wait while others can take a number of business days.

As an expert in the authentication and legalization space, we would happily discuss your unique situation and provide you with the anticipated timeline depending upon the diplomatic mission.

Our office is not accredited agency to assist with obtaining the RCMP Criminal Record Check on your behalf. We can direct you to an accredited agency that can assist in obtaining this document. Once obtained, the Criminal Record Check can be sent directly to our office.

Our office receives many Criminal Record Check documents. Our clients have found it very convenient to have the document sent directly to our office. Our mailing address is:

Capital Authentication
251 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 900,
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5J6

We simply ask that you alert us to the fact that a document is being sent to us. We can look out for the document and add it to your dossier.

In Canada we use the Authentication and Legalization process for certifying Canadian documents for use in a specific foreign country. This is the Canadian equivalent of an Apostille. If you have questions about this process you are invited to reach out to our office.

There are a few factors that must be taken into consideration when determining the overall cost. For instance, the number of documents that you have including the Criminal Record Check that require processing, the fees charged by the specific Embassy, the method of payment, return couriers. Of course, the fees charged by our office. It would be best to reach out to our office and we can discuss your requirements while providing a detailed quote.

To make it easier to understand, we have grouped the authentication and legalization fees together. Our office offers four different processing options depending upon urgency. More importantly, we employ a system that we refer to as “The Completion Time Method”. When suggesting prices, we balance the total time expected to take to have the document(s) authenticated by Global Affairs and then legalized by a particular Embassy or Consular Office. Employing our method translates into lower fees for our customers.

At Capital Authentication we do not like to return documents to a client using regular lettermail.  Regular lettermail is not encouraged given the sensitive nature of the documents.  However, where a client has specifically requests this method of return, we will comply.

This is a very good question and it really depends upon where one intends to use the document.  As long as the document is a Canadian document, Global Affairs Canada will generally authenticate either an original document or a notarized copy of the document.  If using a notarized document, the notary must be a Canadian notary.   The more important question to ask is whether the diplomatic mission in question will accept notarized documents instead of original documents.  It is always best to consult the diplomatic mission to determine if original documents and/or notarized documents can be used.  There are some diplomatic missions that will only accept original documents.

Should a problem arise with the processing of your documents due to a change in policy or requirements by Global Affairs Canada or at a particular diplomatic mission our office will be in contact with our clients immediately, by e-mail and/or telephone, so as to identify the problem and determine the best possible solution.

There are many instances when it is more convenient for a client to have documents sent directly to our office as opposed to their receiving them first.  For example, government issued documents such as birth certificates can be sent directly to us.  We can receive them and start compiling a client dossier with the authentication and legalization component to commence once we have all of the documents.

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If you have questions or want to receive a custom quote for document authentication and legalization or other services, use our contact form below to get started.

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