Getting an RCMP check apostilled for international use is among the most common Canada apostille requests, and consistently among the most mishandled. This section covers the full process - from which type of check to order, to the routing decision, to the validity-window problem.

Name-based check Issued by a local police service using name and date of birth only. No fingerprints. Faster and cheaper to obtain, but most foreign authorities - visa offices, immigration departments, foreign employers - do not accept it for official international purposes. If the receiving country asks for a "certified" or "fingerprint-based" check, a name-based check will be rejected.

Fingerprint-based Criminal Record Check (RCMP check) Issued by the RCMP's Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services (CCRTIS) in Ottawa using the C-216C fingerprint form. This is the type required for:

• Immigration and permanent residency applications abroad
• Teaching visas (Korea E-2/EPIK, Gulf and Asian markets)
• Employment in regulated industries abroad
• International adoption
• Some professional licensing bodies

Identity is confirmed biometrically, making it the authoritative option for international use.

In Canada:

• Visit an RCMP-accredited fingerprinting agency, a Commissionaires office, or a local police service
• State the purpose as "foreign travel" or "visa application"
• The agency records your fingerprints on the C-216C form and submits them electronically to CCRTIS in Ottawa

Outside Canada:

• Use an RCMP-accredited agency that accepts ink prints on the C-216C form
• Some agencies accept the FBI FD-258 form via card-scan technology
• Mail the completed ink-print card to the accredited Canadian agency for electronic submission

No criminal record match → CCRTIS mails the original certificate within approximately 3 business days of receiving the electronic prints.

Potential match or manual review required → processing can take up to 120 days or longer.

The RCMP mails results via regular untracked Canada Post. Your name on the check must exactly match your passport. Any discrepancy is grounds for rejection abroad.

This is where most applicants are not well-informed.

Federal route - Global Affairs Canada

Send the original, un-notarized RCMP check to GAC. GAC can directly verify the RCMP's signature and seal. Processing: approximately 20 business days plus mail time. Government fee: free.

Result: an apostille on the original RCMP-issued certificate.

Provincial route - Ontario ODS 

To use Ontario ODS, the RCMP check must first be notarized as a certified true copy by a licensed Ontario notary. ODS then apostilles the notarized copy - it is verifying the Ontario notary's signature, not the RCMP's. In-person processing: same day.

Result: an apostille on a notarized copy of the check.

Some destination countries require the RCMP signatory itself to be verified - not a notary's signature over a copy. If your destination has that requirement, the provincial route does not satisfy it. Only the GAC apostille on the original works.

BC's own documentation states this explicitly: BC cannot verify the federal RCMP signatory. For destinations that insist on the original RCMP signature being apostilled, the document must go to GAC.

For Korea's E-2 teaching visa, the confirmed standard path is:

• RCMP original → GAC apostille → ship to Korea
• Total: approximately 6 to 8 weeks

Confirm with the consulate or receiving institution which route they accept before choosing.

The apostille itself has no expiry date. The RCMP check behind it does, in practice.

Korea requires the check to have been issued within 6 months of the visa application. Other countries vary - 3 months is common for some immigration filings. If the check is apostilled but the visa application takes months to file, the check may expire before submission.

Plan the sequence tightly: fingerprinting → RCMP processing → GAC apostille → submission to the destination - all within the required window.

For applicants who are job-hunting before having a confirmed offer: begin the fingerprinting process immediately on deciding to work abroad, but time the GAC submission to land within a window where the result stays fresh for the likely application date.

A name-based criminal record check  can be apostilled but must first be notarized. The route follows the notarization-routing rules. Before spending on this, confirm with the destination whether a name-based check is acceptable - many foreign authorities will not accept it regardless of whether it is apostilled.