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Pardon FAQs

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General

A record suspension, formerly called a pardon, allows people who have completed their court sentence and proven themselves to be law-abiding citizens to have their record removed from the active Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database. Once a record suspension is granted, your criminal record is hidden from view, along with any record that a suspension was issued. In effect it gives you a clean slate.

CPIC stands for “Canadian Police Information Centre.” It is an electronic information system holding the criminal records of anyone who has been charged or convicted of a crime in Canada. The RCMP and many other Canadian police agencies can access CPIC, and U.S. officials can access it when someone is attempting to enter the United States from Canada.

CPIC is maintained by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at their Ottawa headquarters.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police are Canada’s federal police force, with jurisdiction throughout the entire country. They also maintain CPIC, the computer system that keeps a record of people charged with crimes across Canada.

A criminal record is a history of every criminal act a person has been charged with. Once you have been charged with a criminal offence, that information goes into the criminal database regardless of the result of any court proceedings.

Criminal records do not disappear automatically after a certain number of years. Prior criminal history can make it harder to participate fully in society, and can be used to justify longer sentences if a person is convicted of another offence in the future.

If you have ever been charged with a crime, you have a criminal record. It does not matter whether you were found not guilty or the case was dismissed — once you have been charged and fingerprinted, you are in the system. The RCMP assigns a fingerprint number linked to your identifying information and every criminal offence you have ever been charged with.

Only the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) has the power to grant, refuse or revoke a record suspension.

The Criminal Records Act governs record suspensions and provides that only the Minister of Public Safety can authorise disclosure of information contained in a suspended record. It is uncommon for records to be unsealed or suspensions revoked, but it can happen in defined circumstances.

A criminal record puts most people at a disadvantage for jobs, work promotions, being bonded, housing and apartment rentals, adoption, mortgage and other loan approvals, opportunities for education, volunteering options and child custody.

Criminal records also limit travel options and can complicate applications for Permanent Resident status and citizenship. A record suspension removes most of these barriers.

Just because your record has not caused a problem so far does not mean it will not in future. A record suspension means you will not have to worry about an old offence costing you a promotion, a job with a new employer or a bank loan.

No. Criminal records are not automatically destroyed or sealed after any period of time. In the vast majority of cases the only way to have a record set aside is to apply for a record suspension.

Eligibility

An application can be submitted once you have completed your court sentence in full and then waited the required length of time following that completion. “Completed in full” includes serving any custodial or community sentence, finishing probation and paying all fines, surcharges and restitution.

The specific offence you were convicted of and the length of your sentence determine how long you must wait. Summary convictions carry a five-year waiting period and indictable convictions ten years, measured from the date your sentence was fully completed — not from the date of the offence or the conviction.

Yes. You cannot apply if you were convicted of a sexual offence where the victim was a minor, subject to limited exceptions set out in the legislation. You are also ineligible if you have been convicted of indictable offences on four or more separate occasions, each carrying a sentence of two years or more.

Any person convicted of a criminal offence under a federal Canadian statute may apply, even if they are not a Canadian resident or citizen. A person transferred to Canada under the Transfer of Offenders Act who was convicted of an offence in another country may also apply.

Even though you were not convicted, your fingerprint serial number and the fact of the charge can still surface during a criminal record search. Applying is how you have that history cleared from view.

No. As long as the required waiting period has passed for all of your convictions, every past conviction can be dealt with through a single application.

We collect the documents relating to any criminal charges you have faced, including charges arising under the military justice system, and include them in the application so they are addressed alongside the rest of your record.

The application process

Plan on roughly 12 to 24 months overall. That may sound like a long time, but three to ten months of it is spent collecting the supporting documents the application requires.

You can begin preparing before you become eligible, and starting early is generally a good idea.

Yes. Nothing prevents you from submitting an application on your own, and many people do. Most applicants choose to use a specialist because of how long and document-heavy the process is, and because a single missing or inconsistent document can send the file back to the start.

No. Police contact applicants only in unusual cases. We handle communication with police agencies and other government institutions on your behalf.

Fingerprints are used to verify your identity. For the purposes of a record suspension application, they must be taken by police or another accredited agency and sent to the RCMP, who match them to your fingerprint serial number and criminal history.

Applicants who clearly meet the eligibility requirements and submit a complete, accurate application are generally successful. The waiting period must have elapsed since your sentence was completed, and further charges during that period reset the clock.

That said, the Parole Board of Canada retains discretion. No one can guarantee an outcome, and you should be cautious of anyone who does.

If an application is refused, you may apply again after one calendar year. The Board provides its reasons, and in many cases the issue is a documentary one that can be corrected before reapplying.

After a pardon is granted

The records of people who have received a record suspension are kept separate from the active CPIC database. Neither those records nor the fact of the suspension can be disclosed without the express consent of the Minister of Public Safety.

Employers are generally restricted to asking whether you have a criminal record for which no record suspension has been granted. If your record has been suspended, the answer to that question is no.

One exception is worth knowing about: a vulnerable-sector check can still surface a suspended record for certain sexual offences.

The Parole Board of Canada can revoke a record suspension. If you are convicted of a serious offence, the suspension will be revoked and all of your past convictions become part of your active criminal record again.

Not on its own. The United States does not recognise Canadian record suspensions. If you intend to cross the border, you should look at a U.S. Entry Waiver as a separate application.

Still have a question?

Every record is different, and the details of your sentence determine everything that follows. Call 1-888-491-1723 or send us a message and we will give you a straight answer about where you stand.

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