Background checks · By The MyCRC Support Team · Updated October 30, 2026

What Is on a Background Check?

MyCRC helps Canadians get their criminal record check online, and the question we hear most before anyone starts is what the check will actually show. Here is the plain answer.

Have you been offered a job and now need to do a background check? If so, then you’re not alone if you feel a little confused about what’s included in the process and what information it will reveal.

Employers conduct background checks for a variety of reasons, including:

To prevent negligent hiring
To know that the individual they are hiring is who they claim to be

A background check is a routine procedure that shouldn’t feel intimidating. Even if you have a criminal record, completing a background check does not necessarily mean that you won’t get the job. Many employers understand that people make mistakes, and that a past conviction is not necessarily a good indicator of who an employee is today. Depending on which province you reside in, there may also be laws in place protecting your right to employment if your conviction is unrelated to the job for which you are applying.

What does a background check include in Canada?

"Background check" is the employer's word for everything it checks before hiring you, and it can be one check or several. Background screening companies that work for employers, such as Certn, list checks like these:

A criminal record check, the most common part, and the one you can order on yourself.
Verification of your employment history, education and credentials, and of your identity.
Reference checks with people you have worked with.
A credit check or a driver's abstract, usually only for roles that handle money or drive.

The employer chooses which of these the job needs, and asks for your consent. If you are only asked for a "criminal record check" or a "police check", that is the criminal record part alone.

Here is some more information about what each type reveals:

Different Types of Background Checks

There are many different types of background checks, and each type will examine and reveal different things. Here are some of the most common types of background checks:

Criminal record check:

Also known as a name-based criminal record check, this type of background check searches the RCMP National Repository of Criminal Records, through the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), to see if you have a criminal record. This type of check will not disclose details on your convictions (it can only confirm that you do not have a criminal record or that the convictions you disclose are accurate. More on this later.) This is the fastest and easiest type of background check to complete.

MyCRC provides one type of background check: Criminal record check/Name-based criminal record check.

Certified criminal record check:

If you have a criminal record and don’t remember the details of your conviction(s) (such as the conviction offence, date of sentence, and court location), then you might need to do a certified criminal record check. You might also need to do this type of check if your identity cannot be verified by your name and date of birth alone. Your fingerprints are taken at a police service or an RCMP-accredited fingerprinting company, and used to confirm your identity. Because this type of check uses fingerprint identification, it discloses your convictions.

Vulnerable sector check:

A vulnerable sector check is a type of criminal record check that examines a person’s criminal record as well as whether they committed a sex crime for which they received a pardon. It is used when a volunteer or employee will be working in a position of power over a vulnerable population (such as children, seniors, and people who have a disability). The RCMP's policy prohibits third-party companies from conducting vulnerable sector checks, so only the police service where you live can run one. See how to get a vulnerable sector check.

What Does a Criminal Record Check Reveal?

When you complete a criminal record check (also known as a name-based criminal record check), it’s important to remember that there are several laws in place to protect your privacy. This will affect what information your report reveals. And if you’re the one ordering the check, you get to see exactly what your employer will see.

If you do have a criminal record, what will your criminal record check reveal?

If you don’t have a criminal record, your background check will reveal that no criminal records were found.

Firstly, it’s important for you to know that a name-based check like MyCRC's does not show criminal record details or give you a list of your convictions, even when you are ordering it on yourself. This means that you are in charge of disclosing the information on your criminal record, which the background check can then confirm. What does this mean, exactly?

That is why you are asked about past convictions before the search. Your finished report shows one of three statuses, set by the police using the RCMP's standard responses: Negative (no matching criminal record was found in the RCMP's national repository), Positive (a record matching the convictions you declared was found; only fingerprints confirm a record absolutely) or Incomplete (the search couldn't be completed from a name-based search alone). If you have a conviction and don't declare it, or the details you give don't match the record, your report comes back Incomplete, and the next step is fingerprints, at a local police service or an RCMP-accredited fingerprinting company.

Some records never appear on a name-based check under the RCMP's rules, such as pardons, youth records, older discharges and charges that didn't end in a conviction. See what won't show up on a criminal record check.

If what you actually want is a copy of your own criminal record, a name-based check won't give you that. A fingerprint-based check will: read what a CPIC check is for the difference.

Checks by province and territory

If an employer asks for a "police check", the local name for it and the police route to get one depend on where you live. See how it works in your province or territory:

And in the larger cities:

Getting your own check, the simple way

If an employer has asked you for a criminal record check, it is the one part of the screening you can take care of yourself, tonight.

The outcome you want: your criminal record check in hand before a start date, a lease signing or a volunteer orientation, without taking time off.
A check you can rely on: a name-based search of the RCMP's national database, processed through accredited Canadian police detachments.
Fast: ready in as little as 15 minutes, about 4 hours on average.
Little effort: a photo of your ID and a selfie from your phone. No police station and no appointment.
One clear price: $68.23, tax included.

On average, 100+ checks are completed through MyCRC every day. Start your check.