Criminal record check in Montréal, online
Montréal employers, from downtown offices and the Old Port’s restaurants to studios in Mile End and warehouses in Saint-Laurent, often want a criminal record check before you start, and landlords on the Plateau ask too. With MyCRC you skip the counter: you type in your name and date of birth, which are run against the RCMP’s national database, hold up your ID and take a selfie so we know it’s really you, and download the finished report as a PDF, in as little as 15 minutes. You can do the whole thing in English, from Verdun, Rosemont, NDG, Anjou or the West Island.
What the SPVM offers individuals
The Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) checks Montréal residents, and also individuals whose check is requested by a Montréal employer or organization that has no agreement with the SPVM. Its main check for individuals is the police verification for civil purposes, which used to be called the certificate of good conduct. The SPVM describes it as a search on your name and date of birth, without fingerprints, covering criminal convictions, charges and court orders, and lists employment, the Québec Bar and registering a business among its uses. It costs $121.
The SPVM also lists more specific checks: a judicial record for passenger transportation such as taxi and ride-hailing work, $84.25 and only for residents of the Island of Montréal; a check for a potentially dangerous dog permit; and a certificate of no impediment for home childcare providers who aren’t recognized by the network, $121 each. It doesn’t run criminal record checks on minors, and for work outside Canada it sends results only to employers based in Canada.
How to apply with the SPVM
The SPVM’s Background Check Unit is at 4949 Molson Street, and its counter works by appointment only, booked online; if you can’t make it, you’re asked to cancel at least 48 hours ahead. You bring two valid pieces of ID, at least one with a photo and one with a valid address.
The court record is not a background check
Québec’s online court records can be searched, but the Gouvernement du Québec says consulting the criminal court ledger “does not provide certainty or confirmation that a person does not have a criminal record”, and points people to a police department for a criminal record check instead.
Without the appointment
A booked counter visit on Molson Street and a $121 fee suit some situations; a start date next week isn’t one of them. No appointment on Molson Street and no $121 fee: MyCRC’s name-based check is $68.23 with tax included and can be done in English from Verdun, Longueuil or the West Island.
Questions about criminal record checks in Montréal
Can I get a refund?
You can get your money back if you did not finish every step. The steps are:
- Take a photo of your ID
- Take a selfie
- Check that your information is right
- Agree to send your information to the police
If you stopped before the last step, email support@mycrc.ca and ask for a refund. You get all of your money back.
After you finish every step, there are no refunds. Your report is then ready to download as a PDF. It is not refundable for any reason, no matter what your report says.
How long does a criminal record check take?
Reports can be ready in as little as 15 minutes. The average is about 4 hours. Some take longer, usually because identity verification wasn’t finished, or because confirming your ID takes extra time in our system. To compare, see how long police checks take, city by city.
What exactly am I buying?
A name-based Canadian criminal record check. It searches the RCMP’s national database, the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), using your name and date of birth to confirm criminal convictions (what a CPIC check is). You get a PDF report online, with no trip to a police station and no appointment.
Before the search, you are asked about any past criminal convictions. If you have any, you must list them, and the details must match your record. If they don’t match, your report may come back Incomplete.
How much does it cost?
$68.23, tax included. You pay once by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, with no monthly fees and no hidden costs. See pricing.
How do I get my report?
Your report is in your account. When it’s ready we email you to sign in (the email doesn’t contain the report). On the finished check, Download report saves the PDF to your device. Log in to your account.
Sources
Last reviewed: 2026-10-28