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Police Records Check

Police Record Checks are located at 2120 Cambie Street, where service is now available 7 days a week, including statutory holidays, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Individuals who require a Police Records Check for paid or volunteer employment or for personal reasons must be a resident of Vancouver. The applicant must attend in person with proof of Vancouver residence, agency documentation and ID.

The Vancouver Police Department will only release Police Records Check information directly to the applicant. The applicant will be responsible for sharing the information with the requesting agency.

The VPD retains the authority to also release high risk information to the agency if the applicant's record(s) indicate significant risk. In the case of youth (12-17 years) records, the Youth Criminal Justice Act requires that the VPD must forward youth information to the applicant named in the youth record(s). The record will be reviewed for extremely serious offences and a court order will be sought for authority to disclose to a third party.

• Location & Hours of Operation
• Fees
• How to Apply for a Police Records Check
• If You Reside Outside Canada
• How Long Will it Take?

See Records Check FAQs for frequently asked questions regarding Police Records Checks.

Location & Hours of Operation

Requests for a Police Records Check must be made in person at the VPD's 2120 Cambie Street location. Hour of service are from 8:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. daily (open statutory holidays).

* Please note that the Public Service counter closes at 5:00 PM. Depending on the number of customers waiting, we may not be able to serve you before our closing time. Should you be turned away, you will be given a note that allows you priority service the following day. For your convenience, we suggest you visit us in the morning or on weekends when our queue is typically shorter. The afternoons are often very busy, with wait-times being an hour or more.

Metered parking is available nearby.

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Fees

The fee for the VPD's Police Records Check Service is as follows (cash, debit and credit cards are accepted):

• Volunteers or practicum student with letter of proof – $25.00
• Police Record Check – $70.00
• Adoption Applicants - $70.00 + $25 fee for submission of fingerprints to RCMP
• Pardon - Local Police Record Checks – $70.00
• Pardon - Fingerprinting - $50.00

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How to Apply for a Police Records Check

Step 1: Complete the Request and Consent for Records Check and Disclosure Form

The VPD form Request and Consent for Records Check and Disclosure (PDF) must be completed before the Records Check request can be processed. The form can also be picked up at the VPD's 2120 Cambie St. location.

Step 2: Obtain Information and / or Letter from Requesting Organization

If you are volunteering a service or a student currently attending a learning institution, the VPD requires a document on agency letterhead from the organization requesting the Police Records Check (e.g. the volunteer agency, learning institution or your employer) that includes:

• applicant's name
• whether the applicant will be involved with or responsible for children or vulnerable people
• verification that the applicant is volunteering a service or is a student / practicum
  
• the name and title of the person requiring the record check, as well as the full agency address and phone number

All other applicants can supply the following information verbally and in person:

• agency name
• address
• phone number
• person in authority

Step 3: Attend in Person with Payment, Your Documents & Acceptable Identification

You must submit your request for a Police Records Check to the VPD in person with proof of Vancouver residence, your agency documentation and ID, and the processing fee.

You will need two pieces of identification, one of which must have a current photo:

• valid driver's licence with photo
• valid B.C. Identification card with photo
• current college / university / secondary school student ID (with photo)
• passport with current photo
• birth certificate
• immigration documents
• Native Status card

Applicants should also bring a standard letter envelope pre-addressed with their full mailing address.

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If You Reside Outside Canada

If you currently reside outside of Canada and require a local police record check from Vancouver Police, please review the following in order to process your request without delay:

1. Payment by Certified Cheque or Money Order

A processing fee of $70.00 must accompany your request. A certified cheque or money order to be made payable to the "City of Vancouver" (must be in Canadian funds and drawn from a Canadian bank).

2. Photocopies of Your Identification

Include a clear photocopy of the following identification:

• your valid photo identification (passport)
• your birth certificate and/or
• a secondary piece of ID (government issued driver’s license, medical care card)
  
  

3. A Completed Vancouver Police Waiver

Include a fully  completed VPD 500 - Request and Consent for Record Check and Disclosure form  (as you are out of country your copied identification and certified prints is sufficient to satisfy our application requirements).

4. Documentation Explaining the Service You Require

Documents from the government or an organization that clearly explains whether you require:

• a fingerprint search through RCMP in Ottawa (if so, see Fingerprinting Service).  If you are out of country you would submit your fingerprints, or
• a name search of the National Repository and local criminal record check conducted by the local police agency where you previously resided (i.e. Vancouver)
  
  

5. Your Fingerprints

We will require an original set of your fingerprints which you should obtain and have certified at a local police station where you currently reside.

6. A Covering Letter

• list the addresses where you lived in the city of Vancouver (if you lived in a suburb such as Burnaby, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Richmond or Surrey, you will need to contact that police agency)
• all names that you have ever used (i.e. birth name, Canadian name if your family name is different, maiden name, alias, nicknames, change of name)
• indicate the address where you want the results mailed to
• if you would like someone else to pick up the results on your behalf, indicate your permission for the individual to pick up your documents (this person will be required to produce ID to pick up)

Please mail the required items 1 through 6 above to this mailing address:

Vancouver Police Department   
Attention: Police Records Check
3585 Graveley St.
Vancouver, B.C.
V5K 5J5

See Community Policing Centres for CPC addresses.

Please note:  We are unable to courier Police Clearance results unless you arrange a courier pickup yourself.

For information on the databases we query, the kinds of records released in a police records check, how long it takes and what the fees are, visit our Records Check FAQ page.