Find a Lawyer » Canada Legal Guides » Federal Criminal Law Canada » Federal Pardons & Record Suspensions Canada » Page 12
💡The harsh reality of the Canadian justice system is that if the Parole Board of Canada officially denies your Record Suspension application, your $50 CAD processing fee is strictly non-refundable.…
💰To get a Record Suspension in Canada, the 5 or 10-year waiting period does not start until all fines are paid in full. If you paid a fine 15 years…
💡If your criminal charges in Canada were stayed, withdrawn, or dismissed, your fingerprints and mugshots are not automatically deleted. You must actively apply to the arresting local police detachment for…
💡In Canada, a Record Suspension (costing $50 CAD) temporarily seals your criminal record from standard background checks, while an Expungement physically destroys the record forever. However, expungement is exceedingly rare…
💡Under Bill C-66, Canadians convicted of historically unjust LGBTQ2 offences can apply for a total expungement. There is no government fee to apply, and once approved by the Parole Board…
💡Yes, you can seal a Fraud Over $5000 conviction by applying for a Record Suspension in Canada. Because this is an indictable economic crime, you must wait 10 years after…
💡To seal a domestic assault conviction in Canada, you must apply to the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) for a Record Suspension. You must wait 5 years (for a summary…
💡The Royal Prerogative of Mercy is a rare executive clemency granted by the Governor General. It provides an absolute pardon for extreme cases of substantial injustice or terminal illness. There…
💡Under Canadian law, you cannot apply for a standard Record Suspension on behalf of a deceased person, as the Parole Board of Canada only processes pardons to aid the rehabilitation…
💡A Section 810 Peace Bond is not a criminal conviction. It is a court order to keep the peace. It appears on the federal CPIC database only while it is…
💡A conditional discharge does not require a Record Suspension (Pardon) application. Under federal law, the RCMP automatically removes conditional discharges from the CPIC database three years after the court date,…
💡An absolute discharge is not a criminal conviction, so you do not need to apply for a formal Record Suspension (Pardon) from the Parole Board of Canada. The Royal Canadian…
💡Tax evasion prosecuted by the CRA creates a permanent criminal record on CPIC. To clear it, you must pay all court-ordered fines and wait 5 years (summary) or 10 years…
📅In Canada, a hybrid offence is treated as a serious indictable offence by default. Unless your local court documents explicitly prove the Crown prosecutor elected to proceed by summary conviction,…
💡The Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) is the central database used to process Record Suspensions in Canada. Unplanned system downtimes or RCMP backlogs can pause your fingerprint processing and background…
🚨Failing to pay a mandatory victim fine surcharge means your criminal sentence is technically incomplete. In Canada, your 5 or 10-year waiting period for a Record Suspension will not even…
💡If you were a youth tried in an adult court before the modern youth justice laws, those convictions do not automatically disappear. You must apply for a federal Record Suspension…
💡Criminal negligence causing bodily harm or death is treated as a highly serious indictable offence in Canada. To obtain a Record Suspension (pardon), you must complete a mandatory 10-year waiting…
💡If you find errors on your RCMP criminal record, you must fix them before applying for a Record Suspension. You can formally dispute inaccuracies through the Canadian Criminal Real Time…
💡You cannot legally hand-deliver a Record Suspension application directly to the Parole Board of Canada headquarters in Ottawa. As of May 2026, the PBC strictly requires that all applications be…
💡Yes, participating in restorative justice programs, such as Indigenous sentencing circles or victim-offender mediation, is highly beneficial for your Record Suspension application. The Parole Board of Canada views these efforts…
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Welcome to the Canada Federal Pardons & Record Suspensions guide centre. Here you will find comprehensive resources covering everything from navigating waiting periods to dealing with the Parole Board of Canada, based on current federal regulations.
A criminal record can be a heavy burden, affecting your ability to find employment, secure housing, or volunteer in your community. In Canada, a “record suspension” (formerly known as a pardon) allows people who were convicted of a criminal offence, but have completed their sentence and demonstrated they are law-abiding citizens, to have their criminal record kept separate and apart from other criminal records.
This process is entirely federal and governed by the Criminal Records Act. Once granted by the Parole Board of Canada, your record is removed from the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database, meaning a standard background check will no longer show your past convictions.
Navigating the post-conviction landscape involves several complex steps. Our resources address many common topics, including:
Even though applying for a record suspension is a federal process managed in Ottawa, you will need to interact with several local and provincial agencies to gather your necessary documentation. For instance, you must obtain court documents directly from the courthouse where your matter was originally heard, whether that was the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario, the Court of King’s Bench in Alberta, or the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
Additionally, local police checks are a mandatory step in the application. You will need to request Local Police Records Checks from every municipality you have lived in over the past five years, meaning you might need to interact directly with the Calgary Police Service, local RCMP detachments, or other regional police departments.
The application process for a record suspension is rigorous, demanding strict attention to detail and precise documentation. Attempting to navigate the paperwork and legal requirements on your own can lead to costly mistakes, returned applications, or even a denial by the Parole Board of Canada. We always recommend seeking the guidance of a qualified legal professional to ensure your application is flawless and your rights are protected.
You can find a list of relevant local lawyers and government agencies at the top of this page. Working with an experienced lawyer or legal representative can give you peace of mind, simplify interactions with local courts, and significantly reduce the stress of clearing your past.
In 2012, the Canadian government officially changed the term “pardon” to “record suspension.” They generally mean the same thing, but the new term was introduced to reflect that a criminal record is set aside from public databases, rather than erased or forgiven entirely.
The waiting period depends on how the Crown proceeded with your charges. Typically, it is five years for a summary conviction offence and ten years for an indictable offence. This waiting period only starts after you have fully completed all parts of your sentence, including paying fines and finishing probation.
No, it will not. US Customs and Border Protection does not recognize Canadian record suspensions. If you have a criminal record on file, even if it has been suspended in Canada, you may still be denied entry and will likely need to apply for a US Entry Waiver to cross the border legally.
Yes. The Parole Board of Canada has the authority to revoke your record suspension if you are convicted of a new criminal offence, if you are found to no longer be of good conduct, or if it is discovered that you provided false or misleading information on your application.
The Parole Board of Canada charges a standard federal application fee to process your file. However, you must also budget for the costs of mandatory RCMP fingerprinting, obtaining certified court records, requesting local police checks, and any legal fees if you choose to hire a lawyer to assist you.
If you were never formally convicted, you do not need a record suspension. However, the arrest record, photographs, and fingerprints may still exist in the RCMP and local police databases. To have these removed, you will need to apply for a file and fingerprint destruction, which is a different process.
