Police certificate checker Which countries need a certificate, how recent each one must be, and where to get it
A missing or out-of-date police certificate is one of the most common reasons an Express Entry or PR application is refused for incompleteness. Enter where you have lived since you turned 18 and this checker applies IRCC's two rules — who needs one and how recent it must be — to each country, with the official how-to page for each.
- One certificate per country, per adult on the application
- Express Entry: 60 days after the invitation to file it
- Canada itself never needs one
Which police certificates do you need?
Add each place you have lived since you turned 18. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is stored or sent.
Sources: IRCC, When to get a police certificate (2026-02-19), Express Entry: police certificates (2026-06-22), Citizenship guide CIT 0002 (2026-06-23). Checked September 7, 2026.
How IRCC decides.
Two tests, applied country by country. The checker above runs both for you.
Every person aged 18 or over on the application, for every country other than Canada where they stayed 6 months or more in a row since turning 18. For Express Entry, only stays within the last 10 years count.
The certificate must be issued no more than 6 months before the date you submit the application. Order it last, once the rest of the file is ready.
The certificate must be issued after the last time you stayed there 6 months or more. An older certificate — even one with no expiry date — is not accepted.
A certificate is needed for any country where you were present 183 days or more in a row in the 4 years before applying, issued after your last time there or within 6 months before you sign.
You have 60 days from the invitation. If a certificate is delayed, file a letter of explanation with proof of your best effort rather than missing the deadline.
Certificates not in English or French need a certified translation, or a translation with a translator's affidavit, submitted with the original.
Police certificates, answered.
Which countries do I need a police certificate from?
How long is a police certificate valid for IRCC?
Do I need a Canadian police certificate?
What if I cannot get a certificate in time for Express Entry?
Do visitors, students and workers need one?
The certificate is not in English or French — what do I do?
- IRCC — Police certificate: who needs one · updated 2026-02-19
- IRCC — Police certificate: when to get one · updated 2026-02-19
- IRCC — Express Entry documents: police certificates · updated 2026-06-22
- IRCC — How to get a police certificate, by country · 224 country pages
Related tools.
Complicated history? Get it checked before you file.
Multiple countries, expired certificates or a country that will not issue one — a licensed RCIC will tell you exactly what to obtain and what to write in the letter of explanation.
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CHK Immigration Services — Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC). Offices in Brampton and London, Ontario. Submitting this form does not create a client–consultant relationship; IRCC makes all final decisions.