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Free tool · police certificates

Police certificate checker

A missing or out-of-date police certificate is one of the most common reasons an Express Entry or PR application is refused for incompleteness.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.

Build my certificate list ↓ The two rules
Turned 18Today

016 months in a rowAny country but Canada, since age 18, needs a certificate.

02A country you leftIssued after the month you left.

03Where you live nowIssued ≤ 6 months before you submit.

Your residence file

Which certificates belong in your file?

Add each place you have lived since you turned 18. Every stay draws on the timeline; the answer comes back as one line per country.

Police certificate checkerFreeIRCC rules224 countries

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), verified October 9, 2026.

The rules

The date changes the test.

Two tests, applied country by country: does the stay count, and is the certificate recent enough. The checker above runs both for you.

Country you live in now

No more than 6 months old.

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.

Countries you have left

Issued after you left.

The certificate must be issued after the last time you lived there for 6 consecutive months or more since age 18. An older certificate, even one with no expiry date, is not accepted.

  • Who needs one

    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.

    6 monthsin a row · 10 yrs for EE

  • Citizenship

    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.

    183 daysin the past 4 years

  • International Experience Canada

    Since IRCC’s 17 June 2026 update, the certificate for the country you live in now can be no older than 6 months on the date IRCC receives your work permit application. For every other country where you lived 6 months or more since age 18, it must be issued after you last lived there (Source: IRCC, verified October 9, 2026).

    6 monthsat IRCC’s receipt

  • Express Entry timing

    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.

    60 daysfrom the invitation

  • Translations

    Certificates not in English or French need a certified translation, or a translation with a translator's affidavit, submitted with the original.

    + originalwith every translation
Overhead still life on a pale maple desk: a closed navy passport, a blank calendar page and three unmarked folders in a row with a small red paper clip
One certificate per country, per adult.Canada itself never needs one. Each family member aged 18 or over on the application files their own set.

Questions

Police certificates, answered.

Which countries do I need a police certificate from?
For permanent residence and International Experience Canada: every country or territory, other than Canada, where you stayed for 6 months or more in a row since you turned 18 (for Express Entry, within the last 10 years). For citizenship: any country where you were present for 183 days or more in a row in the 4 years before you apply. Every family member aged 18 or over who is on the application needs their own certificates.
How long is a police certificate valid for IRCC?
It depends on where you live now. For the country you currently live in, the certificate must be issued no more than 6 months before you submit the application. For a country you no longer live in, it must be issued after the last time you stayed there for 6 months or more in a row; an older issue date makes it unusable even if the certificate itself has no expiry.
Do I need a Canadian police certificate?
No. IRCC does not ask for a police certificate for time spent in Canada on immigration applications; officers run their own checks. Some provincial programs and employers may ask for a Canadian criminal record check separately.
What if I cannot get a certificate in time for Express Entry?
You have 60 days after the invitation to apply. If a certificate has not arrived, upload a letter of explanation with proof of your best effort (receipts, tracking numbers, correspondence with the issuing agency). Some countries only issue certificates on an official request letter from IRCC; in that case, say so in the upload and IRCC will send instructions.
Do visitors, students and workers need one?
Usually only when the visa office asks, or when you have a criminal record. Some countries' visa offices routinely require one for work and study permits, and IEC applicants always need one. Check the document checklist for your application before you file.
The certificate is not in English or French — what do I do?
Include the original-language certificate plus a translation by a certified translator, or a translation with an affidavit from the translator, exactly as for any other document.

Checked against

Country instructions and rules.

Keep going

Related tools.

Talk to an RCIC

A complicated residence history?

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.

Book a consultation →

Next on your path

Keep your file moving.

The checklist, free tools and guides that usually come next.

  1. GuideExpress EntryThe federal PR pool: score, categories and draws.
  2. ChecklistExpress Entry document checklistEvery document, in filing order, with what officers reject.
  3. GuideCanadian citizenshipPhysical presence, test and ceremony.

eligibility review

Find out where you actually stand.

Send a few details. A licensed RCIC reads your profile personally, then replies with the routes that genuinely fit, the ones that do not, and the consultation fee and next available times.

  1. 01Read personally by a CICC-licensed consultant
  2. 02A written shortlist of the programs you qualify for
  3. 03Fee-based; the fee and times come by reply

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. Prefer to talk first? Call 647-948-7200 or book a paid consultation.