ASAgent Santé#hospital ADSQAgent de sécurité QuébecThe security guard's notebook AAAgent Ambulancier#paramedic APOAgent Pompier#firefighter
Sûreté du Québec constable: $57,222 to $96,901 a yearSPVM: $51,610 to $97,377 a yearSPVM, specialist constable: $102,246RCMP constable: $71,191 to $115,350 a yearRCMP corporal: up to $126,311RCMP sergeant: up to $137,677RCMP staff sergeant: up to $150,073RCMP cadet: $1,000 a weekHighway safety officer: $59,506 to $81,651 a yearMilitary police corporal: $7,606 to $8,071 a monthMilitary police captain: $8,861 to $11,712 a monthPolice officer in Quebec, median wage: $45.08 an hourSûreté du Québec constable: $57,222 to $96,901 a yearSPVM: $51,610 to $97,377 a yearSPVM, specialist constable: $102,246RCMP constable: $71,191 to $115,350 a yearRCMP corporal: up to $126,311RCMP sergeant: up to $137,677RCMP staff sergeant: up to $150,073RCMP cadet: $1,000 a weekHighway safety officer: $59,506 to $81,651 a yearMilitary police corporal: $7,606 to $8,071 a monthMilitary police captain: $8,861 to $11,712 a monthPolice officer in Quebec, median wage: $45.08 an hour
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Criminal record check in Quebec: types, fees and the link with police work

The Sûreté du Québec's three checks, the SPVM's services, RCMP fingerprints, published fees and section 115 of the Police Act.

Full guide: Police oversight in Quebec

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In Quebec, a criminal record check or background check is done through the police force that serves your area or, for the criminal record itself, through fingerprints sent to the RCMP. The Sûreté du Québec (Quebec's provincial police) describes three types of checks on its page « Vérification du casier et des antécédents judiciaires ». For a future police officer, the question is central: the Police Act requires that you have not been found guilty of a criminal offence. In this text, "police officer" refers to women and men alike.

The Sûreté du Québec's three checks

  • The background check of people who work with a vulnerable clientele (VAPV), for example in a childcare centre
  • The background check required by a Quebec law or regulation (VAJ), notably for paid passenger transportation by automobile, teaching, private security and peace officers. The request goes through the organization that requires the check
  • The criminal record check for civil purposes, requested for citizenship, immigration, a record suspension, a visa, a work permit, pre-employment or a certificate of good conduct

Criminal record or background: the difference

The criminal record check for civil purposes is done with fingerprints. The Sûreté's procedure states that citizens must use a firm accredited by the RCMP and pay fees.

The check for a vulnerable clientele goes further. According to the Sûreté's procedure, the police service looks for behaviours that may pose a risk to the people served. It also looks for a match with a suspended criminal record that contains sexual or violent offences.

Working with vulnerable people

The organization gives you a consent form, which is sent to the Sûreté. Its processing time is 10 to 15 business days when fingerprints are not needed.

If there is a possible match with a suspended record, the police service asks for your consent to take your fingerprints. For volunteer work, the Sûreté takes the fingerprints and sends them to the RCMP free of charge. For paid employment, you go through a firm accredited by the RCMP with form SQ-3085, and you pay its fees.

What municipal police forces do

The SPVM (Montreal police service) offers these checks by appointment at its Module Vérification d'antécédents, at 4949 Molson Street in Montreal. Its page « Vérifications : services disponibles aux particuliers » asks for two pieces of identification. The SPVM does not take fingerprints and refers people to companies accredited by the RCMP.

Elsewhere, the process goes through the police force that serves your municipality.

Published fees

CheckFeesSource
Paid passenger transportation, Sûreté du Québec$84.25 as of January 1, 2026Sûreté du Québec
Vulnerable people or civil purposes, SPVM$121SPVM
Paid passenger transportation, SPVM$84.25SPVM
RCMP federal fees$25 per checkRCMP, page modified on May 21, 2025
Firm accredited by the RCMPSet by the firmSûreté du Québec, RCMP

Source: Sûreté du Québec, SPVM and RCMP pages consulted on October 15, 2026. The SPVM pages show no update date.

The RCMP fingerprint check

The RCMP page « Délais de traitement et frais » gives two processing times for fingerprints submitted electronically: 3 business days or less with no match, and 120 business days if manual processing is required or a possible match exists. The $25 federal fees do not apply to a citizenship or immigration application.

In Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Côte-Nord, where there is no private firm, the Sûreté takes the fingerprints itself.

Record suspension

The Parole Board of Canada writes that a record suspension keeps separate the record of people found guilty who have completed their sentence. It does not erase the conviction. The application fee has been $50 since January 1, 2022. Waiting periods vary with the offence and its date, and are listed on the page « Qui peut demander une suspension du casier ».

The link with police work

Section 115 of the Police Act sets the minimum conditions to be hired as a police officer. Paragraph 3 requires that you have not been found guilty, anywhere, of an act or omission that the Criminal Code describes as an offence. The steps to the job are in our article on becoming a police officer.

This text summarizes public documents. It is not legal advice.

Further reading

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Frequently asked questions

What is a background check?

It is a search done by a police service on a person, with that person's consent. The Sûreté du Québec describes three types, presented above.

How does a criminal background check work in Quebec?

For a vulnerable clientele, the organization gives you a consent form that is sent to the police service. For the criminal record check for civil purposes, a firm accredited by the RCMP takes your fingerprints and sends them to the RCMP.

How long does it take to get a criminal background check?

The Sûreté du Québec states 10 to 15 business days for a vulnerable clientele when fingerprints are not needed. The RCMP states 3 business days or less with no match, and 120 business days with manual processing or a possible match.

Where can I get a free criminal record check?

For volunteer work with a vulnerable clientele, the Sûreté du Québec takes the fingerprints and sends them to the RCMP free of charge. The RCMP also provides an exemption from its federal fees for volunteer work in Canada, with a letter from the organization.

How can I check someone's criminal record?

The processes described by the Sûreté du Québec and the SPVM start with the person concerned. That person signs the consent form or shows up with their identification. An organization can enter into a memorandum of understanding with its local police service.

Can you become a police officer with a criminal record?

Section 115 of the Police Act requires, to be hired as a police officer, that you have not been found guilty of an act or omission that the Criminal Code describes as an offence. The Act adds "anywhere".

What are the requirements to become a police officer in Quebec?

Section 115 of the Police Act sets four minimum conditions: be a Canadian citizen, be of good moral character, not have been found guilty of a criminal offence and hold the police patrol diploma from the École nationale de police du Québec (Quebec's police academy).

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