Home / Services / RCMP fingerprints from abroad
RCMP criminal record check from outside Canada: fingerprints taken where you live, apostilled and delivered
Yes, you can get an RCMP certified criminal record check without travelling to Canada. Your fingerprints are taken in ink where you live, on the RCMP form C-216C. We open your file with our RCMP-accredited partner, the certificate comes back to us in Canada, we have it apostilled, and DHL Express brings it to your door, anywhere, with a scan by email first. One contact, one fixed price, and a free kit that tells you exactly what to do.
From an ink card in your city to an apostilled certificate at your door
Months are usually lost between the links: a certificate airmailed to you without its apostille, then sent back to Ottawa. In our process the certificate is mailed to our office in Canada, stays here until it is apostilled, and crosses the border once, finished.
Getting an RCMP check from abroad, step by step
You handle three things: the two emails, the fingerprint appointment and one courier. We do the rest and write to you at every checkpoint.
Free pre-check and a fixed quote
Tell us the destination, the purpose and your deadline. We confirm the route after the RCMP (apostille in Ottawa, a Canadian embassy abroad, or legalization) and send one fixed written quote. Nothing to pay until you approve it.
You · Day 1, reply within the hourWe open your file with our RCMP-accredited partner
You receive two emails from the accredited fingerprinting company that will submit your prints: a short online application, and a consent package to sign electronically. We tell you to expect them, and we check that both are complete.
Us · Same dayInk fingerprints where you live, with our kit
A police service, a notary public, a government department, a foreign government's embassy or an approved fingerprinting company rolls all ten fingers in black ink on the RCMP form C-216C. Our kit has a page to hand to the official and a field-by-field guide to the card.
You · Your local appointmentTracked courier to the processing centre in Canada
The original card and the items in your checklist go flat, in a rigid envelope, to the address printed in your consent package: our partner's processing centre in Ottawa. Nothing is ever mailed directly to the RCMP.
You · A few daysSubmission to the RCMP, certificate mailed to our office
Your prints are submitted electronically, usually within one business day of arrival. The RCMP mails the certificate directly to our office in Laval, Québec, so it never leaves Canada without its apostille.
Us · 1 to 2 weeksApostille, or the route your destination needs
We file the original with Global Affairs Canada or, in countries where it is possible, prepare it for the local Canadian embassy. For a country outside the Apostille Convention, it is authenticated, then legalized. You get a scan by email the day it is done.
Us · About 25 business days in OttawaDHL Express to your door
Once the balance is paid, the original leaves by DHL Express with tracking, to you or straight to the lawyer or office that needs it. You and the recipient both get the tracking number.
Us · 3 to 5 business days to most countries
Everything for your fingerprint appointment, on four pages
Print it before you book. It is written for you and for the officer who will take your prints, so neither of you has to guess.
The Viapostille fingerprint kit
- Page 1, how it works: the six steps on your side, what arrives by email, and the timeline.
- Page 2, for the official: the RCMP's requirements in plain English, to hand to the officer or technician.
- Page 3, the C-216C field by field: what to write in each box, and what goes in the envelope.
- Page 4, delivery sheet: where the apostilled original should go, with your authorization.
Form C-216C, fingerprint identification
The RCMP's civil fingerprint card. Many agencies abroad do not stock it: print this one on white letter (8.5 × 11 in) or A4 paper, single-sided, at 100% scale, and bring two copies to your appointment. If the agency only has the US FD-258 card, it is accepted too.
Published by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Complete the personal details in block capitals before the appointment; the prints, stamp and signature are done by the agency.
What you need, and what you do not
What goes in the envelope
- The original C-216C card with ink prints. Two cards if the agency agrees: the second spares you a new appointment if the first is unreadable.
- A clear copy of two pieces of government ID, at least one with a photo. Your passport first.
- Everything your consent package asks for, exactly as written. It governs your submission; our kit explains it, it does not replace it.
- Your name exactly as in your passport, and any former names (birth name, previous married name), on the card and in the online application.
What you do not need
- No trip to Canada. The prints are taken where you live.
- No Canadian address. The RCMP mails the certificate to our office.
- No Canadian bank account. You can pay by card from anywhere.
- No notary for the certificate. The fingerprint-based check is apostilled as issued.
- No second provider. Check, apostille, translation if needed, and delivery: one contact for all of it.
How to fill in the C-216C so it is not rejected
Most rejections come from the card, not from the RCMP. For prints taken outside Canada, the RCMP requires all ten fingers in black ink, the agency's name and address, and the official's name and signature. Page 3 of the kit is this table, to bring to your appointment.
| Area of the card | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Your name | Surname and every given name exactly as in your passport, same order, same spelling, accents included. Former names in the box provided. | The receiving office compares the certificate with your passport. A missing middle name is a classic refusal. |
| Personal details | Date of birth (Y-M-D), gender, a phone number with your country code, the language of the result, and your current address abroad. Leave nothing blank. | An incomplete card is held back until it is corrected, from abroad. |
| Reason for application | Tick the box that matches your file: Visa/Waiver for a visa or residency, Employment (specify the country), or Other (specify, for example “Citizenship, Italy”). | It must match the purpose in your online application, which decides the type of check the RCMP runs. |
| Reference number, return result to | Leave both blank unless your consent package tells you otherwise. The accredited company completes them so the certificate is mailed to our office. | A wrong return address sends the certificate abroad without its apostille. |
| Fingerprint boxes | All ten fingers rolled from nail to nail, plus the flat impressions, in black ink, each in its own box. | Faint, smudged or partial prints are the most common cause of rejection. |
| Agency stamp | The official stamp of the police service, notary or company, with its name and full address. | Required by the RCMP for every card taken outside Canada. |
| Official taking the prints | The printed name and signature of the person who rolled your prints, and the date. | Required by the RCMP. Never sign this area yourself. |
Where the certificate goes next
The certificate is a federal document, so no province can act on it. Your destination decides the route, and we confirm it before your prints are taken.
| Route | For | Who issues it | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apostille in Ottawa | Countries party to the Apostille Convention: Spain, Portugal, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe and Latin America. | Global Affairs Canada (federal authority). The apostille is attached to the original. | About 25 business days, plus mail. Current figures |
| Apostille at a Canadian embassy | Some countries only. The Embassy of Canada in Madrid apostilles RCMP certificates for people located in Spain or Andorra, mailed from inside the country; the Embassy in Tokyo also issues apostilles on Canadian documents. | The Canadian embassy in your country. We ship you the certificate and a ready-to-send request. | Set by the embassy. We tell you at the pre-check whether it saves time over Ottawa. |
| Authentication and legalization | Countries outside the Convention, such as the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon or Haiti. | Global Affairs Canada, then the destination's embassy or consulate. For the UAE, the UAE Embassy and a MOFA digital attestation. | The federal queue, plus the embassy's own processing time. |
How long an RCMP check from abroad really takes
Nobody can speed up the RCMP or Global Affairs Canada, and neither sells a rush service. What we control is everything in between, and we start the moment you approve the quote.
Your part: 1 to 2 weeks
The two emails the same day, your fingerprint appointment, and a tracked courier to the processing centre in Canada. Most people are done within a week.
The RCMP: 1 to 2 weeks
Submission within a business day of arrival. The RCMP publishes 3 business days or less for an electronic submission with no match, up to 120 when a manual review is needed, plus Canada Post to our office.
Apostille and delivery: about 25 business days + DHL
Global Affairs Canada is currently at about 25 business days. On October 23, 2026 GAC reported it was processing requests received 25 business days earlier (90% of recent files). No expedited service. DHL Express then takes 3 to 5 business days to most countries.
How recent the certificate must be, by destination
The receiving authority, not the RCMP, decides how recent the certificate must be. We only list what we could verify.
| Destination | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal, residence visas | The criminal record certificate from your country of origin must be requested with an apostille. The consular checklists we checked print no issue window for it, so the lawyer or office handling your file sets the date; tell us and we plan backwards from it. | Portuguese consular checklists (VFS Global) |
| Spain, residence visas from Canada | Only the RCMP certificate containing your fingerprints is accepted, apostilled by Global Affairs Canada and translated into Spanish; local police certificates are refused. No issue window is printed on the visa page: ask when you book. | Consulates of Spain in Toronto and Montréal |
| New Zealand, visas | Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your visa application. | Immigration New Zealand |
| South Korea, E-2 teaching visa | A nationwide criminal record check from your government, with an apostille. Recruiters for EPIK and public schools generally ask for one issued within the last 6 months. | Korean consular guidance; EPIK recruiters |
Not listed? We confirm your destination's window at the pre-check. For Spain, see our post on the non-lucrative visa file.
Why RCMP checks from abroad get rejected
Smudged or faint prints
Unreadable ridges are refused. Ask the technician to check every box, and send two cards.
Missing stamp, name or signature
The agency's name and address and the official's name and signature are required. A card signed by you in the official's box does not count.
A name that does not match
A missing middle name, a different order, a married name on one document and a birth name on the other. See two names, one person.
Folded, scanned or copied cards
Only the original flat ink card can be converted.
The certificate mailed abroad
A certificate airmailed to your home abroad has no apostille and must travel back to Canada. Ours stays here until it is apostilled.
The wrong check
A name-based check or a local police letter is refused by many destinations, Spain's consulates included.
Canadians and former residents of Canada, living anywhere
Anyone who has lived in Canada can be asked for a Canadian police certificate, sometimes years after leaving.
Residence visas
Spain's non-lucrative visa, Portugal's D7 and residency files, residence permits and renewals.
Several people, one package
A parent and adult children in different countries, each fingerprinted locally, all certificates apostilled together and shipped once.
Work permits and employers
Employers and immigration offices abroad asking for a Canadian police certificate.
Teachers
South Korea's E-2 visa (EPIK and private schools), Japan, China and the Gulf.
Residency and citizenship abroad
Permanent residence and naturalization files covering your years in Canada.
Adoption
Intercountry adoption files that call for a fingerprint-based check.
One fixed, all-in quote before you pay anything
RCMP check from abroad, apostilled
- Free pre-check and written quote, usually within the hour
- Your file opened with our accredited partner, the two emails checked
- The kit, and our help if the card or the forms raise a question
- Apostille filing, or the embassy or legalization route
- Scan by email the day it is done, DHL booked, tracking at every step
What your quote adds, at cost
| RCMP certified criminal record check, through our accredited partner | $175 per person |
| RCMP processing fee | $25 per person |
| DHL Express to your address, with tracking | Fixed by region: $65 United States, $140 Europe and UK, $150 Asia, Middle East and Oceania, $170 Latin America, $180 Africa |
| Your fingerprint appointment | Paid where you live, to the agency |
| Embassy or legalization fee, if your route needs one | At cost, on the quote |
From $300 + tax per person, plus DHL. A family or a group pays the same per person and shares one DHL shipment.
How you pay
50% when you approve the quote, which lets us order your certified check from our partner the same day. The other 50% once the apostille is issued and the scan is in your inbox, before shipping. Pay by card on our payment page from anywhere, or by Interac e-Transfer from a Canadian account. A translation, if your destination wants one, is quoted separately: see apostille and translation.
RCMP fingerprints from abroad: your questions
Can I get an RCMP criminal record check from outside Canada?
What are the two emails I receive after approving the quote?
Who can take my fingerprints abroad?
What is form C-216C, and where do I get it?
Can a Canadian embassy or consulate take my fingerprints?
Where do I mail the fingerprint card?
How long does an RCMP check from abroad take?
Can I mail my fingerprints directly to the RCMP?
Can my family apply together?
I already have my RCMP certificate. Do I need all this?
Can the RCMP mail the certificate to me abroad instead?
Can I get a name-based or vulnerable sector check from abroad?
Does the RCMP certificate need an apostille, and who issues it?
Can the Canadian embassy in my country apostille the certificate?
How long is an RCMP certificate valid?
How much does it cost?
Can you send the certificate straight to my lawyer, and arrange a translation?
Sources, checked November 2026: RCMP, Global Affairs Canada, the Embassies of Canada in Madrid and Tokyo, and the published procedures of our RCMP-accredited partner. Viapostille is not itself an RCMP-accredited fingerprinting company and does not give legal advice. Background: the full chain, explained.
“Amazing! Auguste the man on top of it, very competent, professional and speedy! No time to waste type company!”
“Id give more stars if I could. Auguste made this daunting process smooth and easy. Would recommend…”
“I highly recommend this agency. They keep you informed every step of the way, providing accurate and reliable information and finding solutions to every issue that may arise. They are professional, responsive, and genuinely committed to making the entire process as smooth and stress-free as possible.”
Get your RCMP check from abroad, apostilled and delivered
Tell us the destination and your deadline. We confirm the route and send a fixed all-in quote within the hour, then open your file the day you approve it. Nothing to pay until then.
Get a fixed quote