Last updated: July 23, 2026
British Columbia runs record checks through two systems, and knowing which one your situation falls under saves weeks. Most employment and housing screening is an ordinary criminal record check you can complete online or through your police service. Work with children or vulnerable adults at a registered organization is different: the province's Criminal Records Review Program handles that screening exclusively. This guide covers both, with fees checked against the source schedules in July 2026.
How to Get a Criminal Record Check in BC
Three routes, depending on who asked and why.
- Online, about 15 minutes. A CPIC-based criminal record check through Instant Record Check costs $59.97 anywhere in the province, from Victoria to Fort St. John, with identity verified electronically and pricing published. The Enhanced CRJMC at $66.97 covers licensing and regulated roles that need the judicial layer.
- Through your police service. Vancouver residents use the VPD's police information check: $89 for employment on the fee schedule dated January 1, 2026, applied for online with credit-history identity questions or in person at 2120 Cambie Street by appointment. Municipal forces like Victoria, Delta and Abbotsford run their own counters, and RCMP-policed municipalities, Surrey and Burnaby among them, take applications at the local detachment with fees set per municipality.
- Through the CRRP, when the role is covered. If you will work or volunteer with children or vulnerable adults for an organization registered under the Criminal Records Review Act, your check runs through the provincial program, not the police counter. See the next section.
The Criminal Records Review Program
BC is the one province that centralizes vulnerable-sector screening. Under the Criminal Records Review Act, employees and volunteers who work with children or vulnerable adults at registered organizations must clear the Criminal Records Review Program, and per the RCMP, the CRRP handles that screening in BC exclusively. The organization initiates the check through its CRRP account and sends you a link; the fee is $28, and results go back to the organization.
Two practical consequences. First, a police-counter or online check does not satisfy a CRRA requirement, so if a school, care home or childcare operator says CRRP, that is the only door. Second, everything else in BC does not need the CRRP: for ordinary employment screening outside the vulnerable sector, the online check or your police service is faster. Our vulnerable sector check guide covers how the rest of the country handles the police-issued version.
Types of Criminal Record Checks in British Columbia
The ladder in BC matches the national one, with the CRRP layered on top. The standard CRC searches CPIC for criminal convictions and satisfies most requests. The Enhanced CRJMC adds outstanding charges, discharges, warrants and judicial orders for regulated and licensed roles. Vulnerable-sector screening runs through the CRRP for CRRA organizations, and through police services for the narrower cases outside the Act. Certified checks for immigration, citizenship and record suspensions are a separate fingerprint stream through the RCMP, with a $25 submission fee that VPD collects on the RCMP's behalf when prints are required.
Fees and Timelines at a Glance
- Online (Instant Record Check): $59.97 CRC, $66.97 Enhanced CRJMC, results in about 15 minutes, accepted for name-based screening across BC.
- VPD: $89 employment, $10 per extra embossed original ordered the same day. Apply online; in-person is by appointment.
- RCMP detachments (Surrey, Burnaby, Richmond, Kelowna and most of the province): fees set by each municipality; volunteer discounts are common. Check your detachment's page before you queue.
- CRRP: $28, organization-initiated.
Processing on the police and CRRP routes runs from days to weeks with volume, and fingerprint referrals add more. The online route is the only one measured in minutes; see how it works.
Who Asks for Checks in BC
Healthcare and long-term care, schools and childcare, and community organizations sit under the CRRA and route through the CRRP. Outside it, the province's big screeners are tech and film production hiring in Vancouver, security licensing, financial services, and the trades and resource employers that dominate outside the Lower Mainland. Landlords in BC's tight rental markets increasingly ask too, and pre-employment screening for office roles is routine. City-level detail lives in our Vancouver, Victoria and Surrey guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a criminal record check cost in BC?
Online, $59.97 with results in about 15 minutes, or $66.97 for the Enhanced CRJMC. VPD charges $89 for employment checks on its January 2026 fee schedule; RCMP-policed municipalities set their own detachment fees. The provincial CRRP check for work with children or vulnerable adults costs $28.
What is the fastest way to get a criminal record check in BC?
Online. The whole process takes about 15 minutes end to end, including electronic identity verification, from anywhere in the province. Police-counter and CRRP processing is measured in days to weeks, and a fingerprint referral extends it further.
How do vulnerable sector checks work in British Columbia?
Differently than the rest of Canada. For work with children or vulnerable adults at an organization registered under the Criminal Records Review Act, screening runs through the provincial Criminal Records Review Program rather than your local police service. The organization initiates the check and the fee is $28.
How long does a criminal record check take in BC?
About 15 minutes online, including electronic identity verification. Police and CRRP processing runs from days to weeks depending on volume, and any check that needs fingerprints to confirm identity takes longer, with a $25 RCMP submission fee for employment applicants.
Do BC employers accept online criminal record checks?
Yes, for name-based CPIC checks, which is what most BC employment screening asks for. The exceptions are roles under the Criminal Records Review Act, which must go through the CRRP, and purposes that require certified fingerprint checks through the RCMP, such as immigration and record suspensions.
Instant Record Check Editorial
Writing on criminal record checks and background screening in Canada.
