Quebec
Online CPIC-based criminal record checks for Quebec residents in about 15 minutes, plus current SPVM and Surete du Quebec fees and what your rights are under the Quebec Charter.
Start Your CheckLast updated: July 2026
A criminal record check in Quebec is a name-based search of the RCMP's national CPIC database, the same search a police counter runs. There are two routes to one. The online route through Instant Record Check costs $59.97, takes about 15 minutes, and works from anywhere in the province. The police route depends on where you live: the Service de police de la Ville de Montreal covers the island of Montreal, municipal forces serve Quebec City, Laval, Longueuil and Gatineau, and the Surete du Quebec polices most other municipalities.
Quebec's police route is the most expensive in Canada. The SPVM charges $121 for a police verification for civil purposes, employment included, and works strictly by appointment; the Surete du Quebec's record-verification certificate runs $84.25 on the fee schedule in effect since January 1, 2026. Against those numbers, the online check is both faster and cheaper, which is not true in any other province.
One more thing worth knowing before you apply: section 18.2 of Quebec's Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms protects you from being refused a job solely because of a conviction unconnected with it, or one that has been pardoned. Employers can still require the check where the record is relevant.
For other provinces and cities, see the popular locations directory, our Montreal guide, or read how the online process works.
Simple Process
Complete a quick identity verification step. Your information is checked against the RCMP's CPIC national criminal records database.
Most results are delivered within about 15 minutes. Download your check and share it with employers, landlords, or volunteer organizations.
Fees verified against each force's own published pages, July 2026. Compare against the online check.
| Method | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Online (Instant Record Check) | From $59.97 | About 15 minutes, from anywhere in Quebec |
| SPVM police verification, civil purposes | $121 | Appointment only; no published turnaround |
| SPVM vulnerable sector check | $121 | Appointment only; police-issued |
| Surete du Quebec certificate (authorized-driver permits) | $84.25 | Online portal or mail; fee since January 1, 2026 |
The SPVM's background check services run from its Background Check Unit at 4949 Molson Street, strictly by appointment booked through its online system, with a 48-hour cancellation rule. Bring two valid pieces of identification, at least one with a photo and one with your current address. A police verification for civil purposes costs $121; the judicial-record check for taxi and rideshare drivers is $84.25 and limited to island of Montreal residents. Full detail lives in our Montreal guide.
The Surete du Quebec's record-verification service issues a certificate of absence of criminal record, or the list of records, for $84.25; its online stream serves authorized-driver permit applicants through the habilitation portal, with a mail option using form SQ3290. Residents of SQ-policed municipalities can ask their local SQ service point about checks for other purposes. Quebec City, Laval, Longueuil and Gatineau run their own municipal counters with their own fee schedules.
Work with children or vulnerable persons in Quebec is screened through police, commonly as the SPVM's $121 vulnerable sector check in Montreal or the equivalent verification at your local force; childcare roles use Quebec's absence-of-impediment verification through the same police channels. No online provider can issue this screening, Instant Record Check included. If your role is not in the vulnerable sector, a standard criminal record check usually satisfies the request; our vulnerable sector check guide explains who qualifies and what is disclosed.
In most provinces the police counter is cheaper and the online route sells speed. Quebec is the exception: the SPVM's $121 civil-purposes verification costs more than double the online check, and it requires booking an appointment, attending in person at 4949 Molson Street, and waiting for processing with no published timeline. An online criminal record check finishes in about 15 minutes for $59.97, from Gatineau to Gaspe.
The distinction that matters: vulnerable-persons screening belongs to the police, and only they can issue it. For employment, housing and licensing outside the vulnerable sector, organizations accept a CPIC-based CRC or the Enhanced CRJMC from Instant Record Check, the same database search a counter runs.
For employers managing multiple hires, the business portal offers bulk rates and centralized results.
Common Questions
Online, $59.97 with CPIC-based results in about 15 minutes, or $66.97 for the Enhanced CRJMC. Through police, Quebec runs the highest fees in Canada: the SPVM charges $121 for a police verification for civil purposes and $121 for a vulnerable sector check, by appointment only, and the Surete du Quebec's certificate for authorized-driver permits is $84.25.
About 15 minutes online, including electronic identity verification. The SPVM works by appointment at its Background Check Unit and publishes no turnaround time; booking, attending and processing typically stretches the police route across weeks.
Yes. A name-based CPIC criminal record check works from anywhere in Quebec and is what most employers ask for. The exceptions are vulnerable-persons screening, which only a police service can issue, and certified fingerprint checks for immigration, which run through the RCMP.
The SQ's record-verification certificate costs $84.25, a fee in effect since January 1, 2026, and its online stream serves authorized-driver permit applicants through the force's habilitation portal, with a mail option. For general employment screening in SQ-policed municipalities, ask your local SQ service point or use the online check.
Not solely because of it. Section 18.2 of Quebec's Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms protects against being refused or dismissed only because of a conviction that has no connection with the job, or one that has been pardoned. Employers can still require a check where the record is relevant to the role.
