Last updated: August 16, 2022
Last updated: July 2026
The Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check, usually shortened to CRJMC and sometimes called an Enhanced Criminal Record Check or a level 2 check, is the middle tier of Ontario's three standardised police check types. It reports everything a standard criminal record check does, then adds the judicial layer: matters that are before the courts but not yet resolved. That layer is why two of Ontario's licensing regulators specifically demand this check and not the cheaper one below it.
What a CRJMC Includes
- Criminal convictions, from CPIC and local police databases
- Findings of guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, within the disclosure period
- Outstanding entries: charges and warrants
- Judicial orders: peace bonds, probation orders and prohibition orders
- Absolute discharges for one year and conditional discharges for three years
A standard criminal record check stops at the first two items. The rest is the judicial-matters layer, and it is the part an employer or regulator cannot see any other way.
What It Never Includes
- Convictions granted a pardon or record suspension
- Provincial-statute convictions, including everything on a driving record (that is a driver's abstract, a separate document)
- Family court restraining orders
- Police contact involving mental health, and any health information
- The vulnerable-sector layer: pardoned sexual offences are reachable only by a vulnerable sector check, issued by police services
Who Requires a CRJMC, and How Fresh It Must Be
The check has no expiry of its own; requesters impose the freshness window. Ontario's two biggest institutional requesters have converged on the same one:
Security guards and private investigators. An Ontario licence application requires a valid CRJMC issued within six months of the application, and applicants convicted of prescribed offences without a record suspension are ineligible outright. Every licence renewal means a fresh check. Our security industry guide covers screening for this sector end to end.
Real estate registrants. RECO requires a level 2 CRJMC dated within six months for new salesperson applications under the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, for reinstatements after 60 days out of registration, and for newly appointed brokerage officers, directors and 10%-plus shareholders. Since 2025, RECO has been phasing periodic CRJMCs into registration renewals as well.
Employers. Outside licensing, the CRJMC is the standard choice wherever a pending charge matters as much as a conviction: finance, roles with cash or sensitive data, and positions of trust. The financial services and staffing guides cover when employers choose it over the standard check.
CRJMC vs Standard Criminal Record Check
- Coverage: both report convictions; only the CRJMC reports pending charges, warrants and court orders
- Price through Instant Record Check: standard from $59.97, CRJMC from $66.97, both typically in about 15 minutes (current pricing)
- When the cheaper one is enough: volunteer screening outside the vulnerable sector, tenancy, and employers who only ask for "a criminal record check"
- When it is not: any Ontario security licence or RECO application, and any requester who names the CRJMC, a level 2, or an enhanced check
Ordering the wrong tier means paying twice, so confirm which one the organisation wants before applying. If the wording is ambiguous, ask them, not the provider.
How to Get One
Online, through Instant Record Check: the application takes about 15 minutes, identity is verified electronically against your credit file, and results are typically returned the same way. You must be 18 or older.
In person, through a police service: bring two pieces of government-issued ID, one with photo and signature and at least one showing your full name and date of birth, plus proof of address if your ID does not show your current one. Fees and turnaround vary by service; processing fees are non-refundable either way.
Several companies sell the CRJMC online at different prices; our provider comparison puts the published numbers side by side.
One caution for licensing applicants: regulators can specify the issuer as well as the check. RECO's policy describes checks obtained from a local police service. Before ordering from any provider for a licence application, confirm with the licensing body which issuers it accepts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check?
A CRJMC, sometimes called an Enhanced Criminal Record Check or a level 2 check, covers everything a standard criminal record check does and adds judicial matters: outstanding charges, warrants, peace bonds, probation orders and conditional sentences. It is the middle tier of Ontario's three standardised check types.
What is the difference between a CRJMC and a criminal record check?
The judicial layer. A standard check reports convictions; a CRJMC also reports matters that have not yet resolved into a conviction, such as pending charges and court orders. Licensing bodies tend to demand the CRJMC precisely because an outstanding charge is material to their decision.
How recent does a CRJMC have to be?
The check itself has no expiry date; it reports what the databases hold on the day it runs. The requester sets the freshness window, and the two big Ontario ones agree: security guard and private investigator licensing requires a CRJMC issued within six months of the application, and RECO requires one dated within six months of receiving a real estate registration application.
Does a CRJMC show pardoned offences or mental health contacts?
No. Convictions with a record suspension, provincial-statute matters, family court restraining orders, police mental-health contacts and driving records are all outside its scope. A vulnerable sector check is the only tier that can reach pardoned sexual offences, and it is issued by police services only.
Can I get a CRJMC online?
Yes. Instant Record Check delivers the CRJMC online from $66.97, typically in about 15 minutes, with identity verified electronically. Police services also issue them in person. If the check is for a licensing body, confirm with that body which issuers it accepts before ordering; RECO's policy, for example, describes checks obtained from a local police service.
Instant Record Check Editorial
Writing on criminal record checks and background screening in Canada.
