London, Ontario
Compare London Police Service checks with national RCMP and CPIC name-based checks, including the right route for vulnerable sector screening.
Start Your CheckLast updated: July 30, 2026
A police check in London, Ontario can mean several different documents. London Police Service offers a Criminal Record Check at Level 1, a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check at Level 2, and a Vulnerable Sector Check at Level 3. It also handles Broad Record Checks, adoption-related checks, non-parent decision-making-responsibility applications, record suspension checks and fingerprinting.
Instant Record Check provides national RCMP and CPIC name-based CRC and CRJMC products. It cannot issue a VSC, Broad Record Check, adoption-related check or non-parent check, and it does not take fingerprints. The recipient's wording determines the correct route. A form that names London Police Service needs an LPS result even if it uses the general term police clearance.
A basic name-based request may fit either route when the employer, licensing body or other recipient accepts the online document. Instant Record Check charges $59.97 for a CRC and $66.97 for an Enhanced CRJMC. Eligible results typically return in about 15 minutes after identity verification. LPS charges $74 for either a CRC or CRJMC and publishes no numeric processing time.
Per the London Police Service, July 2026, applications are submitted online. LPS says it has no system for rush requests and strives to minimize turnaround as best it can. It notes that the online process is up to one week quicker than waiting for mail delivery because a completed result is uploaded to the applicant's account.
Confirm the check level before paying. A CRC is not intended for work or volunteering with children or vulnerable persons. A VSC cannot be replaced by a private name-based search. The same routing rule applies to a Broad Record, adoption or non-parent request because each belongs to a distinct police process.
Prices and timing
Police prices are from the LPS fee schedule effective January 1, 2026. LPS publishes no numeric processing time. Its online application can be up to one week quicker than waiting for a result by mail. Instant Record Check timing applies only to eligible name-based checks.
| Provider and check | Price | Published timing |
|---|---|---|
| LPS Criminal Record Check, Level 1 | $74 | No numeric figure published by LPS |
| LPS Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check, Level 2 | $74 | No numeric figure published by LPS |
| LPS Vulnerable Sector Check, Level 3 | $65 | No numeric figure published by LPS |
| LPS volunteer Vulnerable Sector Check | $28 | No numeric figure published by LPS |
| Instant Record Check Criminal Record Check | $59.97 | Typically about 15 minutes |
| Instant Record Check Enhanced CRJMC | $66.97 | Typically about 15 minutes |
The table compares named products, not interchangeable documents. A Level 1 CRC and Level 2 CRJMC disclose different information. A VSC is a separate police check for an eligible vulnerable-sector position. The online CRC and Enhanced CRJMC are national name-based products and are not issued by LPS.
Price alone cannot settle which document to order. An LPS result is issued by the local police service, while the Instant Record Check product is a national RCMP and CPIC name-based result. A recipient that needs a particular issuer or level may reject another kind of document even when both involve criminal record information. The safest comparison starts with the exact words on the request.
If the request says CRC, ask whether a national name-based check is accepted. If it says CRJMC, use that level rather than a basic CRC. If it names LPS or a police-only process, follow the London Police Service route. This distinction matters before payment because the listed fees buy different searches and documents.
A request that names vulnerable sector screening must go to a police service. London Police Service accepts the application online and issues the result. Instant Record Check cannot issue a VSC and cannot take fingerprints.
In London the vulnerable sector check is the Level 3 police check. It belongs with a role involving children or vulnerable persons, while the LPS Level 1 CRC is expressly not intended for someone seeking work or volunteering with those groups. The organization requesting the check should identify the required level.
The standard LPS VSC fee is $65. The volunteer VSC fee is $28 on the fee schedule effective January 1, 2026. The volunteer rate depends on both the role and the supporting letter, so an applicant should prepare that documentation before beginning the LPS online form.
LPS defines a volunteer as someone who performs a service without compensation beyond expenses or an honorarium. Academic credit and sentence fulfilment do not meet that definition. LPS requires a current volunteer letter on agency letterhead containing the applicant's name, the volunteer position, what the applicant will do as a volunteer, and an agency official's signature.
Only police issue a VSC. Instant Record Check cannot provide one, and a standard online CRC or Enhanced CRJMC must not be used as a substitute. Any instructions naming London Police Service also stay with LPS, whether the form says VSC, Broad Record, adoption or non-parent check.
Many requests never mention the vulnerable sector. When the recipient accepts a national name-based check, an eligible online CRC or CRJMC typically returns in about 15 minutes. The vulnerable sector check guide explains the levels, but it does not change the route named by the recipient.
Per the London Police Service, July 2026, its Level 1 Criminal Record Check is available only to London residents. LPS describes this CRC as a search of RCMP databases usually requested for employment, bylaw licences or immigration.
The LPS CRC shows criminal convictions from CPIC and/or local police records. It also shows Youth Criminal Justice Act findings when disclosure is permitted by law. LPS says this level is not intended for employment or volunteer work with children or vulnerable persons.
An LPS applicant needs two pieces of valid government-issued identification. One piece must carry the person's full name, date of birth, photo and signature. When neither identification document shows the current London address, LPS requires proof of address. Its examples are a utility bill or rental agreement.
A London resident whose identification still carries a former address can use the extra proof requested by LPS. The utility bill or rental agreement supports the current London address; it does not make the LPS CRC available to a person who lives elsewhere. Residency and address evidence are related requirements, but they answer different questions in the application.
This rule matters for anyone whose identification no longer matches a London address, such as a student who has moved away or a new arrival. A national online name-based CRC or CRJMC may also fit when the receiving organization accepts it and does not require an LPS-issued document.
The national route is not a way around an LPS requirement. The residency note applies to the LPS Criminal Record Check; a request naming London Police Service for any level still goes to LPS, whatever the applicant's address. If the request is simply for an accepted name-based check, Instant Record Check is available to applicants who are 18 or older and have at least one year of Canadian residency.
LPS handles a Broad Record Check under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act or the Intercountry Adoption Act. London Police Service states the Broad Record Check is now available. It lists the Broad Record Check at $74 on the fee schedule effective January 1, 2026.
Adoption-related record checks and non-parent decision-making-responsibility applications also belong to the police route. LPS lists the non-parent application at $85. Instant Record Check cannot issue a Broad Record Check, adoption-related check or non-parent check. A national CRC or CRJMC is not a substitute for any of them.
| LPS police process | Price | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Broad Record Check | $74 | London Police Service |
| Non-parent decision-making-responsibility application | $85 | London Police Service |
A London Police Service record check application is submitted online. The applicant chooses the level named by the requesting organization, supplies the required identification and completes payment in the LPS system. This online form is still an application to London Police Service, not a private name-based check.
The application should match the recipient's terminology before payment. Level 1 means CRC, Level 2 means CRJMC and Level 3 means VSC. Broad Record, adoption-related and non-parent requests use their own police routes. A general phrase such as criminal reference check should be clarified because it does not identify one of those formal LPS levels.
When an LPS check is complete, the applicant can download it through the online account. LPS can also send a unique PIN by email for access to the result. LPS publishes no numeric processing time and has no rush-request system. Its statement that online can be up to one week quicker refers to avoiding mail delivery time, not to a promised completion date.
The Record Checks office at 601 Dundas Street is open by appointment only. The office is not a walk-in alternative to the online application. Record-check questions can be directed to 519-661-5255. LPS lists RCMP fingerprints at $36; fingerprints are taken by a police service or an RCMP-accredited fingerprinting company, and Instant Record Check does not take them.
Applicants can request five copies when submitting an LPS application. Since April 1, 2022, online applicants have also been able to print five extra copies within 31 days. Those copy rules apply to the LPS result. The applicant should still ask the receiving organization whether it wants an electronic copy or another format.
An online criminal record check may fit when the recipient accepts a national RCMP and CPIC name-based result and does not require a document issued by LPS. Instant Record Check charges $59.97 for a CRC and $66.97 for an Enhanced CRJMC. Eligible results typically return in about 15 minutes after identity verification.
Applicants must be 18 or older and have at least one year of Canadian residency. These rules apply to the name-based CRC and CRJMC. They do not make either product a vulnerable sector, Broad Record, adoption or non-parent check, and the service does not take fingerprints.
A recipient may want a paper original while still accepting a name-based result. Instant Record Check can mail a police-stamped hard copy that is embossed and sealed where the recipient accepts that format. Acceptance should be confirmed before ordering because a hard copy does not turn the result into an LPS-issued check.
The hard-copy option addresses document format, not check scope. It can serve a recipient that accepts the same name-based search on paper. It cannot satisfy instructions that call for local police records, vulnerable sector screening or fingerprints. The wording on the request remains the deciding factor even when a sealed paper copy is preferred.
Instant Record Check is a member of the Professional Background Screening Association and is a BBB Accredited Business. Those credentials identify the provider, while the receiving organization decides which check it will accept. Any request naming London Police Service, or for a VSC, BRC, adoption-related or non-parent check, stays with LPS; fingerprints are taken by a police service or an RCMP-accredited company.
Common Questions
On the LPS fee schedule effective January 1, 2026, London Police Service charges $74 for a CRC or CRJMC, $65 for a VSC and $28 for a volunteer VSC. Instant Record Check charges $59.97 for a CRC and $66.97 for an Enhanced CRJMC.
LPS publishes no numeric processing time and says there is no system for rush requests. It notes that applying online is up to one week quicker than waiting for mail delivery. Eligible Instant Record Check CRC and CRJMC results typically return in about 15 minutes.
Applications to London Police Service are submitted online, but the result is still a police-issued VSC. Instant Record Check cannot issue a vulnerable sector check or take fingerprints. A request for a VSC must use the LPS route.
LPS states that its Level 1 CRC is available only to London residents. Applicants need two pieces of valid government-issued identification. One must show the full name, date of birth, photo and signature. If the current London address is absent, LPS also requires proof of address.
For the $28 volunteer VSC rate, LPS requires a current letter on agency letterhead. It must give the applicant's name, the volunteer position, what the applicant will do as a volunteer, and an agency official's signature. The role must meet the LPS volunteer definition, including no compensation beyond expenses or an honorarium.
Applicants can request five copies when submitting an LPS application. Online applicants can also print five extra copies within 31 days. These LPS copy options apply to the police result, not to an Instant Record Check document.
Some organizations use "criminal reference check" as a general synonym. It is not one of the formal LPS level names. Ask whether the recipient requires a CRC, CRJMC, VSC, Broad Record Check, adoption check or non-parent check before choosing a route.
Per LPS, a Level 1 CRC shows criminal convictions from CPIC and/or local police records, plus Youth Criminal Justice Act findings where disclosure is allowed by law. LPS describes it as a search of RCMP databases usually used for employment, bylaw licences or immigration.
