Guide for Organizations
Two checks, two different jobs. One is issued by police services and may require fingerprints. The other is name-based and can be done online. Here is how to tell them apart and choose correctly.
Last updated: July 2026
When an organization asks a volunteer or candidate to "get a police check," two very different documents can be meant. One is a Vulnerable Sector check, which only police services can issue and which some roles may require — that depends on the role's duties, your province, and your insurer or governing body, so confirm with them rather than taking any vendor's word for it. The other is a name-based criminal record check, which any authorized provider — including Instant Record Check — can complete online in minutes. Confusing the two wastes time and, in the worst case, leaves a mandatory screening step undone.
The short version: if a role carries authority or trust over children or vulnerable adults and the governing policy names a Vulnerable Sector check, that person must go through the police. For every other role, a name-based criminal record check is usually the right and far faster tool. The rest of this guide explains why, so you can decide with confidence.
A criminal record check — sometimes called a police information check or police record check — is a name-based search of the RCMP's Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database. It matches on the applicant's name and date of birth and returns criminal convictions registered federally. Because it relies on name and date of birth rather than fingerprints, it can be completed online: the applicant verifies their identity electronically and receives an official result, often within about 15 minutes. Our how it works page walks through the steps.
Some organizations ask for an enhanced version, formally a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check (CRJMC). It adds outstanding charges, some judicial orders, and peace bonds to the standard search. It is still a name-based check. It does not open the pardoned sexual-offence database that defines a Vulnerable Sector check.
A Vulnerable Sector check goes further than any name-based search. On top of the standard criminal record, it queries a national police database of pardoned — now called record-suspended — sexual offences. Those records are sealed from an ordinary criminal record check. Because a Vulnerable Sector check can surface them, federal law (the Criminal Records Act) restricts who may request one and requires it be run by a police service or the RCMP.
Identity matters here in a way it does not for a name-based check. When an applicant's name and date of birth match a flagged record in the system, police require fingerprints to confirm whether the applicant is actually that person. That police-controlled process is why a Vulnerable Sector check cannot be done online and can take days or weeks. For volunteers, many police services charge a reduced rate. You can read more about what Vulnerable Sector checks mean and the provincial requirements in Ontario.
| Criminal record check (name-based) | Vulnerable Sector check | |
|---|---|---|
| What it searches | CPIC criminal convictions by name and date of birth | Criminal record plus pardoned (record-suspended) sexual-offence records |
| Who can run it | Authorized online providers and police | Police or the RCMP only |
| How identity is confirmed | Name, date of birth, and electronic ID verification | May require fingerprints when a record matches |
| Turnaround | Often minutes to a day online | Days to several weeks |
| Who pays | The applicant pays a standard fee | Volunteer rates vary by police service |
| Can it be done online? | Yes | No |
| Right for | Roles where a Vulnerable Sector check is not mandated | Roles of authority or trust over vulnerable persons |
Work through it role by role, not organization-wide. A single organization often needs both, depending on the position.
Use a Vulnerable Sector check when the role involves ongoing authority or trust over children, the elderly, or people with disabilities, and a law, licensing body, league, or insurer requires it. Youth sports coaches, Sunday school teachers, long-term care staff, and in-classroom school volunteers usually fall here. There is no online shortcut for these roles — the applicant completes the check through their local police service.
Use a name-based criminal record check when the role is not one the Vulnerable Sector rules cover: general staff and candidate hiring, most administrative and event volunteers, contractor and vendor screening, and tenant screening. For these, an online criminal record check is faster, cheaper for your organization to administer, and just as official. Employers running higher volumes can manage them through our business portal or pre-employment screening tools.
When in doubt, ask for it in writing. "Police check" is ambiguous. "Vulnerable Sector check" and "criminal record check" are not. Ask the body that mandates the check — the league, diocese, licensing college, or your own policy — to name the exact check required. It takes one email and removes all guesswork.
An online name-based check is not a substitute for a legally mandated Vulnerable Sector check, and no reputable provider will tell you otherwise. If a role requires a Vulnerable Sector check, use the police process — it exists precisely to protect the people those roles serve. For the many roles where a name-based check is sufficient, there is no reason to send people on a multi-week police-station errand. That is where an online criminal record check saves everyone time.
If your organization regularly screens volunteers or candidates for roles that need a name-based check, our partner program puts one link on your website so applicants complete their own official check online, at no cost to your organization. Still have questions? Our FAQ covers the details.
Common Questions
No. An enhanced criminal record check, also called a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check, adds outstanding charges and certain judicial orders to a name-based search. It is still name-based and does not query the pardoned sexual-offence database. Only a Vulnerable Sector check does that, and only police can run one.
No. Vulnerable Sector checks are conducted only by police or the RCMP and may require fingerprints to confirm identity. Any service claiming to deliver a Vulnerable Sector check online is misrepresenting what it provides. Online providers, including Instant Record Check, offer name-based criminal record checks.
Ask the body mandating the check to name it in writing. If the role carries authority or trust over children or vulnerable adults and the governing policy specifies a Vulnerable Sector check, use the police process. Otherwise, a name-based criminal record check is usually the right and faster tool. Organizations screening at volume can look at our partner program.
