Your organization asked for a police check before you start volunteering. Here is which check you need, your free and online options, and how to get it done.
Start your checkThe type of check depends on who you will be working with, not on whether you are paid.
Ontario's Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 applies the same three levels of police record check to volunteers as to employees. Ask the volunteer coordinator which one they need before you apply.
Food banks, community events, sports clubs with adult participants, fundraising, boards and committees, and most general volunteer roles typically ask for a standard Criminal Record Check. It reports criminal convictions and eligible youth findings of guilt.
Less common for volunteers, but some organizations ask for it when a role involves handling money, keys or confidential information. It adds outstanding charges, warrants, certain judicial orders, and absolute and conditional discharges.
Coaching youth sports, school and child-care volunteering, visiting seniors, and supporting people with disabilities may require a vulnerable sector check. A VSC must be completed by your local police service — no online provider can issue one.
Volunteers in Ontario have a genuinely free option. Here is how it compares with applying online.
Under Ontario's rules, volunteers can get a Criminal Record Check or a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check free from police services, and may request up to five free copies when applying. Fees still apply to vulnerable sector checks. Processing times and application steps vary by police service.
Applying online is not free, but it is fast: no appointment, no police station visit, and results usually emailed within minutes. People choose it when their volunteer start date is close, when their local police service has a longer wait, or when they want to finish everything from home in one sitting.
If cost matters more than speed and you are applying as a volunteer, use the free police option. If you need it today, the online check is built for that.
Four steps, all from your phone or computer.
Pick Basic (CRC, $49) or Enhanced (CRJMC, $51) on our criminal record check page, based on what your organization asked for.
Enter your legal name, date of birth and address history, and verify with government-issued photo ID. No fingerprints are needed for these checks.
Results are released directly to you so you can confirm they are accurate before you give permission for them to be shared with the organization.
Your digital certificate arrives by email, ready to forward to your volunteer coordinator.
A few points that save everyone time.
Tell volunteers in writing whether you need a CRC, a CRJMC or a vulnerable sector check. "Police check" alone leads to the wrong document and delays your start dates.
School placements and volunteer hours in settings with children, seniors or people with disabilities may need a vulnerable sector check from police, which can take longer to arrange — start early. For other placements, confirm with your school or host organization which check is required.
The online check works the same in Barrie, Simcoe County, Toronto and everywhere else in Canada outside Quebec. See our Ontario criminal record check guide for more on how checks work in the province.
Yes, through police services. Ontario volunteers can get a Criminal Record Check or a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check free from police services, with up to five free copies. Vulnerable sector checks still have a fee. Online checks, including ours, are not free, but results usually arrive within minutes.
Only if the role puts you in a position of trust or authority with children, seniors or people with disabilities. Most other volunteer roles need a standard Criminal Record Check. A vulnerable sector check must come from your local police service.
Yes, for a Criminal Record Check or a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check. Vulnerable sector checks cannot be done online.
No. Results are released to you first so you can confirm they are accurate, and they are only shared with your permission.
The organization that asks for the check decides how recent it must be. Check with your volunteer coordinator.
Get your criminal record check online and send it to your coordinator, usually within minutes.
See pricing & startName-based searches only. Not a certified RCMP identity document.
Vulnerable sector checks must be obtained from your local police service.
