Record Checks
The North Bay Police Service offers three levels of police record checks for residents of North Bay only. Do not apply if you pay property tax to anywhere other than North Bay.
Youths (under 18) are ONLY permitted to obtain a police record check for positions working or volunteering with the Government (Municipal, Provincial and Federal).This does not include organizations receiving government funding. The government agency information will be required to submit the record check.
Application forms must either be completed:
- by applying online;
- in person, at the front desk of the North Bay Police Service station, at 135 Princess Street West; or
- by using the application forms below. Note: You MUST submit the completed forms in person only. A Self-Declaration form will be filled out at this time if you have any adult convictions under Federal Law.
DO NOT APPLY IF YOU PAY PROPERTY TAX OR RENT A PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE ANYWHERE OTHER THAN THE CITY OF NORTH BAY, ONTARIO!
**By certifying your jurisdictional residence above, you forego any application refund if you reside in any other township/municipality.
For more information please read the following fact sheets:
Self-Declaration
Verification of a criminal record is a process where you may declare your adult convictions to the police service. The declaration must include all convictions for offences under Federal Law.
Identification Required
Important notice: We only provide record checks for persons living in our police jurisdiction, which includes the City of North Bay.
In order to apply for a police record check, two pieces of valid (not expired) government-issued identification must be presented at the time of application.
The identification must confirm:
- your name;
- your date of birth;
- your current address; and
- one piece of identification must include a photo.
Photo identification: which provides both the name and date of birth of an individual:
- Driver's Licence (issued by Canadian Province or Territory)
- Canadian / Foreign Passport
- Canadian Citizenship Card
- Permanent Resident Card
- Federal, Provincial or Municipal Government Employee Identification Card
- Military employment card
- Certificate of Indian Status (Status Card) issued by Indigenous Services Canada
- Firearms Licence (PAL, POL)
- Ontario Photo Card
- Student Identity Card issued by an educational institution.
Non-Photo identification: which provides both the name and date of birth of an individual:
- Birth Certificate
- Baptismal Certificate
- Canadian Blood Donor Card
- Hunting Licence
- Fishing Licence
- Outdoors Card
- Immigration Papers
- People under 16 can provide school ID, bus pass and/or their parent can provide verification
The following pieces of identification are not accepted:
- health card; and
- a social insurance card.
Application Fee
You may apply for a police record check subject to the reason for your request (employment purposes or volunteer services). Please refer to the attached 2024 NBPS Board Fee Schedule section (a) for current rates.
The fee is payable at the time of the application. Cash, debit, money order, Visa or Mastercard are accepted. At the end of the process, your completed application form will be returned to you officially signed and with an official police seal impressed into the paper.
Fee For Additional Police Record Check Documents
If you require additional signed and sealed applications, you must pay a fee of $1.05 (includes HST) for each additional original, at the time of the application.
Volunteer Record Checks
As of April 1 2022, as per Bill 13, Amendments to the Police Records Check Reform Act, Criminal Record Checks and Criminal Record & Judicial Matters Checks for the purpose of volunteering will be free of cost. A letter from the volunteering organization will be required to accompany your application.
PLEASE NOTE THAT RECENTLY RELEASED AMMENDMENTS DO NOT INCLUDE VULNERABLE SECTOR CHECKS FOR THE PURPOSE OF VOLUNTEERING AND THESE WILL STILL REQUIRE PAYMENT OF THE APPLICATION FEE.
If you complete your application for a Criminal Record Check and/or Criminal Record & Judicial Matters Check (for the purpose of volunteering) in person at the police station there will be no fee. Applications can be made in person Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 4:00pm.
PLEASE NOTE THAT IF YOU APPLY THROUGH THIS ONLINE SERVICE THERE WILL BE A $9.95+tax PROCESSING FEE.
Please read instructions carefully as there will be no refunds issued.
Processing Time For Record Checks
At this time, police record checks can take approximately seven weeks or more to be processed.
Delays
At the time of your in-person application, applications may take longer to process because:
- there may be information missing from application forms;
- the North Bay Police Service may need to contact other police services; and/or
- the North Bay Police Service may be experiencing a high volume of requests.
Pick-Up Date – Please do not call
At the time of your application, we will provide you with a date to pick up your police record check. Please do not call us before this date to inquire about your application or to make requests to have someone else come in on your behalf. Record checks can only be picked up in person by the applicant.
Vulnerable Sector Checks
If you plan to work or volunteer with vulnerable members of society such as children, the elderly or persons with disabilities, you may need to complete the PVSC application form.
Not all paid or volunteer positions require this type of check. The onus is on your prospective employer or volunteer organization to tell you whether you require a VS check.
Examples of positions that may require a VS check include:
- foster parents;
- teachers;
- social workers;
- daycare workers;
- meals-on-wheels workers;
- nurses;
- children's sports coaches;
- nursing students; and
- education students.
Young Applicants
The North Bay Police Service cannot perform a VS check on applicants who are under 18 years of age.
Fingerprints
If your fingerprints are required to complete your VS check, the North Bay Police Service will contact you to inform you that you will need to return to the station to book an appointment.
Fingerprint appointments can only be booked in person at the station because a fingerprint fee (or a letter to waive payment in the case of volunteers) is also required at the time of booking. The wait time for fingerprint appointments is subject to the demand and it may take four to eight weeks. Fingerprints are only booked on Wednesdays.
Be assured that:
- A request for fingerprints is not an accusation of criminality. Fingerprints are used to confirm your identity only;
- Your fingerprints will be destroyed after 90 days, when the check is complete. The RCMP does not keep your prints on file and they will not be searched for future purposes.
For more information on vulnerable sector checks, visit the RCMP's website.
Fees For Fingerprints
Volunteers
If you are applying for a volunteer (unpaid) position with a registered non-profit organization, the RCMP will waive their fee to conduct a fingerprint search. To have the fee waived, you will need to provide the North Bay Police Service with a letter from the volunteer organization.
The letter must:
- be presented on the registered non-profit organization's letterhead;
- be addressed to the North Bay Police Service;
- be signed by a person in authority, such as the head of the organization;
- provide the signatory's full name, title, address, telephone number(s) and email address;
- include the full name of the person who is applying for the volunteer position; and
- provide a detailed description of the volunteer position including how the role applies to vulnerable persons and/or children;
Note: If you are applying for a volunteer position and prefer to pay rather than provide a letter from the registered non-profit organization, the R.C.M.P. fee is $25.00.
Employees
If you are applying for a position of employment, you must pay a $25.00 processing fee, to have the RCMP conduct a fingerprint search.
Letter To Waive the Payment or the Fee
The letter to waive the payment, or the $25.00 fee, is required prior to making a fingerprint appointment. Fees are payable by cash, debit, money order, Visa or Mastercard.
Processing Time For Vulnerable Sector Check
No Fingerprints Required
If your VS check does not require fingerprints, the processing time is the same as that described above under "Processing time for record checks," with the same possible delays.
Fingerprints Required
If we require your fingerprints to complete your VS check, we must send them to the RCMP for processing. This process alone can take two to three weeks. Note that the RCMP can sometimes experience delays up to or exceeding 120 days. For more information on RCMP wait times, visit the RCMP's website.
Don't call us. We'll call you. It is our goal to serve you as quickly as possible. As soon as the RCMP
has completed your fingerprint search and your police record check is
ready to be picked up at police headquarters in North Bay, we'll call
you to let you know.