Employers and volunteer organizations may ask you to get a police information check, also known as a background check, to see if you are suitable for a job or volunteer position, and because you may be working with children or other vulnerable people.

As part of the in-person and online applications, you will be granting consent to the VPD to conduct the search on your behalf. The results are released directly to you, and you can decide whether you want to share the results with the hiring organization.

For specific information, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions section.

How to Apply

Please note that online applications may not be suitable for everyone. Applicants requiring a Police Information Check for the purposes of adoption or Record Suspensions cannot use this online screening process and must apply in-person.

There are circumstances where online applicants may have to give fingerprints to confirm their identity. In these cases, the system will direct you to the online booking system for an appointment.

Follow the instructions to APPLY ONLINE.

The system accepts the following payment methods:

In-person police information checks are completed by appointment only.

Schedule an appointment at 2120 Cambie Street.

Be Ready for Your In-Person Appointment

  • Download and complete the VPD Police Information Check form. You can also pick up a form during business hours at our 2120 Cambie location. No appointment is required to pick up the form.
  • Bring two acceptable, valid pieces of government-issued identification in the original form (one of which must have a current photo). Here is the list of acceptable forms of identification.
  • If you are applying for a volunteer position, you must bring a letter from the organization printed on their letterhead. It must include:
    • Your name
    • The full agency name, address, and phone number
    • The name and title of the person requesting the police information check
    • Verification that this is an unpaid volunteer service
    • Whether you will be involved with or responsible for children or people in the vulnerable sector
  • Bring an acceptable payment method for any fees required. The Vancouver Police Department accepts debit, VISA, and MasterCard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Employers and volunteer organizations may ask you to get a police information check, also known as a background check, to see if you are suitable for a job or volunteer position, and because you may be working with children or other vulnerable people.

Police agencies across BC, including both municipal and federal RCMP, have adopted consistent guidelines for police information checks.

The Vancouver Police Department offers two options to Vancouver residents for completing your Police Information Check.

  • Apply online via our web portal
  • Apply in person by appointment only at our 2120 Cambie Street location. We are open seven days a week, from 8 AM to 5 PM, by appointment only.

Non-residents should contact their local police first.

Do you live outside of Canada?

Do you need a record suspension?

A standard police information check does not include vulnerable sector screening and is done for applicants who are not in a position of authority or trust relative to vulnerable individuals.

What is included:

  • criminal convictions from CPIC and/or local databases
  • summary convictions, when identified
  • findings of guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Actwithin the applicable disclosure period
  • outstanding entries, such as charges and warrants, judicial orders, peace bonds, and probation and prohibition orders (CPIC policy states information obtained from the investigative databank must be confirmed and authorized for release by the contributing agency)
  • absolute and conditional discharges for one or three years respectively

What is NOT included:

  • convictions where a pardon has been granted
  • convictions under provincial statutes
  • local police contact
  • Ministry of Transportation information (PARIS)
  • Special Interest Police (SIP) category of CPIC
  • Family Court restraining orders
  • foreign information
  • a Vulnerable Sector (VS) query to see if you have been convicted of and granted a record suspension for any of the sexual offences that are listed in the schedule to the Criminal Records Act
  • any reference to incidents involving mental health contact
  • diversions will not be released as police contact, and no reference to the occurrence is permitted (Criminal Code of Canada4)
  • Youth Criminal Justice Actinformation beyond disclosure period
  • any reference to contagious diseases
  • dispositions including, but not limited to stay of proceedings, withdrawn, dismissed, not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder, acquittals, and not guilty findings

People who volunteer or have jobs where they are in positions of trust or authority over children or vulnerable persons may be asked to obtain an expanded police information check that includes a search for record suspensions or pardons for any sex offences.

How a vulnerable sector screening is done

The VPD will complete a vulnerable sector check based on the applicant’s name and date of birth. If no record is found, a completed police information check will be provided to the applicant.

If the applicant’s gender and date of birth match to a pardoned sex offender record, or if the vulnerable sector search is inconclusive, we will ask the applicant to provide their fingerprints to the RCMP to confirm their identity, or to determine if they have ever received a record suspension, or pardon. This is not an accusation of a crime – fingerprints are used to confirm identity only, and the fingerprints will be destroyed after 90 days when the check is complete. As with all civil checks, the RCMP does not keep fingerprints on file, and they will not be searched for future purposes.

If the RCMP confirms you have a record suspension, the information will be forwarded to the Minister of Public Safety, who must give permission for the release of all or part of the information in your file. The criminal record associated with the fingerprints will be returned to the VPD and will include the record suspension sexual offence information.

At this point, we need the applicant’s permission in writing to share the information. Once the consent form is signed, we must forward the information to the requesting employer or volunteer agency.

If the applicant chooses not to give permission to disclose their record(s), we must contact the requesting agency in writing and advise them that we are unable to complete the vulnerable sector check.

Find more information on types of criminal background checks from the RCMP.

What is included:

  • criminal convictions (summary and indictable) from CPIC and/or local databases
  • outstanding judicial orders, such as charges and warrants, judicial orders, peace bonds, probation and prohibition orders (as per CPIC policy information is confirmed and authorized for release by the contributing agency)
  • absolute discharges, for a period of one year from the date the applicant was found guilty, and conditional discharges, for a period of three years from the date the applicant was found guilty
  • charges recommended and/or processed by other means such as diversion or alternative measures
  • non-convictions including, but not limited to, stay of proceedings, withdrawn, dismissed, and cases of not criminally responsible by reason of mental disorder
  • any additional information in police databases, including if you were a suspect in an offence (charged or not), subject to provincial retention periods specific to the offence type
  • adverse contact involving the threat or actual use of violence directed at other individuals, regardless of, but without disclosing mental health status
  • as authorized for release by the Minister of Public Safety, all record suspension (formerly known as pardoned) criminal convictions, including non sex offences, identified because of a vulnerable sector query

Crime Types and Reporting Periods on Police Information Checks – Vulnerable Sector Applications

What is NOT included:

  • convictions where a record suspension has been granted (except for sexual offences)
  • convictions under provincial statutes unless under exceptional circumstances
  • BC Motor Vehicle Branch information (PARIS), such as traffic violations or roadside driving suspensions
  • suspect information that would hinder an ongoing investigation or where the suspect has not been spoken to (this may result in the police information check being delayed or terminated)
  • Youth Criminal Justice Act information beyond applicable disclosure period
  • Special Interest Police category of CPIC
  • information gathered outside formal occurrence reports, such as street checks or Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), except under exceptional circumstances
  • any reference to contagious diseases
  • victim/complainant information unless under exceptional circumstances
  • information from other countries for applicants who have resided outside Canada
  • Mental Health Act information

The Criminal Records Act describes vulnerable people as:

“Persons who, because of their age, a disability, or other circumstances, whether temporary or permanent,

(a) are in a position of dependence on others; or,

(b) are otherwise at a greater risk than the general population of being harmed by persons in a position of authority or trust relative to them.”

You must provide two pieces of acceptable government-issued identification.

All ID must be original and not expired. Photocopies or photos of ID are not accepted.

One piece of ID must have a current photo so we can identify you.

ID TYPE ACCEPTABLE?
Driver’s licence (with photo, not expired) YES
BC Services ID Card (with photo, not expired) YES
Combined DL & BC Services** ** counts as one form of ID YES
Passport (not expired) YES
Permanent Resident Card (not expired) YES
Birth Certificate YES
Valid citizenship card YES
Indian Status card YES
Nexus Card YES
PAL (Firearms possession and acquisition licence) YES
Current student ID (youth applicants only) YES
Social Insurance Card NO
Credit Card NO
Debit / Bank Card NO
Gym / Costco / Other club membership cards NO

The following fees are approved by the Vancouver Police Board effective January 1, 2026.

Purpose of Police Information Check Cost
Volunteering (must include a letter from the volunteer organization) Free
Employment (no fingerprints required) $89.00
Employment (if fingerprints required) – $89.00 + $25 RCMP fee for electronic fingerprints $114.00
Adoption – $89.00 + $25 RCMP fee for electronic fingerprints $114.00
Record Suspension Part 1 – $64.00 + $25.00 fee for electronic fingerprints
Fingerprinting – schedule a fingerprinting appointment at 3585 Graveley StreetRecord Suspension Part 2
Completion of Local Indices Check – schedule an appointment at 2120 Cambie Street

$89.00

* Fingerprints are digitally scanned when required. We submit to the RCMP electronically, shortening the turnaround time from weeks to days. For this service, the RCMP charges $25.00, which we collect on their behalf.

** If you require more than one police information check, you must request additional copies at the same time you apply – this reduced rate cannot be backdated or offered on a future date.

The Vancouver Police Department’s role in preparing your Police Information Check

The Vancouver Police Department has a neutral role when we provide a police information check. We do not make recommendations about whether you are suitable for the position, and police information should not automatically disqualify you. We rely in part upon information given by you, so we cannot guarantee it will identify all relative information.

In cases where non-disclosable information indicates a significant threat to public safety, police agencies may either refuse to complete the check or act under their duty-to-warn responsibilities.

The organization requesting the police information check must complete an initial review of your suitability for the position and understand their obligations under the Human Rights Code regarding evaluation, hiring, and training volunteers or employees, and bona fide reasons there are not to hire someone.

You must give your permission to conduct the search. This is done through the online application process or in person.

The results are released directly to you, and you can decide whether you want to share the results with the hiring organization.

You must provide two acceptable, valid pieces of government-issued identification in the original form, one of which must have a current photo which we can use to identify you. As an example, an ID card with a photo of you as a child would not be acceptable as a primary form of ID.

You are responsible for paying any fees that apply for your type of application.

Reconsideration Process

If you believe an error has been made in your Police Information Check, or if you have any questions, please email psusupervisor@vpd.ca.

If you have had a Police Information Check with vulnerable sector screening and you want to have the information excluded from the results, mail your written request within 30 days after your background check was completed to

Director
Information Management Section
Vancouver Police Department
3585 Graveley Street
Vancouver, BC   V5K 5J5

Your reconsideration request will be considered by someone not involved in your original application for a Police Information Check, and someone senior to the original processor.

Requests are processed as quickly as possible, in the following stages:

  1. We confirm that all procedures and guidelines have been followed
  2. We check that all disclosed offences or contacts are confirmed and releasable
  3. Your request for information to be excluded is considered
  4. We provide you with a written explanation of our final decision

If you would like information removed from a regular police information check without vulnerable sector screening, you can use the Record Suspension process through the Parole Board of Canada.