Commissionaires BC

Fingerprinting

Go to FINGERPRINTING for Personal

Commissionaires provides fast, friendly and reliable fingerprinting services.

If your organization requires your employees to be fingerprinted, Commissionaires BC can help. We offer cutting-edge digital fingerprinting services for the fastest, most reliable results available. As one of only two providers, Commissionaires has clearance from the RCMP to capture fingerprints and submit them directly to the Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services for processing. This reduces the RCMP processing time to as little as 72 hours, which means the applicant’s results will be in the mail to you or your employee in as little as three business days after submission. In addition to offering digital fingerprinting, we still offer traditional ink & roll fingerprinting with processing turnaround of approximately 120 days.

Fingerprinting services from Commissionaires BC:

• are delivered by friendly, professional, and knowledgeable commissionaires;
• are competitively priced, efficient and quick;
• use the latest digital technology for reliable capture and RCMP processing in as little as 72-hours in our Vancouver and Surrey location or with mobile services;
• traditional ink and roll method also available at our Vancouver, Surrey and Kelowna locations;
• are provided in multi-languages at many locations;
• our mobile fingerprinting service is available for convenient and cost-effective group processing across BC.

How to get Fingerprints

We want to make sure the experience of having fingerprinting done with Commissionaires is a pleasant one. Our respectful and friendly staff members are the experts in providing fingerprinting services. To speed up the fingerprinting process, all applicants should have all the necessary materials in hand before visiting our office or before we visit yours.

Identification required

Applicants should bring two pieces of valid government issued identification and one must be a photo ID. The following are types of acceptable identification:

• Passport
• Citizenship Card or Document
• Immigration Document (i.e., Landing Papers)
• Birth Certificate
• Drivers Licence
• Health Card
• Permanent Resident card or Record of Landing for Citizenship Applicants
• Government ID

Notes:

• Applicants should have with them a letter or file number from the requesting source, if applicable.
• All digital fingerprinting requests for Canadian Citizenship must include a letter from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. This letter must include the address for third party results and should have a CIC file number, which will be included in your transaction. Please ensure this letter is available during the fingerprinting application session.

Our experienced staff will be happy to assist in answering any questions.

Fees

Digital: $45 plus GST (plus $25 RCMP fee if applicable)
Ink & Roll: $30 plus GST (plus $25 RCMP fee if applicable)
Group fingerprinting rates available by request.

Payment methods

We accept cash, MasterCard, VISA, American Express or bank card. Accounts and monthly billing can also be set up for group processing.
Appointments

No appointments are necessary, though mobile appointments can be made for convenient and cost effective group fingerprinting.

Locations

Fingerprinting services are available at our centres in Vancouver, Surrey and Kelowna . We also offer fingerprinting service through our convenient mobile service where our experts travel to your location to manage group fingerprinting and application processing.

*Digital service is available in our Vancouver and Surrey locations and through our mobile unit in the Vancouver area.
**Digital fingerprinting is not available at our Kelowna office at this time.

Note: For some applications, e.g., submission to FBI, we offer traditional ink and roll method of fingerprinting. In this case a hard copy document of fingerprints will be given directly to the applicant to send to the requesting source.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fingerprinting

What is digital fingerprinting?

Digital fingerprinting is the electronic capture of a person’s fingerprints via an optical scanner at a capture station. The scanned fingerprints, along with the application details, are then formatted into a standardized electronic package that is attached and emailed, via a secure link, direct to the RCMP’s Canadian Criminal Real Time Information System (CCRTIS).

CCRTIS compares the fingerprint package against the RCMP’s criminal record database. If no record is present, the RCMP will issue a certificate indicating a clear record. If the applicant does have a criminal record this will be indicated in the results.

Who needs fingerprints?

• Employment with Corporations and Agencies

With the need for greater security, many corporations and agencies are now requiring both employees and volunteers to be fingerprinted;

• Security Licence Applicants

According to the BC Security Services Act, individuals in some security related positions are now responsible for directly obtaining and holding a security licence. Fingerprints are required for the application process;

• Applicants for Foreign Travel, Passports, Work Permits, Visas and US Waivers

Those wishing to visit or work in other countries may be required to provide a police clearance. While some countries accept police clearance done with only your name and birth date, others require that the process be done through fingerprinting. Obtaining a 192 waiver to travel to the United States will require fingerprints.

We also conduct fingerprinting for submission to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

How long will it take for digital fingerprints to be processed by the RCMP?

If the applicant does not have a criminal record and has never been fingerprinted for a criminal offence in Canada, the RCMP will make every effort possible to process the request within 72 hours of receiving the electronic submission. (This means that the RCMP will put the results “in the mail” for mailing back to the applicant or third party within 72 hours.) In view of this, please ensure sufficient time has passed for receipt of the results in the mail before commencing inquiries about the status of fingerprints. If a criminal record is encountered during the verification process, processing will be increased to 120 days.

How long will it take for traditional ink and roll fingerprints to be processed by the RCMP?

Paper-based fingerprint submissions for a criminal record verification take an average of 120 days to complete for individuals that do not have a criminal record and have never been fingerprinted for a criminal offence in Canada. If a criminal record is encountered during the verification process, the turnaround time may exceed 120 days.

How can I find out about the status of a submission once it has been sent to the RCMP?

Commissionaires provides the best service to all our clients. Clients are advised that once the RCMP informs Commissionaires that the electronic submission has been received and is successfully processing, the RCMP will not release any further transaction status information to Commissionaires. Clients (e.g., applicant or authorized third party) may inquire about the status of their electronic and/or paper-based ink and roll submission by contacting the RCMP Civil Fingerprint Screening Services at 613 998 6362 or civilnps@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

Do applicants need an appointment?

No appointments are necessary, though mobile appointments can be made for convenient and cost effective group processing.

How long will it take to get fingerprints taken?

Our digital process is fast, efficient and clean and normally takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. Our traditional ink and roll methods take approximately ten minutes to complete.

How are results obtained?

Each applicant’s criminal record verification results can be sent directly to the individual or to a designated third party, such as an employer or immigration agency. If an applicant is under the age of 18, results must be returned directly to the home address. Please ensure that all the address information for the applicant and third party are ready during the application process.

Do I get a copy?

All applicants can receive a true copy of the digital submission to the RCMP for $5 + GST in addition to the transaction fee.

Ink & roll copies are $25 + GST in addition to the transaction fee.