Get a criminal record check to maintain your teaching certificate

If you hold a B.C. teaching certificate, you can log into Your Account to find out when your next 5-year criminal record check is due. After you log in, make sure your contact information is up to date. We will share it with the CRRP. Note that the CRRP requires a valid email address.

On the authorization form, you can give us permission to automatically submit your consent and information to the CRRP every 5 years. We submit your criminal record check information in January of the year that you are due.  

If you have already given us your permission to automatically submit your information to the CRRP every 5 years, you don’t need to submit a new form. However, you are responsible for ensuring your contact information is up to date. Before your check is due: 

• Log in to Your Account
• Check that your contact information and profile information is up to date

If you have not given your permission for us to automatically submit your authorization to the CRRP every 5 years, before the year when your check is due, you need to:

• Log in to Your Account
• Update your contact and profile information 
• Navigate to the secure webpage to Consent to a CRC
• Create a personalized copy of the criminal record check form
• Sign, date and return the criminal record check form to us. Follow the instructions on the form
• Alternatively, you can fill out a blank Consent to Criminal Record Check Authorization Form and return it by email or mail. You will need to enter your certificate number and ensure that you enter all your information accurately. 

Remember to keep your contact information in Your Account up to date, including your email address. If the CRRP needs more information or requires you to do fingerprinting, they will email you directly using the email address that’s showing in Your Account at the time we submit your information.  

If you have given us permission to automatically submit your information to the CRRP every 5 years, we will notify you when your authorization is submitted.    

If you have not given us permission to automatically submit your information to the CRRP every 5 years, we will tell you when you need to complete and return your authorization form to us.  

After we have collected your information, we will forward it to the CRRP for processing. We will also pay the criminal record check fee on your behalf.

While you wait for the check to be completed, you can continue teaching as long as you:

• Have paid your annual practice fee and are in good standing
• Comply promptly with any requests for additional information as part of the criminal record check process

The CRRP will email you directly if you need to submit further information or provide fingerprints as part of the criminal record check process. It’s important that you comply with the CRRP’s request within 90 days to avoid the suspension of your teaching certificate. If you have not received the CRRP’s email or you have misplaced it, contact the CRRP directly.

If you need to provide fingerprints:

• Take the CRRP’s email to the police or RCMP detachment where you will be doing the fingerprinting. The email will contain instructions for the detachment to ensure that the CRRP receives the results
• Pay the processing fee, if the police or RCMP detachment that completes your fingerprinting request charges a fee. This fee is not covered by your annual practice fee

When you have completed the fingerprint request through a police or RCMP detachment:

• Notify the CRRP that you have complied with their request
• Email an image of the fingerprint payment receipt to the Ministry at trb.certificateservices@gov.bc.ca. We will record your compliance in our files. This step is important as there may be wait times for criminal record checks and/or fingerprinting submissions to be processed.

The CRRP will perform the criminal record check. Processing times vary.   

• If no offence is found and there is nothing on your record to suggest that you pose a risk to the safety of children or vulnerable adults, the CRRP will provide electronic confirmation to the Ministry of Education and Child Care only
• If there are relevant offences on your record, the CRRP will notify both you and the Ministry of Education and Child Care

Sharing results: The Ministry of Education and Child Care does not share the results of criminal record checks with other organizations.