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Canada

Documented requirements for using an FBI Identity History Summary in Canada: authentication path, translation expectations, request-channel position, and the government sources for each.

Last updated 2026-08-01

Overview

What do I need for Canada, and how do I get it?

Order your FBI Identity History Summary directly from the FBI, for the $18 fee set in federal regulation — a Channeler-delivered summary is not accepted here. [1] Then have it apostilled by the U.S. Department of State — never a state Secretary of State — because Canada is a party to the Apostille Convention. [2] [3]

Basis
Convention membership from the HCCH status table [2]; the fee from 28 CFR 16.33 [1]; the competent authority for a federal document from the Department of State [3]. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada requires that the certificate be obtained from the FBI directly and does not accept one obtained through an FBI-approved Channeler. [4]
Caveat
Whether you need authentication at all, and within what recency window, is set by the Canada authority handling your application — not by the FBI and not by this site. Read their checklist before you pay for anything beyond the summary itself.

The full sequence, with what each step costs and what is published about how long it takes, is in How to Get an FBI Background Check and Apostille or Legalization for an FBI Background Check. What follows is what is documented specifically about Canada: the authentication path, translation expectations, and the documented position on request channels. It does not estimate durations, and it does not recommend providers.

Canada — at a glance
QuestionDocumented position
Party to the Apostille ConventionYes — in force from 2024-01-11 [2]
Authentication authority for the FBI summaryU.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications [3]
Channeler-delivered summariesNot accepted
Official language for translation purposesEnglish and French
FBI processing timeNot published by the FBI [5]

Who Typically Needs an FBI Background Check for Canada

The requirement is normally imposed by the receiving body rather than chosen by the applicant. In Canada, the document is most commonly requested from:

  • Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, for permanent residence applications
  • Provincial nominee programs, where the federal police-certificate requirement applies
  • Citizenship applications, where a period of United States residence falls in the relevant window
  • Professional licensing bodies for regulated occupations

Where an applicant has lived in more than one country, the receiving authority typically requires a certificate from each country of residence over a stated period — the FBI summary covers the United States only.

Common Immigration Scenarios

Each scenario below is a pathway in which the document is commonly requested. The controlling requirement is always the one published by the authority handling the specific application.

Scenarios in which the summary is commonly requested
ScenarioHow the requirement typically arises
Express Entry / permanent residenceA police certificate is required for each country where the applicant has lived for six months or more since the age of 18. [4]
Family sponsorshipThe sponsored person's police certificates are requested on the same residence-based basis.
Work permit and temporary residenceRequested case by case, depending on stream and officer request.
CitizenshipArises where a qualifying period of United States residence falls inside the assessed window.

Apostille Requirements

Canada is a party to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. [2] A United States federal document destined for Canada is therefore authenticated by apostille rather than by consular legalization.

In either case the competent authority for an FBI Identity History Summary is the U.S. Department of State, not a state Secretary of State, because the summary is a federal document. [3] [6]

Translation Requirements

The official language for administrative purposes is English and French. An English-language FBI summary generally requires no translation for an English-language application stream; a French-language stream may. [4]

Typical Processing Workflow

  1. Step 1: Confirm the requirement

    Read the receiving authority's own published checklist for the specific Canada pathway.

    Step 1

  2. Step 2: Choose a request channel

    Direct submission to the FBI. A Channeler-delivered summary is not accepted here.

    Step 2

  3. Step 3: Obtain the Identity History Summary

    The FBI publishes no processing figure, so this stage cannot be scheduled from an agency source. [5]

    Step 3

  4. Step 4: Obtain an apostille

    Submit to the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications, identifying the destination country. [3]

    Step 4

  5. Step 5: Translate, if required

    Per the receiving authority's rule on English and French translation.

    Step 5

  6. Step 6: File within the recency window

    Any validity period is imposed by the receiving authority, not by the FBI.

    Step 6

Government References

Government sources

Primary sources for this guide. Where a question is not answered by one of these, this guide records that it is unanswered rather than supplying a figure from elsewhere.

Common Mistakes

  • Sending a federal document to a state Secretary of State for apostille. The Department of State is the competent authority. [3]
  • Planning a filing date around a turnaround figure the FBI has never published. [5]
  • Requesting a single copy when several authenticated originals are needed.
  • Using an FBI-approved Channeler. IRCC requires the certificate from the FBI directly. [4]
  • Assuming the pre-2024 legalization instructions still apply — the Convention entered into force for Canada on 11 January 2024. [2]

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Canada accept a state criminal history check instead?
Authorities requesting a United States police certificate generally specify the federal FBI document. The receiving authority's checklist is the authority on the point.
How long will the whole process take?
The FBI publishes no processing figure. [5] This site does not estimate one — see the article on what the FBI does and does not publish.
Is an apostille needed for Canada?
Canada is a Convention party, so the apostille path applies. [2]
Why does IRCC refuse Channeler results?
IRCC states the requirement without publishing a rationale. What is documented is the requirement itself: the certificate must come from the FBI. [4]

References

Every source below is a primary publication of the body that controls the fact it supports. See the citation policy.

  1. [1]28 CFR 16.33 — Fee for production of identification record — Office of the Federal Register (eCFR). Reviewed 2026-08-01.The $18 fee is set here, in regulation. Cited in preference to the FBI's web pages because the regulation is the instrument that fixes the amount.https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-16/subpart-C/section-16.33
  2. [2]Status Table — Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Reviewed 2026-08-01.https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41
  3. [3]Office of Authentications — U.S. Department of State. Reviewed 2026-08-01.https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/records-and-authentications/authenticate-your-document/office-of-authentications.html
  4. [4]Police certificates — United States — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Reviewed 2026-07-31.https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/police-certificates/united-states.html
  5. [5]Identity History Summary Checks — Frequently Asked Questions — Federal Bureau of Investigation. Reviewed 2026-08-01.fbi.gov rejects automated retrieval; reviewed manually in a browser.https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-information/identity-history-summary-checks/identity-history-summary-checks-faqs
  6. [6]Authenticate an official document for use outside the U.S. — USAGov. Reviewed 2026-08-01.https://www.usa.gov/authenticate-us-document

Related research

Last updated 2026-08-01