Fees and steps checked on
RCMP police certificate attestation makes a Canadian criminal record check valid for a UAE employer, licensing body or visa file. The document to get is the RCMP certified criminal record check, which matches your fingerprints against the national repository. It is apostilled by Global Affairs Canada, attested by the UAE Embassy in Ottawa and finished with MOFA attestation.
Price: from AED 1,900 plus VAT, 4 to 6 weeks, all official fees and courier included. See attestation fees.
The RCMP check UAE employers mean
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police runs Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services, known as CCRTIS. A certified criminal record check is fingerprint based. You do not mail it to the RCMP yourself. The RCMP says applications sent straight to CCRTIS are not accepted. Checked on .
| Where you are | How you apply |
|---|---|
| In Canada | Your local police service takes your fingerprints, or you use a fingerprinting company accredited by the RCMP |
| Outside Canada, including the UAE | Paper fingerprints taken by an authorised agency where you live, then an RCMP-accredited company in Canada converts them to digital and submits them |
The RCMP names employment, adoption, immigration and foreign travel among the reasons organisations ask for a check. Its application types include one for visa, foreign travel and work.
City police checks are a different document
Local police services and private companies in Canada also run checks based only on your name and date of birth. Those are not the RCMP certified check. The West Vancouver Police, for example, lists foreign employment and work permits among the uses for the fingerprint-based RCMP check. For a UAE file, ask for the RCMP version and confirm with your employer before you apply.
What UAE files use it for
- Teaching jobs. Schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi may ask for a police check with the teaching file. See teacher certificate attestation.
- Health workers. Doctors, nurses and allied health staff may need it for a licence or hospital onboarding.
- Employment visas. Some employers ask for it during hiring. The rest of the job file is on attestation for an employment visa.
- Golden visa or adoption files, when the authority asks for a home country police record.
Attestation steps for the RCMP certificate
- Notary Public in Canada. Kept in the chain where needed. Since the certificate carries the RCMP seal, we check from your copy whether a notary step applies.
- Global Affairs Canada apostille. The RCMP is federal, so the apostille comes from Global Affairs Canada, formerly DFAT, even if you live in Ontario or Alberta. There is no fee. The queue is about 25 business days, with 5 to 10 business days of mail and no express service.
- UAE Embassy in Ottawa. The embassy stamps the apostilled certificate. It is booked through the MOFA portal and VFS Global, paid online only, and takes at least 3 to 5 business days.
- MOFA UAE. The last stamp, done in the UAE, after which your employer can accept it.
Canada has issued apostilles since 11 January 2024. The UAE is not part of the convention, so the embassy and MOFA steps still apply.
What you send us
- The original RCMP certified criminal record check, with the RCMP seal
- A copy of your passport
- Your UAE employer's or authority's checklist, if it names a specific document
Common problems with Canadian police checks
- City police check sent. It may be refused by a UAE employer that expects the RCMP version.
- Old certificate. An employer may want a recent check. Order close to your hiring date, but leave time for the 4 to 6 weeks.
- Copies and scans. Global Affairs Canada needs a paper original with its seal, not a photocopy or a laminated sheet.
- Wrong direction. A Dubai certificate for Canadian immigration is on police clearance certificate in Dubai.
Other Canadian documents, such as degrees, are on Canada certificate attestation.
