Who is eligible for a record suspension?

From: Parole Board of Canada

You MAY apply for a Record Suspension if you:

• were convicted of an offence in Canada under a federal act or regulation of Canada as an adult; and/or
• were convicted of a crime in another country and were transferred to Canada while serving that sentence under the Transfer of Offenders Act  or International Transfer of Offenders Act.

To apply for a record suspension, you must have completed all of your sentences, which includes:

• all fines, surcharges^{Footnotes 1}, costs, restitution and compensation orders^{Footnote 2} ;
• all sentences of imprisonment, conditional sentences, including parole and statutory release;
• any probation order(s).

Important: Your weapons or driving prohibition order do not need to be expired before the waiting period begins.

You must have completed the appropriate waiting period by referring to the table below. In order to do so:

• identify when you have committed your first offence (not the date of sentencing); and
• identify if you were convicted of a summary or indictable conviction.

Tip: You may contact the court to obtain this information.

Important:

• If the court cannot confirm the method of trial, the longest waiting period will apply.
• The waiting period starts after you have completed all of your sentences.

The method of trial will decide your eligibility. If this information is not provided, the longest waiting period under the applicable version of the CRA (5 or 10 years) will be applied to your file.