RCMP Criminal Record Check from Paraguay, with Apostille

If Canada is where you lived for the last 3 years, Paraguay's Dirección Nacional de Migraciones asks for your Canadian criminal record certificate, apostilled. You can get it without travelling to Canada: have your fingerprints taken in Paraguay on a paper card, courier the original to an RCMP-accredited company in Canada, and the company has the RCMP certificate apostilled by Global Affairs Canada and couriers it back to you. Plan on roughly 2 to 3 months from the day you ship the card.

Which certificate you need

Migraciones asks for a criminal record certificate at national or federal level from the country where you lived for the last 3 years. For Canada, ask for the RCMP certified criminal record check, the fingerprint-based check issued by the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Ottawa. Name-based checks are run by local police services and private companies, and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) requires one issued by a provincial or municipal police service to be notarized before it can be apostilled (GAC, requirements by document). The certified check needs no notarization, and it is the one we recommend for Migraciones.

Teens: no criminal record is needed under 14. Canadian teens aged 14 to 18 are exempt from the foreign criminal record, because Canada does not issue it at that age (Resolución DNM N° 858/2024, Arts. 1 and 2).

The process at a glance

Choose an RCMP-accredited company in Canada that serves clients abroad and handles the apostille.
Get your fingerprints taken in Paraguay on the card the company asks for.
Courier the original card and the company's forms to Canada.
The RCMP issues the certificate and GAC apostilles it; the company couriers it to Paraguay.
In Paraguay, have it translated into Spanish, make notarized copies and file with Migraciones.

Step 1: Choose an RCMP-accredited company in Canada

From abroad, the RCMP only takes applications through an accredited fingerprinting company in Canada. Do not mail your fingerprints to the RCMP yourself: in the RCMP's own words, they "will not be accepted" (RCMP, applicants outside Canada). The RCMP also states that there are no accredited companies outside Canada.

Check the official list: Private fingerprinting companies accredited by the RCMP. It is updated at the beginning of each month.
Choose a company that serves applicants outside Canada and handles the apostille at Global Affairs Canada. That way the certificate leaves Canada only once, already apostilled. Two that offer both, as of October 2026: Forensics Canada (Scarborough, Toronto) and Commissionaires (international service from its Ottawa headquarters). Always confirm that the company is on the official list rather than going by ads.
Get the company's instructions and forms for clients abroad. Forensics Canada publishes them as a PDF: the fingerprint form, its application form, a consent for the RCMP to release your results to the company, a card payment authorization and an apostille authorization. Commissionaires emails its instructions after you fill in a request form on its website.

When you fill in the application, state:

Type of check: RCMP certified criminal record check (fingerprint-based). Not a name-based check.
Reason: immigration, residency in Paraguay. On the RCMP consent form for immigration and travel (form 6674), the matching application type is "Visa / Border Crossing / Foreign Travel / Work". "Permanent Resident Status" and "Canadian Citizenship" are for applications to Canada, not abroad.
Delivery: the RCMP sends the certificate to the company for the apostille. You authorize this with the company's third-party consent form; the RCMP issues one certificate per application, so you will not receive a second copy. Do not choose regular mail to Paraguay: it cannot be tracked, and you would have to send the certificate back to Canada for the apostille.
Extra service: apostille, then return by international courier with tracking (DHL, FedEx or similar) to your address in Paraguay. Ask for the courier price in advance; Forensics Canada quotes it case by case.

Step 2: Get your fingerprints taken in Paraguay

The RCMP accepts fingerprints taken by an authorized agency in the country where you are: police services, government departments, foreign embassies and consulates (not Canadian ones) and notaries public (RCMP). Not every office in Paraguay takes prints on a foreign card, so call ahead, explain that it is for a Canadian criminal record check, and ask whether they take ink fingerprints on the card you will bring.

Bring the fingerprint card printed from the company's instructions, usually the RCMP C-216C form or the FBI FD-258 card. Forensics Canada accepts both; Commissionaires confirms other forms case by case. Before you leave the office, check that:

All ten fingers are printed in black ink, in every box the card asks for (rolled and flat).
The card shows the name and address of the office that took the prints, with its official stamp if it has one.
The card shows the name and signature of the official who took the prints.
The prints are sharp, with no smudges, and none runs outside its box.

If the company's consent form has a box for a thumbprint (Forensics Canada's does), have it taken at the same appointment.

Tip: ask for two sets of prints. If the RCMP rejects a card for print quality, you have to be fingerprinted again and resubmit; with a second card ready, you save weeks.

Step 3: Courier the documents to Canada

Send them by DHL, FedEx or another courier with tracking, to the address the company gives you. Include:

The original fingerprint card. The RCMP does not accept scanned, emailed or photocopied fingerprints, and the companies need the original to digitize it.
The company's forms, filled in and signed.
Copies of two government-issued IDs, for example your passport and your driver's licence, at least one with a photo. Commissionaires asks for both sides, and the IDs must not be expired.
A passport photo, if the company asks for one. Forensics Canada asks for one, with your name, your date of birth and the date of the photo written on the back.
Payment or the card authorization, as the company indicates. Commissionaires charges when your results are ready to ship.

Email the company when you ship and give them the tracking number.

Step 4: The RCMP issues the certificate and GAC apostilles it

RCMP: once the company submits your prints electronically, the RCMP processes them in 3 business days or less if there is no match to a criminal record. If there is a possible match or manual processing is needed, it can take 120 business days (RCMP processing times). The RCMP then mails the certificate to the company.
Apostille: the company sends the original certificate to Global Affairs Canada. A certificate from RCMP headquarters does not need to be notarized, as long as it is signed by the Director General of the Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services and carries the official RCMP dry seal (GAC).
GAC timing: GAC currently reports processing requests received 25 business days ago, plus mailing time. It offers no expedited service, and its processing time is the same whether you apply directly or through a company (GAC). GAC charges no fee for the apostille; the company charges for its own service.
Return: GAC issues the apostille as a separate sheet and attaches it to the certificate with staples or eyelets. The company then couriers it to you in Paraguay. Canada joined the Apostille Convention with no objections from other members, so a Canadian apostille is valid in Paraguay (HCCH status table).

Step 5: When it arrives in Paraguay

Keep it exactly as it arrived. Do not remove the staples or eyelets, do not separate the apostille from the certificate, and do not laminate it.
Have it translated into Spanish. The certificate is not in Spanish, so it needs a translation by a traductor público matriculado in Paraguay (no apostille is needed on that translation) or by a public translator authorized in another country, in which case the translation itself must be apostilled (Ley 6984/2022, Art. 50). We recommend translating in Paraguay. See how to apostille and translate your documents.
Make notarized copies (copias autenticadas at an escribanía) of the certificate, its apostille and its translation. Migraciones asks for the original plus a copy.
File with Migraciones together with the rest of your documents. See the full list in our residency guide.

How long it takes, and the 6-month clock

A rough timeline, with no possible match at the RCMP:

Courier from Paraguay to Canada: about a week.
RCMP: 3 business days or less, plus mail to the company.
Global Affairs Canada: about 25 business days, plus mailing to and from GAC.
Courier from Canada to Paraguay: about a week.

In total, count on roughly 2 to 3 months. Forensics Canada estimates 4 to 6 weeks for the apostille stage alone.

Now the clock. If a criminal record certificate states no validity period, Migraciones counts it as valid for 6 months from its date of issue (Res. DNM 754/2024, Annex I, Art. 4.1). That date is the day the RCMP issues it, not the day of the apostille, so about 2 of those 6 months may be gone by the time it reaches you. Have the rest of your file ready, and start this request once you know you will file within the next few months. An expired certificate can still be accepted if it was valid when you entered Paraguay, it expired no more than 12 months ago, and you have not left Paraguay since you entered (up to one year), as your migration record or other documents must show (Art. 4.2).

Mistakes that cost weeks

Mailing the fingerprints straight to the RCMP. They are not accepted; the application has to go through an accredited company in Canada.
Ordering a name-based check from a local police service instead of the RCMP certified check: it needs notarization before the apostille, and it is not the one we recommend for Migraciones.
Having the RCMP mail the certificate to Paraguay by regular mail. It cannot be tracked, and it would have to go back to Canada for the apostille.
Sending a scan or a photocopy of the fingerprint card instead of the original.
A card without the office's name and address or the official's name and signature, or with smudged prints.
Removing the staples or separating the apostille from the certificate.
Starting too early, so the certificate's 6 months run out before you file.

How Clarity Paraguay helps

As part of our residency services, Clarity Paraguay reviews your forms before you ship them, coordinates the Spanish translation and the notarized copies when your certificate arrives, and checks everything against Migraciones requirements before filing. See temporary residency and permanent residency, or book a free 15-minute call.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get an RCMP criminal record check without going back to Canada?
Yes. Have your fingerprints taken where you live, on a paper card, and send the original to an RCMP-accredited company in Canada, which submits them to the RCMP electronically.

Can I mail my fingerprints directly to the RCMP?
No. The RCMP does not accept fingerprints or applications mailed to it directly from abroad. They must go through an accredited company in Canada.

Who can take my fingerprints in Paraguay?
The RCMP accepts prints taken by police services, government departments, foreign embassies and consulates (not Canadian ones) and notaries public. Call the office first to confirm that it takes ink prints on a foreign card.

Does the RCMP certificate need to be notarized before the apostille?
No, as long as it comes from RCMP headquarters in Ottawa, signed by the Director General of the Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services and with the RCMP dry seal. Certificates from provincial or municipal police services do need notarization.

How long does the whole process take?
Roughly 2 to 3 months from shipping your card, if there is no possible match at the RCMP. Global Affairs Canada alone currently takes about 25 business days, plus mailing.

Can I pay to speed up the apostille?
No. Global Affairs Canada offers no expedited service, and its processing time is the same whether you apply directly or through a company.

How long is the RCMP certificate valid for Paraguay?
If it states no validity period, Migraciones counts it as valid for 6 months from the date the RCMP issued it, not from the date of the apostille.

Do I need to translate the RCMP certificate?
Yes. It must be translated into Spanish, preferably by a traductor público matriculado in Paraguay. Then make notarized copies of the certificate, the apostille and the translation.

Does my teenager need a Canadian criminal record check?
No. No criminal record is needed under 14, and Canadian teens aged 14 to 18 are exempt because Canada does not issue it at that age.

This article is general information and not legal advice. Requirements and processing times change; confirm with the Dirección Nacional de Migraciones, the RCMP and Global Affairs Canada before you act. The companies named are examples, not endorsements, and their services and prices can change.

Official sources

How to Get an RCMP Criminal Record Check from Paraguay, Apostilled