Record Suspension (Pardon) in Canada: Cost & Eligibility

A Canadian record suspension, still commonly called a pardon, now costs $50 to apply for, a fee cut from $657.77 that took effect on January 1, 2022, though most applicants also have to clear a multi-year waiting period after finishing their sentence before the Parole Board of Canada will even consider the application.

What a Record Suspension Actually Is

A record suspension is an order issued by the Parole Board of Canada under the Criminal Records Act. Once granted, it removes a person's criminal record from the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database and keeps it separate from other criminal records held by federal departments and agencies.

That separation is what lets most employers, landlords, and volunteer organizations run a standard criminal record check and see nothing, even though the conviction happened. It is a meaningful, practical change for someone trying to move past an old conviction, but it is a legal status, not a memory hole. See criminal record checks in Canada for how the different tiers of background check treat a suspended record.

"Pardon" and "Record Suspension" Are the Same Thing

Most people, and a lot of websites, still say pardon. That is not incorrect in casual conversation, it is just the old legal name. Parliament changed the terminology in 2012, and the Parole Board of Canada now uses record suspension in its legislation, forms, and public materials. This article uses record suspension throughout and treats pardon as its common nickname, not a separate process.

A true pardon in the sense of clemency still technically exists under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy, administered separately for rare, exceptional cases. That is not what almost anyone searching for pardon Canada is actually asking about, so the rest of this page focuses on the record suspension process people actually need.

The Fee Is $50, Not $657.77

This is worth stating plainly, because it is the single fact about this process that gets repeated wrong most often online.

Effective January 1, 2022, the Parole Board of Canada reduced the record suspension application fee to $50. Before that date, the fee was $657.77. A number of articles, guides, and even some paid pardon service ads still quote $657.77, $631, or a similar older figure. Any source telling you the fee is several hundred dollars is describing a rule that has not been in effect since 2022.

The $50 fee covers the Parole Board's review of the application itself. It does not cover the cost of gathering the supporting documents the application requires, including a fingerprint-based criminal record from the RCMP, local police records checks from every place a person has lived, and court documents proving how each charge was resolved. Depending on how many jurisdictions and offences are involved, those supporting costs can add up to more than the $50 fee itself.

One further exception is worth knowing about. People convicted only of simple possession of cannabis, from when it was still a criminal offence, can apply through a separate program with no fee and no waiting period at all, reflecting Parliament's position that those convictions should not have carried the same consequences after legalization.

Eligibility: How Long You Have to Wait

Eligibility turns on the type of offence and how long ago the sentence was completed, not on how long ago the offence itself happened.

Completing the sentence means more than being released or finishing time in custody. It includes paying every fine in full, finishing any probation order, and paying any restitution ordered to a victim. If a fine or a restitution payment is still outstanding, the waiting period has not started yet, even if the person has stayed out of trouble ever since the original offence.

Who Cannot Get a Record Suspension

Not every conviction becomes eligible no matter how much time passes. The Criminal Records Act excludes two main groups from applying at all.

• Anyone convicted of certain sexual offences against a minor listed in Schedule 1 of the Act, subject to a narrow exception the Parole Board of Canada can apply only in specific circumstances involving consensual conduct between people close in age.
• Anyone convicted of more than three offences prosecuted by indictment (that is, four or more), each with a prison sentence of two years or more. Exactly three such convictions does not trigger this bar.

Someone currently serving a sentence, including active probation, or facing outstanding charges, is also not yet in a position to apply, since the sentence has not been completed.

What a Record Suspension Does, and What It Does Not Do

A record suspension sets the record aside and keeps it separate from other criminal records. It is not erasure and it is not destruction. The conviction still happened, the record still physically exists, and it can be disclosed again in specific, limited circumstances, for example a vulnerable sector check involving certain sexual offences, or if the person reoffends.

A record suspension can also be revoked entirely. The Parole Board of Canada can revoke one if the person is convicted of a new indictable offence, is found to no longer be of good conduct, or is later found to have concealed information or given false information on the application. A revoked record suspension means the record becomes visible in CPIC again, as though it had never been suspended in the first place.

Record Suspension vs Expungement: Not the Same Remedy

These two terms get mixed up constantly, and the difference matters. A record suspension sets a record aside; it does not erase it. Expungement, by contrast, permanently destroys the record.

Expungement in Canada is not a general remedy available for most convictions. It exists only under the Expungement of Historically Unjust Convictions Act, passed in 2018, and applies to a narrow list of offences that criminalized conduct that should never have been a crime in the first place, most notably consensual same-sex sexual activity between adults. See expungement vs record suspension for the full comparison and the list of eligible offences.

How the Application Process Works

Applying for a record suspension is largely a document-assembly exercise, though it still requires care and accuracy. At a high level, an applicant generally needs to:

1. Obtain the official Parole Board of Canada application guide and forms.
2. Get a fingerprint-based criminal record check from the RCMP to confirm the record on file.
3. Obtain local police records checks from every police service in every community the person has lived in since the offence.
4. Obtain court documents, including proof of conviction and sentencing details, for every offence being suspended.
5. Complete the Parole Board's forms in full and pay the $50 application fee.
6. Submit the completed package to the Parole Board of Canada for review.

The Parole Board reviews the file for completeness and eligibility before making a decision. If it is satisfied the suspension would provide a measurable benefit, sustain the person's rehabilitation, and not bring the administration of justice into disrepute, it orders the suspension.

How Long It Takes

The Parole Board of Canada's published service standard targets processing within 6 months of an accepted, complete application for summary conviction offences, and within 12 months for indictable offences. Applications where the Board is considering a refusal can take up to 24 months. These are targets rather than guarantees, and actual processing can run longer depending on application volume and whether the file is missing documents.

Crossing the US Border With a Record Suspension

This is one of the most common follow-up questions, and the answer surprises a lot of people. A Canadian record suspension does not bind United States border officials.

US border authorities can see, and can act on, a Canadian criminal record independently of whatever Canada has done with it. A record suspension does not guarantee entry, and a border officer can still deny entry based on the underlying conviction. Anyone with a Canadian criminal record who needs reliable entry to the United States, for work, travel, or family reasons, generally needs a separate US entry waiver, a different application to a different government, on its own timeline. See travelling with a criminal record for more on how this plays out at the border and in other countries.

Watch Out for Paid "Pardon Services"

A number of private companies advertise help filing a Canada pardon application for fees that can run into the thousands of dollars. Some of that assistance is legitimate paperwork help, but the underlying government process itself costs $50 plus the cost of obtaining supporting records, and an individual applicant can complete the entire application without paying a company to do it.

Be skeptical of any company that implies it can guarantee approval, speed up the Parole Board's timelines, or that a record suspension is required to avoid ongoing legal exposure. Compare any quoted fee against the $50 government fee and the real cost of obtaining an RCMP check, local police records checks, and court documents before agreeing to pay anyone for filing help.

For the full picture of Canadian criminal law topics, see the Canada criminal law hub.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about record suspensions in Canada and is not legal advice. Eligibility, waiting periods, and outcomes depend on the specific facts of each conviction and sentence. Anyone considering an application should review the Parole Board of Canada's official guidance or consult a licensed lawyer or paralegal in their province or territory.