Please do not delay your pardon application. It is an important step that will only have positive effects on your life. Below are some important things to know before proceeding with your application for a pardon.
- If you have ever been arrested you have a criminal record. Your criminal record will not go away without making the appropriate application to have it removed.
- Eligibility for a Canadian pardon begins 5 years or 10 years after you have completed your sentence; 5 years for summary offences and 10 years for indictable offences (less serious vs. more serious offences).
- Currently expedited pardon applications are being completed in approximately 1 year. Standard pardon applications are being completed in 14-20 months. Please be advised that time frames are averages only and not guaranteed. No one can guarantee the time frames involved in a pardon application.
- A pardon application handled by the National Pardon Centre is professionally prepared on your behalf. In other words, we do the work for YOU! Beware of scams. Some companies will charge you and then make you do the work on your own.
- Fingerprinting is the first step in a pardon application. These are non-criminal fingerprints taken in order to identify your criminal record with the RCMP since name and birth date checks will often turn up duplicate records.
- A pardon does not erase your criminal record. Rather, it is kept separate and apart and is not legally to be shared with anyone without your permission or permission from the Public Safety Minister. However, if you do not get arrested again your criminal record is gone for all practical purposes.
- Yes, you can do a pardon on your own but it isn’t easy. To view the National Parole Board instructions for a pardon click here.
close
