How far back does the RCMP background check go?

The RCMP background investigation focuses on the past 10 years of your life, including employment, education, finances, personal associations, and criminal history. Juvenile records may also be reviewed in some circumstances.

Will a criminal record automatically disqualify me from the RCMP?

Not automatically, though many serious offences will. The RCMP considers the nature of the offence, how long ago it occurred, whether a record suspension (pardon) was granted, and what you have done since. Crimes involving violence, dishonesty, drug trafficking, and sexual offences are the most serious concerns.

Does the RCMP check your credit score and financial history?

Yes. A credit check is conducted with your consent as part of the background investigation. The RCMP looks for patterns of financial irresponsibility that could indicate poor judgment or vulnerability to corruption. A past bankruptcy or debt does not automatically disqualify you — context matters.

How long does the RCMP background investigation take?

The field investigation is the longest step in the RCMP application process. It typically takes several months for straightforward cases and can take over a year for complex ones. A longer wait does not necessarily mean there is a problem.

Does CSIS do a separate check for the RCMP application?

Yes. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) conducts a security assessment as part of the clearance process, looking at national security concerns. For most applicants this runs in the background and does not require direct engagement.

What happens if I left something out of my RCMP application?

Omissions are treated as potential dishonesty, which is one of the most serious concerns in the background investigation. If you realize you left something out, correct it as soon as possible. The background investigators will likely find the discrepancy regardless, and an uncorrected omission looks far worse than the original issue.

RCMP Background Check and Security Clearance: What They Actually Investigate

Step 7 of the RCMP application is a deep dive into your past 10 years — here is exactly what investigators look at and how to prepare.

The RCMP background check is the final and most thorough step in the application process. After you have passed the Online Entrance Assessment, suitability interview, medical evaluation, and psychological assessment, investigators will spend weeks examining your past 10 years in detail. This is not a routine reference check — it is a comprehensive field investigation designed to determine your reliability, honesty, and suitability to serve as a police officer.

Most applicants who make it this far are qualified on paper. The background investigation is where character, judgment, and transparency are tested in full.

What Is the RCMP Background Investigation?

According to the RCMP, the field investigation and security assessment is Step 7 — the final step — of the regular member application process. Its purpose is to determine your reliability and suitability for employment as a police officer, which requires a secret-level security clearance.

The investigation concentrates on, but is not limited to:

Previous employment
Education
Neighbourhood inquiries
Friends and associates
Character references
Personal finances
Drug and alcohol use
Online activities
Criminal activities

Investigators do not just read paperwork — they make phone calls, conduct in-person interviews with people in your life, and verify claims independently. The depth of this investigation is one reason the RCMP process can take 12 to 24 months from application to offer.

Criminal Record Check

The RCMP conducts a fingerprint-based criminal record check against the National Repository of Criminal Records. This surfaces:

Criminal convictions, including those resulting in a discharge
Outstanding criminal charges and warrants
Judicial orders and prohibitions
Record suspensions (pardons) — particularly for sexual offences

A criminal conviction does not automatically disqualify you, though many serious offences will. What matters is the nature of the offence, how long ago it occurred, whether a pardon was granted, and your demonstrated rehabilitation and judgment since. Violent offences, crimes of dishonesty (fraud, theft), and drug trafficking convictions are the most likely to be disqualifying.

If you have any criminal history, you need to disclose it fully and accurately in your application. Background investigators will find it regardless, and failing to disclose it demonstrates exactly the kind of dishonesty that ends RCMP applications.

Employment and Education Verification

Investigators will contact your past employers — in some cases going back a decade — to verify dates of employment, your role, your conduct, and why you left. They are looking for patterns of reliability, honesty, teamwork, and professionalism. Multiple firings, job-hopping with no explanation, or reports of dishonest conduct from former employers are red flags.

Education history is similarly verified. Degrees, diplomas, and training credentials you list must be accurate. Exaggerating or misrepresenting your education — even by claiming a degree you did not complete — is treated as dishonesty and will disqualify you.

Character References and Personal Associates

You will provide character references as part of your application. The RCMP will contact them — but they will also conduct neighbourhood inquiries and speak with people beyond your submitted reference list. Former neighbours, coworkers, classmates, and social contacts may all be interviewed.

Investigators are assessing whether the character you present in your application matches how the people in your life actually describe you. They look for:

Consistency between self-description and how others describe you
Any associations with criminal activity, organized crime, or gangs
Patterns of behaviour — aggression, dishonesty, substance use, instability
Whether references describe someone they would trust with significant authority

Choose references who know you well, can speak specifically to your character, and who will be available. Vague or evasive references reflect poorly, even when they are trying to be helpful.

Personal Finances and Credit Check

The RCMP conducts a credit check as part of the background investigation (with your consent). Financial history is reviewed because:

Officers in financial distress are considered a higher risk for corruption or compromise
Patterns of irresponsibility — unpaid debts, repeated overdrafts, financial judgments — speak to reliability and judgment
Bankruptcies are examined for context: was it due to a medical crisis or divorce, or a pattern of poor decision-making?

A bankruptcy or period of financial difficulty will not automatically disqualify you. What matters is context and what came after. Ongoing financial irresponsibility — especially if combined with a failure to disclose — is a more serious concern than a past financial hardship that you have worked through.

Be transparent about your financial situation. If you have debt, unpaid collections, or a bankruptcy, the investigators will find it. Having a clear and honest explanation for what happened and what you have done to address it is far better than appearing to hide it.

Drug and Alcohol Use

This is covered in the background investigation and confirmed through the polygraph examination. Investigators ask references about your substance use history in addition to asking you directly.

The RCMP is looking for honesty and judgment. Past cannabis use that ended cleanly, disclosed fully, is treated very differently from ongoing heavy use or hard drug use. Alcohol is also assessed — patterns of heavy drinking, drinking-related incidents (DUIs, public intoxication), or alcohol-fuelled conflicts are all concerns.

The key is disclosure. If you used cannabis occasionally years ago and tell investigators that honestly, you are in a very different position than someone who had the same history and tried to minimize or hide it.

Online Activities

Investigators review your online presence as part of the background investigation. This includes social media accounts, public posts, and any digital footprint that can be found through open-source investigation. They are looking for:

Content that contradicts the character you have presented in your application
Associations with extremist groups, criminal networks, or hate movements
Patterns of behaviour — aggressive posts, dishonest conduct, public intoxication documented online
Anything that suggests poor judgment in public settings

Before applying, review your social media presence with this lens. Old posts, tagged photos, and public comments that seemed harmless at the time can raise concerns. You do not need to delete your entire history — but you should be aware of what is out there and be prepared to speak to anything questionable if asked.

Time Spent Outside Canada

If you have spent more than six consecutive months outside Canada during the past 10 years, you will need to account for those activities in detail. The RCMP may ask for:

Letters of reference from foreign embassies or missions
Police clearance certificates from the countries where you lived
Security screening information from allied countries
Credit summaries from foreign financial institutions
Letters from foreign educational institutions

This adds time and complexity to your application but is not inherently disqualifying. If you worked abroad for the Government of Canada or the Canadian Armed Forces, different rules apply and you may not need to account for that time separately.

The Security Clearance Assessment (CSIS)

In addition to the RCMP field investigation, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) conducts a separate security assessment as part of the clearance process. This looks at potential loyalties to foreign states, associations with threats to national security, and any indicators of compromise that could make an officer a security risk.

For most applicants, this process is invisible — it runs in the background and does not require direct engagement. But it is one reason why the RCMP application process takes as long as it does.

How Long Does the Background Investigation Take?

The field investigation is the longest single step in the RCMP application. For applicants with straightforward histories, it may take several months. For applicants with complex histories — time abroad, financial issues, prior criminal history, extensive employment records — it can take much longer. Some candidates wait over a year at this stage.

This is normal. A longer investigation does not necessarily indicate a problem. The process is thorough by design.

How to Prepare for the Background Investigation

The single most important thing you can do is be honest from the beginning. The background investigation is designed to surface the truth regardless of what you say. Investigators are experienced at identifying discrepancies between an applicant's self-reported history and what they find in interviews and records.

Practical steps:

Get your own records in order before applying. Know your employment dates, reasons for leaving, any criminal history, your financial situation, and your honest account of past drug or alcohol use. Inconsistencies between what you say now and what you said in earlier application steps are a concern.
Tell your references you have applied. Give them a heads-up that the RCMP may contact them. Let them know it is okay to be honest — investigators are not looking for perfect candidates, they are looking for people whose references consistently describe them as trustworthy.
Review your social media and online presence. Know what is publicly visible. Be prepared to explain anything that could be misread.
Address any financial issues proactively. If you have unpaid debts or a bankruptcy in your past, speak with a financial advisor and begin addressing the situation before applying if you have not already.
Do not try to manage the outcome. Applicants who try to carefully construct a version of their history that hides unflattering details almost always create inconsistencies that raise more concern than the original issue would have.

What Can Disqualify You?

The RCMP does not publish a definitive disqualification list, but the following are known to be disqualifying in most circumstances:

Criminal convictions for violent offences, crimes of dishonesty, drug trafficking, or sexual offences
Associations with organized crime or gang affiliations
Dishonesty or material omissions during the application process
Recent serious drug use or addiction history
Patterns of financial irresponsibility without mitigation
History of domestic violence or restraining orders
Extremist associations or activities contrary to Canadian democratic values

Each case is evaluated individually. A single factor rarely tells the full story. What the RCMP is ultimately assessing is your character — your honesty, your judgment, your reliability over time.

Bottom Line

The RCMP background check is thorough, slow, and designed to surface the truth about who you are. The applicants who pass it are not the ones with perfect histories — they are the ones who are consistently honest about their imperfect histories and can demonstrate that their character and judgment are what the RCMP needs in a police officer.

If you are in the earlier stages of the RCMP application and want to strengthen your performance on the Online Entrance Assessment, rcmpprep.ca offers unofficial practice tests covering every section of the OEA — the first major filter in the process.