If you’re fingerprinting against a deadline — a job start date, an immigration document, a licensing renewal, a citizenship application — the last thing you want is an avoidable delay. And yet avoidable delays are exactly what happen to a huge number of applicants every year, almost always because of a handful of predictable booking mistakes.
The frustrating part is that the RCMP itself has confirmed there’s no such thing as expedited processing. No fingerprinting agency can promise faster processing than another company, since every accredited provider uses the same digital transmission system to the RCMP, and no system produces faster results than another. That means the only real lever you control is avoiding the errors that push your file to the back of the line or, worse, get it rejected outright.
This guide walks through the most common mistakes people make when booking Canadian fingerprinting services under time pressure, backed by real processing data, so you can plan around a deadline instead of racing against one.
Mistake #1: Assuming You Can Pay for Faster Processing
This is the single most persistent myth around Canadian fingerprinting services. The RCMP’s Canadian Criminal Real Time Identification Services (CCRTIS) processes submissions in the order they’re received. The RCMP receives thousands of requests every month and processes them strictly first-come, first-served, and does not accept requests for emergency processing under any circumstance. If a provider tells you they can jump the queue for an extra fee, that’s a red flag, not a shortcut.
What you can control is submission speed and accuracy — getting your appointment booked and your prints transmitted cleanly the first time. That’s the actual lever behind a faster result, not a rush fee.
Mistake #2: Booking Too Close to the Deadline
Even under normal conditions, official RCMP guidance is clear that timelines vary. Processing times for electronic fingerprint submissions depend on factors like application volume across the year and how much manual review a file requires, and incomplete information can add extra time while CCRTIS clarifies details with local police. On top of that, delivery of results by mail adds its own buffer.
Real-world data backs this up. Providers report that submissions with no criminal record on file are often returned within roughly 3 to 6 weeks, while cases requiring additional review can take 4 to 8 weeks or longer. Some providers note that manual processing or a possible match against an existing record can extend results to 120 days or longer in more complex cases.
The takeaway: when you’re comparing Canadian fingerprinting services with a hard deadline in mind, book weeks — not days — ahead, and build in a buffer for mail delivery on top of processing time.
Mistake #3: Choosing an Unaccredited or Unverified Provider
Not every company offering to take your prints is authorized to transmit them electronically to CCRTIS. Only companies on the RCMP’s current accreditation list can legally submit civil fingerprints this way, and that list is updated monthly. Booking with an unverified provider risks a submission that’s delayed, misrouted, or rejected entirely — the worst possible outcome when you’re working against a deadline.
Before booking any of the many Canadian fingerprinting services available online, confirm the provider’s accreditation status directly, rather than relying on a badge or claim on their homepage.
Mistake #4: Ignoring Fingerprint Quality Preparation
This is one of the most common — and most preventable — causes of rejection. Poor fingerprint quality, often caused by wrinkled, worn, scarred, or cracked fingertips, can lead to rejected submissions that providers have no ability to fix on their end. If your prints are rejected for quality reasons, you’ll need to be reprinted, which resets your place in the queue.
Simple preparation can reduce this risk considerably: moisturizing your fingertips regularly in the days before your appointment, staying hydrated, avoiding activities that roughen fingertips (heavy manual labour, rock climbing, guitar practice), and wearing gloves in cold weather or while cleaning. If you have naturally worn or damaged prints, mention it at booking — some Canadian fingerprinting services can offer accommodations, like cooling aids for sweaty hands, during the appointment itself.
Mistake #5: Requesting the Wrong Type of Check
Fingerprinting isn’t one-size-fits-all. There are name-based checks and fingerprint-based checks, and within fingerprint-based checks, the destination and purpose (employment, immigration, volunteer vulnerable sector checks, professional licensing, security clearance) all affect what form or code needs to be used. Requesting the wrong type of background check means you’ll need to be re-fingerprinted, with the usual fees and disbursements applying again, an expensive and time-consuming mistake under a deadline.
Before your appointment, confirm exactly what the requesting organization needs — the specific check type, the destination agency, and any reference or file numbers they require. This single step prevents one of the costliest mistakes applicants make.
Mistake #6: Getting the Reference or ORI Number Wrong
For employer-mandated or government security screening, this mistake is surprisingly common and can cause serious downstream delays. Government guidance on mandatory electronic fingerprinting for federal contract security notes that a fingerprint service provider entering the wrong originating agency identifier (ORI) number can cause the criminal record check results to be routed to the wrong department entirely, creating a Document Control Number (DCN) mismatch that stalls the entire security screening process.
If your application involves a specific employer, government department, or agency reference code, double- and triple-check that the number is correctly recorded at the time of your appointment — and ask for a copy of the submission confirmation showing the DCN and destination code before you leave.
Mistake #7: Not Keeping Your Document Control Number
Once your fingerprints are submitted, you’ll receive a DCN — your proof of submission and the reference point for any status inquiry. Losing this number, or not requesting it at all, makes it far harder to track your file or resolve a matching issue later. Reputable Canadian fingerprinting services provide this automatically, but it’s worth confirming you’ve received it and storing it somewhere secure before you leave the appointment.
Mistake #8: Forgetting That Results Are Mailed, Not Emailed (in Many Cases)
Many applicants assume their results will arrive instantly online. In most cases, certified criminal record check results are mailed to the address provided, and extra time should be allowed for delivery by Canada Post on top of RCMP processing time. If you move during this window, you’re responsible for ensuring mail forwarding is in place — a returned or lost result can mean starting the entire process over, including new fees.
Some Canadian fingerprinting services offer secure digital delivery for eligible applications, but this depends entirely on what the requesting organization accepts, so confirm delivery method expectations before you assume you can skip the mail-time buffer.
Mistake #9: Not Building in Time for a Possible Manual Review
Even a clean record can occasionally trigger a manual review — for example, if your name and date of birth are similar to someone flagged in the system. In these cases, extra verification steps are taken to confirm you aren’t the person in question, which can extend processing well beyond the standard timeframe, and the RCMP will not disclose the specific reason for the delay beyond confirming your request is being processed.
Because this kind of delay is unpredictable and outside any provider’s control, the safest approach for time-sensitive applications is to submit as early as realistically possible, rather than relying on the shortest published timeframe as your working deadline.
A Practical Pre-Booking Checklist
- Confirm your chosen provider currently appears on the RCMP’s accredited list.
- Confirm the exact type of check and destination code the requesting organization needs.
- Book your appointment weeks ahead of your actual deadline, not days.
- Prepare your fingertips in the days beforehand to reduce rejection risk.
- Bring two pieces of valid government-issued ID, as required for verification.
- Double-check any ORI, reference, or file number before you leave the appointment.
- Request and securely store your Document Control Number.
- Confirm your mailing address is current, or ask whether secure digital delivery applies to your case.
- Build in extra weeks of buffer in case manual review is triggered.
Final Thoughts
Time-sensitive applications leave little room for error, and the mistakes above account for the vast majority of delays applicants experience. The good news is that nearly all of them are preventable with a bit of planning. Choosing among reputable, accredited Canadian fingerprinting services, preparing properly for your appointment, confirming the right check type and reference details, and building in a realistic timeline buffer will do more to protect your deadline than any promise of “faster processing” ever could.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pay extra for faster fingerprint processing in Canada? No. The RCMP processes all electronic fingerprint submissions on a first-come, first-served basis and does not offer expedited or emergency processing, regardless of which provider you use.
How early should I book fingerprinting for a time-sensitive application? Aim to book several weeks before your deadline. Standard processing without a criminal record match typically takes a few weeks, but delivery time and possible manual review can extend this considerably.
What should I do if my fingerprints are rejected for poor quality? You’ll need to be reprinted at another appointment. Moisturizing your fingertips, staying hydrated, and avoiding activities that roughen your skin beforehand can reduce the chance of rejection.
What is a Document Control Number and why does it matter? A DCN is generated when your fingerprints are submitted electronically. It’s your proof of submission and the reference used to track or resolve any issues with your file, so it should always be requested and kept safe.
