Search Canadian Records by Type

Each record type uses a different system. Select a section for search guidance and direct portal links.

Courts & Tribunals Property & Land Corporations & Business Military Records

Search Canadian Records by Province

Each province manages its own courts, property registry, and vital records independently.

Ontario British Columbia Alberta Quebec Manitoba Saskatchewan Nova Scotia New Brunswick Newfoundland & Labrador Prince Edward Island Northwest Territories Yukon Nunavut

What Canadian Records Are Publicly Accessible

Freely Searchable Online

Court decisions: Published judgments from all levels of court via CanLII and the Supreme Court of Canada. Federal business filings: Corporations Canada (free). Trademarks: CIPO (free). Bankruptcy: Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy maintains public insolvency records.

Restricted or Application-Based

Criminal records: RCMP/CPIC — formal check required with subject consent. Property titles: Provincial registries, fee-based. Vital records: Subject or authorized family only. Immigration: Subject or authorized legal representatives only.

Frequently Asked Questions

Use the databases listed on this page. Each Canada government office maintains its own records separately. There is no single database for all Canadian public records.

Start with the strategy box at the top of this page. It tells you which Canada databases to search and in what order. Don't guess which system to use — each record type has its own office and database.

Many Canada government databases are free. Some charge fees for certified copies or detailed searches. Every source on this page is verified and links directly to an official portal.

No. Canadian criminal records are managed by the RCMP through CPIC and are not publicly searchable online. A Criminal Record Check requires a formal application, the subject's consent, and often fingerprints. This is fundamentally different from the U.S.

Published court decisions are freely available through CanLII. However, case-level filings, motions, and documents typically require visiting the courthouse. British Columbia is the exception — Court Services Online provides civil case filing access.

Each province operates its own land registry. Unlike the U.S. county-by-county model, Canadian property records are centralized at the provincial level. Most offer online title searches for a fee. Select your province above.

PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) is Canada's federal privacy law. It restricts public access to personal data more than U.S. laws do, particularly for criminal records and vital records. Provinces may have additional privacy legislation.

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