Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General
Protection Orders and the Protection Order Registry
Protection Order Registry
The Protection Order Registry is a confidential database containing all civil and criminal protection orders issued in British Columbia. The goal of the Protection Order Registry is to contribute to the reduction of violence against women, vulnerable adults, youth and children through support of the enforcement of civil and criminal protection orders.
Protection orders issued in BC Courts or by the police are sent to the registry on the day they are made in court, and are entered on the database the same day. The police have 24-hour access to the Protection Order Registry, and can obtain a copy of the order within minutes.
If you are in immediate danger…
It is a criminal offence (a crime) for anyone to assault you or your children, to harass or stalk you, to threaten you with bodily harm or to damage your property. If you fear for your immediate safety call police right away by dialing 911. If your community does not have 911 service, look for the local police emergency phone number on the first page of your phone book under “Emergency.”
What is a protection order?
Peace Bonds and Restraining Orders are both protection orders – orders made by a judge in court to help protect one person from another. Peace bonds are issued in criminal court; restraining orders are issued in civil court. A protection order contains a condition that affords the safety and security to a specified (named) person or persons. An order must contain a 'no contact', 'limited contact', or other protective condition to be considered a protection order.
An order is not a protection order if it does not name an individual and if its only condition is to protect property, assets or the community.
For more information on protection orders see the guide, Peace Bonds and Restraining Orders (click icon below – the guide is in portable document format (PDF) and available in English, Chinese or Punjabi):
Ensuring Your Protection Order is on the Registry
If you are a protected party, you can confirm that your protection order is on the registry by calling VictimLINK at 1-800-563-0808. VictimLINK, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The line is TTY accessible and provides interpretation services for all the major languages spoken in British Columbia.
Registering a Protection Order Made in Another Province
If you have a protection order made in another province, you can ask that it be registered in B.C. Take your protection order to your local court registry – click here for a list of Courthouse Locations. You will need to present identification in order to register the order in B.C.
Victim Notification Program – register to be informed of status of an Accused or Offender
If you are named as a protected party on a protection order (family or criminal) you can register for victim notification. Registering for notification means that you may be provided with on-going information about the status of an accused (person charged with crime) or an offender (person convicted of the crime), including whether or not they are currently in provincial jail, when they may get out of provincial jail, what community they may be in, and what conditions the accused or offender may have to follow.
The victim notification program is run through the ministry’s Victim Safety Unit. For more information on the program and application form should you wish to register on your own, see fact sheet: Help Starts Here – Victim Notification. For assistance in registering for victim notification , contact Victim LINK at 1-800-563-0808 and you will be directed to a victim service worker.
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