SOIRA / National Sex Offender Registry
The Sex Offender Information Registration Act (SOIRA) creates Canada's National Sex Offender Registry (NSOR), a confidential database used by police agencies for the investigation and prevention of sexual offences. The registry is operated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and is not publicly accessible — there is no public-facing search tool, and members of the public cannot look up registrants.
Registrants must report annually and within seven days of any change to the recorded information. Travel of seven or more days requires advance notification. Failure to comply with registration requirements is itself a criminal offence, even where the underlying conviction is decades old.
Who has to register
On conviction of a designated sexual offence — including sexual assault, sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation, child luring, voyeurism, and several others — the court issues a SOIRA order. Following the Supreme Court of Canada's decision in R v Ndhlovu, 2022 and the legislative response in Bill S-12 (2023), SOIRA orders are no longer fully automatic in every case. Many designated offences trigger a presumption of registration that the accused can rebut on specified grounds, while others — including offences against children and certain repeat offences — still require automatic registration.
How long registration lasts
SOIRA orders run for 10 years, 20 years, or life, depending on the offence: 10 years for less serious designated offences prosecuted summarily; 20 years for designated offences prosecuted by indictment with a maximum penalty of 10 to 14 years; life for designated offences with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and for any offender with more than one prior conviction for a designated offence.
What registration requires
Registrants must provide and update specified information at registration centres operated by police: full name, aliases, date of birth, gender; address — primary residence and any secondary residences; telephone numbers; place of employment or volunteer work; description of physical characteristics — height, weight, scars, tattoos; photograph (taken at registration); details of the registered offence(s); vehicle ownership and licence plate information; passport and driver's licence numbers.
Other consequences of conviction
Beyond registration, designated sexual offence convictions can trigger: section 161 prohibition orders restricting attendance at public places frequented by minors and the use of digital communications; weapons prohibition orders; DNA orders; long-term offender or dangerous offender designations in serious cases; and severe immigration consequences for non-citizens.
How Mass Tsang manages SOIRA exposure
Avoiding registration is often the central goal of a sexual offence defence — and not always achievable through trial alone. Resolution outcomes that avoid the listed offences (for example, a plea to simple assault rather than sexual assault on the right facts) can sometimes prevent a SOIRA order entirely. The lawyers at Mass Tsang's sexual assault practice consider every available avenue to limit long-term consequences. For more, see our blog post on Canada's National Sex Offender Registry.
Related glossary terms
