FBI-approved channelers are private companies the FBI authorizes to take your fingerprints and personal information, send them to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division electronically, and deliver your Identity History Summary (often called a rap sheet) back to you. Twelve companies currently hold that approval, and using one is generally faster than mailing a request straight to CJIS in Clarksburg, West Virginia. You pay for the speed: channelers charge their own service fee on top of the FBI’s $18 processing fee.1Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions Most people who go this route are getting ready to live or work abroad, completing an international adoption, or checking their own federal record for accuracy before a visa application or court matter.
The FBI’s own definition is narrower and worth reading once: a channeler is “a contractor that serves as the conduit for submitting fingerprints to the FBI and receiving the FBI criminal history record information (CHRI), on behalf of an Authorized Recipient, for authorized noncriminal justice purposes.”2Federal Bureau of Investigation. Channeler FAQs They handle the front-end paperwork and secure transmission. The CJIS Division still runs the actual database search.
The 12 Currently Approved Channelers
The FBI publishes and updates the list on its website. As of December 2025, the approved companies are:3Federal Bureau of Investigation. List of FBI-Approved Channelers for Departmental Order Submissions
- Accurate Biometrics
- Biometrics4All, Inc.
- Digital Trusted Identity Services LLC
- Fieldprint, Inc.
- Idemia Identity & Security USA LLC
- Inquiries Acquisition LLC (doing business as ScreenID)
- National Background Check, Inc.
- National Credit Reporting
- STS SID LLC (doing business as First Advantage Biometrics)
- Telos Identity Management Solutions LLC
- TRP Associates LLC
- VetConnex
Each sets its own pricing and turnaround. Some run their own walk-in fingerprinting locations; others accept mailed cards or digital scans from third-party fingerprinting sites. Compare a few before paying, and check the FBI list again on the day you submit, because approvals can change between updates.
When a Channeler Is the Right Route
Channelers handle personal-review requests made under Department of Justice Order 556-73, which is the rule that entitles you to your own federal record on request with proper identification and a fee.4Federal Bureau of Investigation. U.S. Department of Justice Order 556-73 That covers the usual reasons individuals request their own record: foreign government background-check requirements for immigration or overseas employment, international adoption paperwork, and personal review before a legal proceeding or application.
A channeler is not the right route in two situations. First, if a state agency requires the check for professional licensing or state-regulated employment, the fingerprints normally have to go through your state’s identification bureau. The FBI’s channeler FAQ puts it directly: state agencies authorized to submit noncriminal justice fingerprints “must submit the fingerprints through the state repository unless the state repository has outsourced the fingerprint channeling function.”2Federal Bureau of Investigation. Channeler FAQs If an employer or licensing board is telling you to get an FBI check, ask whether they need a state-routed submission or accept a personal-review report. Guessing wrong means starting over.
Second, non-citizens who are not legal permanent residents cannot use a channeler for a personal-review request. The direct submission form to the FBI asks about citizenship and residency status.5FBI.gov. Identity History Summary Request Form If you fall outside U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, mail your request directly to the FBI instead.
Submitting Directly to the FBI
Anyone can skip the channeler and mail a completed request form, fingerprint card, and $18 payment straight to the FBI CJIS Division at 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306.5FBI.gov. Identity History Summary Request Form Payment is by certified check, money order, or a credit card form. Electronic submissions are also accepted at participating U.S. Post Office locations.1Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions Direct is cheaper, since you only pay the $18 fee, but it is slower. The FBI processes requests in the order received and does not offer expedited service on direct submissions.
Preparing the Form and Fingerprints
You need two things ready: a completed Identity History Summary Request (form FD-1164) and a usable set of fingerprints. FD-1164 asks for your full legal name, date of birth, place of birth, Social Security number, and physical descriptors including height, weight, eye color, and hair color.6Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Request – FD-1164 Fill every field. A mismatch between the form and the fingerprint card can produce a rejection, and a rejection usually means new prints and, in some cases, a new fee.
Fingerprints can be captured with ink on a standard card or through an electronic live-scan device. The FBI accepts FD-1164 fingerprint cards printed on standard white paper, though many fingerprinting agencies prefer card stock.1Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions Each finger has to be rolled nail to nail so the FBI’s automated system has enough ridge detail to work with. According to the FBI’s own guidance on rejections, the usual failures are prints that are too light or too inked, smudges, the same finger recorded in two boxes, both sides of a card showing the same hand, and blank finger boxes with no notation for missing fingers such as an amputation.7FBI.gov. Reducing Fingerprint Rejects Live-scan tends to produce cleaner images than ink and is worth the small premium at a private fingerprinting service. Sign the form before you send it. A missing signature is one of the simplest reasons channelers return applications as incomplete.
Fees, Submission, and Turnaround
Most channelers accept submissions through a secure online portal where you can upload documents and pay electronically. If you are mailing physical fingerprint cards, use a traceable shipping method. You will not be able to replace the originals without getting re-fingerprinted.
Budget for the $18 FBI processing fee plus the channeler’s own service fee, which varies by company.1Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions Some channelers charge extra for expedited processing or a hard-copy mailed report. Ask for the full total before paying.
Electronic submissions come back faster than mailed cards. The FBI does not publish an official turnaround time for channeler requests, but channelers generally advertise results within a few business days for electronic submissions. Mailed cards take longer because of transit time and the need to digitize the prints. Most channelers deliver the finished report through a secure download link that expires, so download promptly.
What the Report Shows
If the FBI has no record on your fingerprints, you get a “no record” response confirming nothing was found in the national database. If a record exists, the Identity History Summary lists arrest data, charges, and any disposition information the reporting agencies have provided. The database only reflects what agencies submit, so some entries may show an arrest with no final case outcome. That gap is one of the main reasons people pull their own record before a visa application or job process: catching incomplete entries early gives you time to correct them.
Correcting Errors on Your Record
Challenges are free. Send a written request to the FBI identifying which entries you believe are wrong, along with supporting documentation such as court records or dismissal orders. Challenges are handled in the order received, and the average response time is about 45 days. The FBI will only discuss the record after confirming your identity through fingerprints, so you need a completed Identity History Summary on file before starting. Questions go to identity@fbi.gov or 304-625-5590.1Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
Expungement is handled differently depending on where the arrest came from. For nonfederal arrests, contact the State Identification Bureau in the state where the arrest occurred. Federal arrest data comes off the FBI’s file only at the request of the original submitting agency or by federal court order specifically directing expungement.1Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions A state court sealing or expungement will not clear the FBI entry until the state agency notifies the FBI to remove it.
Adding an Apostille for Foreign Use
Many foreign governments will not accept a raw FBI report. They require an apostille, the authentication certificate recognized under the 1961 Hague Convention. Only the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications issues apostilles for federal documents like an FBI Identity History Summary.8U.S. Department of State. Office of Authentications
Complete Form DS-4194 and submit it with your FBI report and a $20-per-document fee.9U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services You can send it by mail or bring it in person in Washington, D.C. As of late 2025, mail-in processing takes five or more weeks from receipt. Walk-in drop-off and pickup runs about seven business days, with drop-off accepted Monday through Thursday from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. Appointments are reserved for life-or-death emergencies only.8U.S. Department of State. Office of Authentications Build this into your schedule from the start if you have a visa or work permit deadline.
How Channelers Handle Your Data
Channelers work under federal rules that limit how long they can hold your information. Your criminal history results can stay on a channeler’s system only long enough to deliver them to you, and no longer than 30 calendar days. Once you confirm receipt, the results must be destroyed.10Federal Bureau of Investigation. Outsourcing Channeler Noncriminal Justice Information Technology Security Audit Policy Reference Guide
Fingerprint cards or images follow the same 30-day-or-delivery rule, whichever comes first. The signed request form itself, which carries your personal identifiers, is kept longer, up to three years or until the channeler’s contract with the FBI ends, whichever is shorter, and is then destroyed in line with FBI security policy.10Federal Bureau of Investigation. Outsourcing Channeler Noncriminal Justice Information Technology Security Audit Policy Reference Guide If keeping your fingerprints out of a private contractor’s hands matters to you, direct submission to the FBI remains an option.