How to Get an FBI Background Check by Mail or Online

To get an FBI background check on yourself, you submit your fingerprints and an $18 fee to the FBI, which returns your Identity History Summary — the federal record commonly called a “rap sheet.” You can send everything by mail, start the request electronically and submit prints digitally at a participating post office, or pay an FBI-approved channeler to handle the transmission for you. The fee to the FBI is the same $18 either way; speed and convenience are what differ.¹

What the Report Contains

Your Identity History Summary lists information drawn from fingerprint submissions the FBI has received over the years. That usually means arrest records — the arresting agency, date, charge, and disposition if reported — along with some federal employment, naturalization, or military service entries.¹

One boundary matters before you start. This is not the same document as an employment background check. The FBI’s own request form states the Identity History Summary “may not include information from state repositories which would be included on an employment background check.”² If an employer or licensing agency is requiring the check, ask them whether they want the federal summary or a state-level check — the two are different products, and the wrong one wastes months.

Choose Your Submission Route

Three channels lead to the same result:

Mail-in. Paper form, fingerprint card, and $18 payment mailed to the FBI. Cheapest, slowest.
Electronic. Start the request on the FBI’s website, pay online, and submit fingerprints either by mailing a card or by visiting a participating U.S. Post Office for digital capture. Faster processing and electronic delivery of results.³
FBI-approved channeler. A private company transmits your prints and data to the FBI electronically and forwards the results to you. Fastest option, but you pay the channeler’s fee on top of the FBI’s $18.⁴

Get Your Fingerprints Taken

Every route requires fingerprints, and this step is where most delays start. Poor-quality prints are the leading reason submissions get rejected.

For a mail-in request, or an electronic request where you plan to mail the card, you need prints on a standard FD-258 card. Local police departments, sheriff’s offices, and private fingerprinting shops all provide the service. Fees usually run between $10 and $35, and some law enforcement agencies do it free for residents.

If your request is electronic, you can skip the paper card and visit a participating U.S. Post Office for digital fingerprint capture. USPS charges $50 per person, and the service isn’t at every location. Check the USPS fingerprinting page before you go.⁵ Bring the FBI confirmation email you received when you started your request, plus a valid ID (state driver’s license, U.S. passport, or military ID).

Avoiding a Rejected Card

The FBI’s list of common rejection reasons is short and preventable: low-quality images, duplicate finger impressions, smudges or shadowing, and fingers printed in the wrong boxes.⁶ A few things help. Make sure the technician rolls each finger fully from nail to nail. Ask that the scanning surface be cleaned between prints. Check the card yourself for duplicated or out-of-order fingers before you leave. If your hands are dry or your ridges are worn, moisturizing beforehand can noticeably improve image quality.

A rejection sends you back to square one with a new card and potentially months of added wait. The extra minute of care at the fingerprinting station is worth it.

Sending a Mail-In Request

For the paper route, your envelope needs three items:

A completed FD-258 fingerprint card with both rolled and flat impressions of all ten fingers.
A signed Identity History Summary Request Form (Form I-783), available on the FBI’s website. It asks for your full name, date of birth, place of birth, citizenship, the last four digits of your Social Security number, race, sex, and mailing address.²
$18 payment by certified check, money order payable to the Treasury of the United States, or the FBI’s Credit Card Payment Form.¹

Personal checks, business checks, and cash are not accepted.³ If paying by credit card, download the separate Credit Card Payment Form and include it in the package.⁷

Mail everything to:

FBI CJIS Division – Summary Request
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306⁸

Submitting Electronically

The electronic option uses the same $18 fee but enters the FBI’s queue faster.³ You begin the request on the FBI’s website, provide your personal information and payment online, and then submit fingerprints either by mailing an FD-258 card or by using a participating post office for digital capture.

Delivery is the other advantage. Electronic submissions receive results electronically, with an option to also get a mailed copy. Mail-only requests return by U.S. First-Class Mail. If you need results for a time-sensitive filing, take the electronic route.

Using an FBI-Approved Channeler

Channelers are private companies authorized to transmit your fingerprints and personal data to the FBI, receive the results, and pass them to you. The FBI keeps a current list on its website.⁴

Cost is the trade-off. Channeler fees run on top of the FBI’s $18 and generally fall between about $40 and $100 or more depending on the provider. Some channelers do the fingerprinting in-house; others require you to send them a completed card. Contact the one you choose to confirm process, fees, and turnaround before committing.

How Long It Takes

The FBI does not publish a guaranteed turnaround for any route, processes requests in the order received, and does not offer expedited handling.³ Rough expectations:

Mail-in requests. The U.S. Embassy in Australia estimates roughly 16 to 18 weeks from the date the FBI receives a complete application. Treat that as a guide, not a guarantee.⁹
Electronic requests. The FBI confirms these are processed faster than mail-in requests but doesn’t specify by how much.
Channelers. Varies by company; some advertise results within a few business days.

For an immigration filing, overseas job, or adoption, build in a cushion. Starting four to five months early is reasonable for the mail route. You can check on a pending request by emailing identity@ic.fbi.gov or calling (304) 625-5590.⁹

Fixing Errors on Your Report

If the summary shows inaccurate or incomplete information, you can challenge it. The most common problem is a missing disposition: an arrest appears with no outcome because the court never reported one to the FBI.

The most effective starting point is the agency that submitted the entry. For a missing court disposition, contact the court that handled the case or the prosecutor’s office. Most states route corrections through their state identification bureau, which then forwards the update to the FBI.

You can also challenge the record directly with the FBI by mail. Explain clearly what you believe is wrong and include copies of supporting documentation, such as court records showing a dismissal. Send the package to:

FBI CJIS Division
Attention: Criminal History Analysis Team 1
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306

The FBI will contact the relevant agency to verify the issue, make corrections as appropriate once that agency responds, and notify you of the outcome. Challenges are processed in the order received.

Getting an Apostille for Use Abroad

Many countries require an apostille, a certificate authenticating a U.S. government document, before they’ll accept your FBI background check. If your destination is party to the 1961 Hague Convention, this extra step goes through the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications.¹⁰

You’ll need your original FBI report (or a certified copy), a completed Form DS-4194, $20 per document by check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State, and a self-addressed, prepaid return envelope. Mail to:¹¹

Office of Authentications
U.S. Department of State
44132 Mercure Circle
P.O. Box 1206
Sterling, VA 20166-1206

Mailed requests take about five weeks from the date the office receives them. A walk-in drop-off option with seven-business-day processing is available if you’re traveling in two to three weeks. Do not notarize the FBI report before submitting it for an apostille; doing so can invalidate the document. Use USPS or UPS for the return envelope, not FedEx.¹¹

Between FBI processing and the apostille wait, the full timeline by mail can easily reach five to six months. If you know an apostilled check is coming, start early, or combine the electronic FBI route with a channeler to cut weeks off the front end.

1
eCFR. 28 CFR Part 16 Subpart C – Production of FBI Identification Records
2
FBI.gov. Identity History Summary Request Form
3
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
4
Federal Bureau of Investigation. List of FBI-Approved Channelers for Departmental Order Submissions
5
USPS.com. Register for Fingerprinting at the United States Postal Service
6
FBI.gov. Quick Tips for Reducing Fingerprint Rejects
7
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Credit Card Payment Form
8
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Requesting FBI Records
9
U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Australia. FBI Background Check and Fingerprint Clearance
10
Travel.State.Gov. Preparing your Document for an Apostille Certificate
11
Travel.State.Gov. Requesting Authentication Services