An FBI background check is a fingerprint search of the arrest records the FBI keeps, and you can request your own copy, called an Identity History Summary, through the FBI's online request system or an FBI approved channeler. It shows arrests reported to the FBI with fingerprints, the charges, and the outcome when a court or agency reported it. If no record exists, you get a letter saying so.
One catch trips up a lot of applicants: the copy you request for yourself is meant for personal review, visas and use abroad. When a U.S. job or license needs an FBI check, the employer or licensing agency usually sends your prints through the state identification bureau instead. Ask which route your employer wants before you pay for anything.
Quick answers
What it is
The Identity History Summary, often called a rap sheet, from the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division.
Needs fingerprints
Yes. A name alone is not enough. Many U.S. post offices take prints for direct FBI requests.
How to request
Online through the FBI's request site, by mail with a fingerprint card, or through an FBI approved channeler.
For a U.S. job
Usually done through the employer or your state identification bureau, not by you directly.
What it shows
Arrests submitted with fingerprints, the charge, the arresting agency and the outcome if reported.
What it does not show
Medical records, credit, driving tickets, civil lawsuits or job history.
What does an FBI background check show?
The FBI file is built from fingerprints. Every time police book someone and send prints to the FBI, an entry is added. Your Identity History Summary lists:
- The agency that sent the fingerprints
- The date of the arrest
- The arrest charge
- The outcome (disposition), such as convicted, dismissed or acquitted, when it was reported
- In some cases, prints taken for federal employment, naturalization or military service
The FBI says plainly that a summary you request for yourself may lack dispositions or arrests kept only at the state level. So an old dismissed charge can still read as "arrest" with no ending. If that happens, the fix is to get the court record and ask for a correction, covered below.
| Shows up | Does not show up |
|---|---|
| Fingerprinted arrests in any state | Arrests where no prints were sent to the FBI |
| Federal arrests | Traffic tickets and most driving records |
| Convictions and dismissals that were reported | Civil cases, evictions, debts or credit |
| Some federal job and military print records | Medical records or health information |
How to get an FBI background check online
The direct route runs through the FBI's Electronic Departmental Order site. Here is how it works in practice:
- Enter your email address to begin. The FBI emails you a secure link and a personal identification number.
- Open the link, fill in your details and pay the current fee shown on the site.
- Choose how to give fingerprints. If you pick electronic prints, you can visit a participating U.S. post office after you finish the online form. Otherwise you mail a standard fingerprint card.
- Use the same link and PIN to check status and open your results. You can also choose to get a copy by first class mail.
Have your photo ID with you at the fingerprint appointment. Smudged or light prints are the most common reason for a rejected request, so wash and dry your hands and do not use lotion that day.
FBI channeler background check vs requesting directly
An FBI approved channeler is a private company the FBI has authorized to take your request and fingerprints and pass them to the FBI. People use one when they want help with prints, a faster turnaround or a local office. You can also go straight to the FBI.
| Route | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Direct to the FBI online | Personal review, visas, a result that may need an apostille | You handle prints yourself at a post office or on a card |
| FBI approved channeler | Help with prints, quick electronic results | Some foreign offices and apostille requests want the FBI issued version, so ask first |
| Through your state bureau | U.S. jobs and licenses that a state law covers | The employer or agency must start it, with its own codes |
Only use a channeler listed on the FBI's own site. Websites that promise an "instant FBI check" with no fingerprints are selling a private database search, not your FBI record.
FBI background check for employment
Most private employers cannot run an FBI check at all. They use a background screening company instead. The FBI fingerprint search happens only where a statute demands it, which is common for schools, child care, hospitals and nursing homes, banks, security guards, some state licenses and federal jobs.
In those cases the employer gives you a form or a code, and you schedule prints with whichever vendor the state has approved. Your prints go to the state bureau, then to the FBI, and the answer lands with whoever ordered it. The FBI notes that a summary you order for yourself may not meet employment requirements, because the agency cannot verify that a copy you hand in was not altered.
Before booking, ask HR: "Do you need me to go through a specific state fingerprint service, and is there an agency code I should bring?" One email saves you paying twice.
For how fingerprint checks compare with name based searches, see our fingerprint background check guide.
How long an FBI check takes
Electronic requests with prints taken at a participating post office or a channeler often come back within days. Mailed fingerprint cards take longer because of mail time and manual handling, often several weeks. The FBI posts current processing times on its site, and they change with volume. Employment checks through a state bureau usually return to the employer in a few days when there is no record, and longer when a technician has to review a match. Our timing guide covers the other parts of a hiring check.
How to fix a wrong or incomplete FBI record
The FBI stores records but cannot change them unless the agency that owns the record tells it to. You have two ways to correct an entry:
- Challenge through the FBI: use the challenge option on the same request site. You need the FBI number from your summary or your state identification number.
- Go to the source: contact the arresting agency or the court in the state where the case happened and ask it to send the outcome to the state repository and the FBI.
Send copies of the court disposition, dismissal or expungement order. If an employer is about to turn you down because of the record, say in writing that you are correcting it. Our guide to disputing a background check has a sample letter.
Subject: Request to update disposition, [Your name], FBI number [Number]
My Identity History Summary lists an arrest on [Date] by [Agency] for [Charge] with no outcome. The case was dismissed on [Date]. I have enclosed the court's certified dismissal order. Please update the record.
[Your name], [Phone], [Email]
FBI background check medical records and other myths
People worry about things the FBI file simply does not hold. It has no medical records, no mental health history, no credit and no social media. It does not list jobs you held. A sealed or expunged case may still appear if the state never sent the update, which is why getting your own copy before a big application is smart. Treat this as a walkthrough of FBI procedure, not legal advice. When an entry stands between you and a job, start with the FBI's own instructions, then bring the paperwork to a nonprofit records clinic or a criminal records attorney.
Questions people ask
How do I get an FBI background check quickly?
Request it online and give electronic fingerprints at a participating post office or an FBI approved channeler. Electronic prints avoid mail delays. Double check your details so the request is not rejected.
What does an FBI background check look like?
If you have no record, it is a one page response saying no record was found. If you have a record, it lists each fingerprinted arrest with the agency, date, charge and outcome. The format is plain text, not a score or a pass or fail.
Can I use my own FBI background check for a job?
Sometimes, but many employers and licensing agencies will not accept a copy you bring in. Jobs covered by a state law usually require the check to go through the state bureau so results come straight to the agency. Ask HR before ordering.
Where can I get an FBI background check?
You can start online on the FBI request site, then give prints at a participating post office, a police station that offers ink prints, or an FBI approved channeler. For U.S. jobs, use the vendor the employer or state names.
What does the FBI look for when it runs my prints?
For an Identity History Summary, it matches your fingerprints against its file of arrest prints. It is not an investigation of your character. Full investigations for federal jobs are different and are covered in our federal background check guide.
Do I need an apostille on my FBI check?
Only if a foreign country asks for one. The State Department's authentications office issues it, not the FBI. See our FBI check apostille guide.