How Can I Obtain My Criminal Record: Criminal Records Guide

Which Type of Criminal Record Should I Obtain?

Before applying, decide whether you want to see everything reported about you, check a state-specific history, or obtain the official outcome of one court case. This can save you the cost of ordering the wrong records.

How to Obtain Your FBI Criminal Record Online

The FBI calls its personal criminal-history report an Identity History Summary, often called a rap sheet. It can list arrests, submitting agencies, charges, and dispositions known to the FBI from fingerprint submissions and authorized reports.

You can obtain the report or an official response stating that no FBI arrest history was found. The ordinary processing fee is $18 per person.

1. Visit the FBI’s official application website.

   Open edo.cjis.gov. Select the option for obtaining an Identity History Summary.

2. Complete the electronic application.

   Provide the information requested by the FBI, including your name and contact details. Check the spelling, since the response letter uses the name you submit.

3. Pay the $18 FBI fee.

   Follow the secure electronic payment process. Additional fingerprinting charges are separate from the FBI processing fee.

4. Select your fingerprint submission method.

   You can use a participating U.S. Post Office that provides electronic fingerprint submission, or mail a completed fingerprint card to the FBI following your electronic application.

5. Submit your fingerprints.

   If using a U.S. Post Office, complete the FBI electronic application and payment before your fingerprint visit. If mailing a card, include the confirmation printout and use the destination supplied by the FBI.

6. Monitor your request.

   Choose email status notifications if offered in the application. Retain the official confirmation details.

7. Receive your FBI response.

   Electronic applicants receive an electronic response and may have the option to receive a mailed response. The FBI may return a history or a statement that no fingerprint-supported arrest history was found.

8. Read your record carefully.

   Check the arrest date, agency, charge, court disposition and any information you believe is outdated or incorrect.

How long does the FBI take to send my record?

The FBI’s published processing estimates depend on how the fingerprints reach the agency. These are estimated processing timelines, not guaranteed delivery dates.

How Can I Obtain My FBI Criminal Record by Mail?

If you cannot or do not want to use the electronic application, the FBI also accepts a traditional mail-in Identity History Summary request.

This route is particularly useful when you already have an acceptable current fingerprint card and want to follow the FBI’s paper application process.

1. Download the official applicant information form.

   Use the current application linked by the FBI and complete all required identifying and mailing fields.

2. Get a current fingerprint card.

   Use the FBI’s FD-1164 card or an accepted card prepared by the fingerprinting agency.

3. Include a valid payment method.

   The FBI accepts the appropriate credit-card payment form, a money order, or a certified check. Money orders and certified checks must be made payable to the Treasury of the United States.

4. Pay exactly $18 per applicant.

   Do not send cash, a personal check, or a business check. If family members are applying, each individual needs a separate request and fee.

5. Check your application package.

   Make sure the signed form, fingerprints, acceptable payment, and complete mailing address are included.

6. Mail the package to FBI CJIS.

   Use the official Clarksburg, West Virginia address below and an appropriate trackable mailing option if desired.

7. Review the mailed response.

   The FBI returns its response through the U.S. Postal Service. Allow additional time for transit.

Can I get the $18 FBI fee waived?

The FBI has a hardship-based fee-waiver process for eligible individuals who cannot afford the fee. The agency may require proof of indigence, such as a notarized affidavit.

Contact 304-625-5590 or identity@fbi.gov for current instructions before submitting a fee-waiver request.

Can I obtain more than one FBI record copy?

If your FBI result is delivered electronically, you can print additional copies. A traditional mailed request provides one sealed response per application.

If you need separate sealed FBI responses mailed to different destinations, the FBI requires a separate application and payment for each.

How Can I Obtain a Copy of My Criminal Court Record?

If you need evidence that your criminal case ended in a conviction, dismissal, acquittal, sentence or other outcome, the original court should be your primary source.

An FBI or state rap sheet may summarize a case, but the issuing judge’s final order is the authoritative court document.

How to request a certified criminal disposition

1. Identify the filing state and county.

   Use your old arrest paperwork, citation, case notice, attorney documents, or another reliable record to find the prosecution’s location.

2. Determine the correct court.

   The case may have been filed in a state District, Circuit, Superior, County, Justice, Municipal, or federal District Court.

3. Find the case number.

   Use the official public case-search portal or call the Clerk if you do not know the number.

4. Choose the document you need.

   Examples include a signed judgment of conviction, dismissal order, sentencing order, acquittal documentation, or certified final disposition.

5. Contact the Clerk of Court.

   Ask whether the file is available through online records, in-person inspection, a mailed request, or another approved method.

6. Request certification if required.

   If the receiving organization asks for a certified copy, tell the Clerk before payment. Ordinary docket printouts may not be sufficient.

7. Confirm the fee and delivery procedure.

   Court copying, certification, retrieval, and mailing charges vary by jurisdiction and document type.

8. Review the completed document.

   Verify the name, court, case number, charge, final outcome, and certification.

What if I do not remember the case number?

Start with the criminal case index for the county where you appeared in court. Search using permitted name, case type, and filing-year fields.

If the website returns no results, contact the court clerk and ask whether it maintains older indexes or archived records.

A county police department may have the arrest report, but the police normally cannot issue a certified copy of the court’s final criminal judgment.

How do I obtain a federal criminal court record?

Use the federal judiciary’s PACER system to locate available federal criminal dockets and documents.

As of October 2026, PACER ordinarily charges $0.10 per page, with a $3 cap for many individual documents, and waives usage fees of $30 or less per quarter. The federal judiciary has announced revised pricing effective January 1, 2027.

If a certified federal court judgment is required, contact the Clerk of the U.S. District Court that issued the document.

How Can I Obtain My U.S. Criminal Record While Living Abroad?

You can request your FBI Identity History Summary while outside the United States. The FBI permits overseas applicants to use its electronic application and mail an acceptable fingerprint card.

Steps for requesting an FBI history from another country

1. Complete the FBI electronic application.

   Visit edo.cjis.gov, fill out the required details and make the FBI payment.

2. Arrange fingerprints locally.

   Find a reliable provider that can prepare a fingerprint card meeting FBI requirements. U.S. embassies and consulates generally do not provide this service.

3. Include the FBI confirmation printout.

   Use the instructions emailed by the FBI when your electronic application began.

4. Mail the fingerprint card.

   Use the address specified by the FBI and consider a trackable international mailing method.

5. Monitor the request and obtain the result.

   The FBI treats the application as an electronic submission once the mailed fingerprints have been received.

Does my U.S. criminal record need an apostille?

Some foreign authorities require an apostille or other authentication for FBI or police records. The exact document requirement depends on the destination country and requesting authority.

FBI Identity History Summary responses carry an FBI watermark and the signature of a division official. If further federal authentication is required, follow the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications procedure.

State-issued criminal-history records may involve a different authentication route through the appropriate state’s Secretary of State.

Do I need my criminal record for U.S. immigration?

If you are preparing a U.S. immigration application, the necessary documents may include an original court disposition, a foreign police certificate, a relevant U.S. criminal-history record, or another specified document.

An ordinary FBI personal review or state personal review is not automatically sufficient. Some state agencies specifically prohibit using personal-review responses for immigration purposes.

Read the instructions for your immigration form or the visa-processing authority before deciding which records to obtain.

Criminal Records for Jobs, Licensing, Adoption and Other Purposes

One frequent source of confusion is the difference between reviewing your criminal record yourself and submitting to a legally authorized background check.

What if a background screening company reports an error?

If an employer uses a third-party consumer background-reporting company and the report contains incorrect criminal information, you have rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

The Federal Trade Commission explains that covered employers must follow disclosure, authorization, and adverse-action procedures. If adverse action has been taken, you can dispute inaccurate information with the reporting company and may request an additional free copy within 60 days of the decision.