Delaware Background Check from Abroad
State criminal history check
Delaware Background Check from Abroad
Yes, by post, using an FD-258 card printed from the FBI’s own site.
- Fee
- $72.00
- Processing
- Varies; confirm when you submit
- From abroad
- Possible
What to send, and where
| Agency | Delaware State Police, State Bureau of Identification |
|---|---|
| Form | Certified Delaware Criminal History request |
| Fee | $72.00 |
| Payment | Money order or certified cheque payable to Delaware State Police. Personal cheques and cash are refused everywhere. |
| Processing | Varies; confirm when you submit |
| Post to | Delaware State Police, State Bureau of Identification, PO Box 430, Dover, DE 19903 |
The Delaware State Police, State Bureau of Identification page for this request
Specific to Delaware
- At $72.00 Delaware is the second most expensive state check, behind Connecticut.
- Post mail-in requests to the PO box in Dover, not to a local office. Sending them to an office causes long delays.
The IdentoGO Cardscan route
Delaware is one of the states reachable through IdentoGO's Cardscan service, which exists specifically for people who cannot attend a live scan appointment. You have your prints taken on an ink card wherever you are, post the card to IdentoGO, and they scan and submit it on your behalf. Enrol online first; a card that arrives without an enrolment is not processed.
Getting fingerprinted where you are
Local police, a private fingerprinting service, a U.S. post if it still offers it, or ink at home. Take more than one card. Use the FD-258 unless Delaware specifies its own form above, in which case order that form first and allow for it reaching you overseas.
After it arrives
A Delaware criminal history check is a state document, so it is authenticated by Delaware, not by the U.S. Department of State. Most states require the response to be notarised or certified before the authenticating authority will touch it, and several sell a notarised version for exactly this purpose. Buy it at the time rather than discovering later that you have to start again.
We handle the apostille
Once your Delaware check exists we can authenticate it, legalise it for a non-Convention country, and have it translated. Tell us the destination and the deadline.
Questions people actually ask
Can I request my Delaware record from outside the United States?
Yes, by post, using an FD-258 card printed from the FBI’s own site.
What does it cost?
$72.00 Money order or certified cheque payable to Delaware State Police. Personal cheques and cash are refused everywhere.
How long does it take?
Varies; confirm when you submit. Add international postage in both directions on top of that.
Do I need the Delaware check as well as the FBI one?
Only if the authority asking has said so. The FBI record already includes arrests that Delaware reported federally. Ask before paying for both.
Will it need an apostille?
If it is going to a foreign authority, yes. A Delaware check is a state document, so it is authenticated by Delaware rather than by the U.S. Department of State, and it usually has to be notarised or certified first.
This guide is published by a private document processing service. It is not legal advice and we are not a government agency. Requirements change without notice, so confirm anything critical with the mission before you post documents.
