New Jersey Background Check from Abroad
State criminal history check
New Jersey Background Check from Abroad
Only for former New Jersey residents or people formerly employed there, and the fingerprinting is done at an Idemia site.
- Fee
- $45.73 including the vendor fee and sales tax
- Processing
- Twenty-four to seventy-two hours after fingerprinting
- From abroad
- Restricted
This is one of the few states you probably cannot use from overseas. Before spending anything, ask the authority requesting the certificate whether the FBI check alone will do. It very often will, because the federal record already includes arrests New Jersey reported to the FBI.
What to send, and where
| Agency | New Jersey State Police, Criminal Information Unit |
|---|---|
| Form | Personal Record Request through the NJ portal |
| Fee | $45.73 including the vendor fee and sales tax |
| Payment | Card or electronic debit, collected at the fingerprint appointment. |
| Processing | Twenty-four to seventy-two hours after fingerprinting |
| Post to | New Jersey State Police, Criminal Information Unit, PO Box 7068, West Trenton, NJ 08628 |
The New Jersey State Police, Criminal Information Unit page for this request
Specific to New Jersey
- New Jersey limits its personal record request to people who lived or worked in the state. If that is not you, there is nothing to apply for.
- The result downloads from njportal.com/NJSP/prr within one to three days, which is the fastest of any state once prints are taken.
The IdentoGO Cardscan route
New Jersey 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 New Jersey specifies its own form above, in which case order that form first and allow for it reaching you overseas.
After it arrives
A New Jersey criminal history check is a state document, so it is authenticated by New Jersey, 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey record from outside the United States?
Only for former New Jersey residents or people formerly employed there, and the fingerprinting is done at an Idemia site.
What does it cost?
$45.73 including the vendor fee and sales tax Card or electronic debit, collected at the fingerprint appointment.
How long does it take?
Twenty-four to seventy-two hours after fingerprinting. Add international postage in both directions on top of that.
Do I need the New Jersey check as well as the FBI one?
Only if the authority asking has said so. The FBI record already includes arrests that New Jersey reported federally. Ask before paying for both.
Will it need an apostille?
If it is going to a foreign authority, yes. A New Jersey check is a state document, so it is authenticated by New Jersey 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.
