You need an FBI background check, and the first problem is nobody tells you where to get your
fingerprints taken or which of the three FBI routes you are supposed to use. This works both out in
about a minute, and it is free.
If you are standing in the United States you almost certainly do not need to post a fingerprint card
anywhere. That is the single most expensive misunderstanding in this process and it costs people
months.
Find your nearest fingerprinting
The three routes, and why one of them is usually wrong for you
All three produce the same document. They differ by weeks, and by whether you have to handle a
fingerprint card at all.
Channeler approval changes. Before you pay anyone who claims to be one, check them against
the FBI's own list of approved Channelers.
Live Scan at an FBI-approved Channeler
- Best for
- Almost everyone who is physically in the United States
- How long
- Usually the same day to three business days
- Cost
- Around $50 to $100 all in, depending on the Channeler
A Channeler is a private company under contract to the FBI. You book a Live Scan appointment, they capture your fingerprints digitally, and they transmit them to the FBI for you. No ink, no post, no fingerprint card.
Watch out. Ask for a printed copy with the FBI seal and signature, not only a PDF download. The printed original is what the Department of State apostilles, and a plain screen printout is refused by some countries.
Apply online to the FBI yourself, then post a fingerprint card
- Best for
- People who want the cheapest route and are not in a hurry
- How long
- Three to five business days once your card reaches Clarksburg
- Cost
- $18.00 to the FBI, plus whatever the fingerprinting costs you
Submit and pay the request at edo.cjis.gov, print the confirmation page, and post it with a completed FD-1164 or FD-258 fingerprint card. The online part is instant; the card is the slow bit.
Watch out. The clock does not start until the card physically arrives. A smudged or incomplete card is rejected and you will not find out for weeks, so have it taken professionally.
Post everything to the FBI
- Best for
- People with no card payment method
- How long
- The FBI allows up to twelve weeks
- Cost
- $18.00 by money order or certified cheque
Post the signed Applicant Information Form, your fingerprint card and the fee to FBI CJIS Division - Summary Request, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, WV 26306.
Watch out. Twelve weeks is longer than the validity window most consulates allow, which is commonly three to six months from issue. This route causes more missed deadlines than any other.
Before you go
- Photo identification that is current.
A passport or a driving licence. An expired document is the commonest reason somebody is turned away at the counter, and the appointment is gone.
- Your details exactly as they appear on your passport.
Full name, date of birth, place of birth and mailing address. If the name on the result does not match the passport you present abroad, the result is of no use to you.
- Ask for the printed original, not just the PDF.
The Department of State apostilles the printed summary carrying the FBI seal and an official signature. Say when you book that you need it for an apostille, so they issue the right version first time.
- Order more than one copy if more than one body wants it.
Each copy needs its own apostille, and a second copy ordered now is far cheaper than starting again in three months.
- Check the age limit before you start.
Most consulates will not accept a check more than three to six months old. If your filing date is months away, getting fingerprinted today can be a wasted exercise.
What happens to the check afterwards
An FBI Identity History Summary is a federal document, so it is authenticated by the U.S. Department
of State rather than by any state office. Sending it to a Secretary of State is the commonest
mistake we see, and it comes back unactioned weeks later.
For a country in the Apostille Convention that is a single apostille, currently $20.00 in government fees. For a country outside it, the summary is
authenticated and then legalised at that country's embassy. We do both.
Send your check in for
its apostille
Read the full guide
Federal Apostille and Notary Processing is a private document service. We are not a government agency,
not a law firm, and not affiliated with the FBI or any fingerprinting provider named here. Government
fees are passed through at cost. Provider results come from each operator's own live locator, so check
opening hours with them before travelling.
