US citizens and permanent residents: 'FBI Identity History Summary' issued by the FBI or an approved channeler and a State Police Clearance for each State in which you have lived for at least 3 months for the last 12 months.
US temporary residents and visitors: 'FBI Identity History Summary' issued by the FBI and if you resided in the US for at least three months in the past year, a State Police Clearance for each State in which you have lived for at least 3 months during the last 12 months.
Approved FBI channelers (US citizens and permanent residents only): The department has approved the following channelers for penal checks for immigration purposes:
Provide: A covering letter, a set of both rolled/inked and plain fingerprint impressions placed on a standard paper fingerprint card, satisfactory proof of identity, consisting of full name, date and place of birth, postal address for return of results.
The FBI will send the results directly to you. It is recommended that you list a US residential address/phone number, and chose a channeler who will email results by email.
If applying directly with the FBI, the FBI will only post results. If clients are applying via a channeler, it is recommended that they elect to receive results by email for those channelers that provide email as an option.
Processing time: The processing time to obtain an Identity History Summary through an approved channeler is approximately 5-7 days. The time to obtain an Identity History Summary through the FBI is currently 14-16 weeks.
Obtaining fingerprints: Apply to your local police authority with proof of identity. For a standard fingerprint card, use Form FD-258.
If a blank fingerprint card cannot be obtained from the local police authority, further information and blank FBI fingerprint forms are available at the web address above.
State Police Clearances: Apply in person or by post to the relevant city, county or state police department. Please ensure that the clearance is requested under all names you have previously held.
The type of certificate issued depends on individual state procedures.
Fee: Payable.