Question 1

How do I get an FBI background check?

Accepted Answer

There are three ways, and all of them start with your fingerprints. You can apply online to the FBI, mail a paper request to the FBI, or go through an FBI-approved Channeler. The FBI's own fee is $18. Channelers add their own fee and can only serve U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.

Question 2

Should I apply to the FBI myself or use an approved Channeler?

Accepted Answer

If you are not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, you cannot use a Channeler at all — you apply directly. If you are eligible, a Channeler costs more than the FBI's $18 and sells you speed and handling. The FBI publishes no figure showing how much faster that is, so treat any speed claim as the vendor's own.

Question 3

How long does an FBI background check take?

Accepted Answer

The FBI publishes one processing estimate, and it covers a single path: apply online, mail your fingerprint card, and the FBI estimates up to 10 days from when the card arrives. Nothing else in your timeline is inside that number — fingerprinting, post in both directions, and apostille if you need one are usually the bigger half.

Question 4

Can I get an FBI background check while living abroad?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Applying directly to the FBI is not restricted to people inside the United States. But Channelers are closed to you unless you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, you must arrange fingerprinting locally on an FD-258 card, and international post — not FBI processing — usually decides how long it takes.

Question 5

How much does an FBI background check cost?

Accepted Answer

The FBI charges $18, and that is the same on every route. If a foreign government needs the result apostilled, the U.S. Department of State charges $20 per document. Everything else — fingerprinting, postage, a Channeler's fee, translation — is charged by private parties who set their own prices, and no government publishes those.

Question 6

I have been asked for a police clearance certificate from the United States. What do I order?

Accepted Answer

An FBI Identity History Summary. That is the United States' federal police clearance certificate. The phrase "police clearance certificate" is not the FBI's own term, which is why searching for it on fbi.gov finds nothing useful — you are looking for the right document under the wrong name.

Question 7

How do I get fingerprints taken for an FBI background check?

Accepted Answer

Two ways: captured electronically at a site that transmits them to the FBI, or rolled in ink onto a standard FD-258 card that you mail in. Outside the United States, ink on a card is usually the only option. Whoever takes them should take them often — a rejected card costs you the entire round trip.

Question 8

Does my FBI background check need an apostille, and who issues it?

Accepted Answer

Only if the authority receiving it asked for one. If it did, and the destination is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, the apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State — never from a state Secretary of State, because the FBI summary is a federal document. The Department's fee is $20 per document. If the destination is not a party, you need consular legalization instead.