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Guide

Getting an FBI Background Check From Outside the United States

The route that works from anywhere, who is allowed to use it, how to get usable fingerprints outside the U.S., and why this document is called a police clearance certificate on most immigration checklists.

Last updated 2026-08-01 · 9 min read

The short answer

Can I get an FBI background check while living abroad?

Yes — apply directly to the FBI. Direct submission carries no residency restriction. Channelers do: they may only serve U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, so for most applicants abroad that route is simply unavailable. [1]

Basis
Channeler eligibility is stated by the FBI on its published list of approved Channelers. [1] The absence of a residency restriction on direct submission is from the FBI's own description of how requests are made. [2] [3]
Caveat
Being allowed to apply is not the same as it being easy. Fingerprinting and international post are the real obstacles, and neither is something the FBI arranges for you.

If you found this page searching for a *police clearance certificate* from the United States, or a *PCC*, you are in the right place. Those are the names immigration authorities use; the FBI's name for the same document is an Identity History Summary. [2] One document, three vocabularies.

Getting usable fingerprints outside the U.S.

This is the step that decides whether your application works. The FBI needs a properly rolled set of prints on a standard FD-258 card. [4] Nobody abroad is obliged to provide that, so you have to find someone competent who will.

  • Local police. In many countries the police will take fingerprints for a foreign application, sometimes for a small fee. This is the most common route and the most variable in quality.
  • A commercial fingerprinting service. Available in most large cities, and usually the most reliable because they do it every day.
  • A U.S. embassy or consulate. Some posts offer fingerprinting, many do not, and the ones that do often restrict it. Check that specific post's own services page before planning around it — do not assume.

Fill the biographical fields in Latin characters exactly as they appear on your passport. A mismatch between the card, the request, and your identity document is the second most common reason a submission comes back.

Why it takes longer from abroad

The FBI's own published estimate — up to 10 days from receipt of a mailed fingerprint card, for requests started online [5] — is often the *shortest* leg of an international application. The post is the long one, in both directions, and it is entirely outside the FBI's control and ours.

Where the time goes on an application from abroad
Getting fingerprinted locally
Varies locally
Post: your card to the FBI
Often the longest
FBI processing
Up to 10 days
Return of the result
Nil if electronic
Apostille, if required
Separate queue

Bar lengths are illustrative of typical proportions, not measurements. One figure on this chart is published and one only: the FBI estimates up to 10 days from receipt of your fingerprint card. [5] The postal legs depend on your country and your carrier, and the apostille leg is a separate Department of State queue with its own timetable. [6] The single longest leg for most applicants is not FBI processing — it is the post.

  1. Choose electronic delivery of the result wherever the route allows it — that deletes one international mail leg outright.
  2. Use a trackable service for the card going out. The FBI's clock only starts when the card arrives, so knowing it arrived is worth the postage. [5]
  3. Settle the apostille question before you apply, not after your summary lands. [6]

Will you also need an apostille?

Often, yes — and this catches people who thought they were finished. A foreign authority that wants proof the FBI document is genuine will normally ask for an apostille, issued for federal documents by the U.S. Department of State. [6] Whether an apostille is the right instrument depends on whether your destination is a party to the 1961 Hague Convention; [7] countries outside it use consular legalisation instead.

Common questions

I am not a U.S. citizen. Can I still request one?
Yes. The right to request your own identification record is not conditioned on citizenship — it is about the record being yours. [3] What citizenship affects is Channeler eligibility, which is limited to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. [1]
Is a police clearance certificate the same as an FBI background check?
When an authority asks for a police clearance certificate from the United States, the FBI Identity History Summary is normally the document meant. [2] Read the exact wording of your requirement — a few authorities also want state-level records.
Can a U.S. embassy do the whole thing for me?
No. Some posts will take fingerprints; none of them issue the summary. The request still goes to the FBI. Check the individual post's services page, because provision varies and changes.
Can I have the result sent to an address outside the U.S.?
Electronic delivery is the practical answer for applicants abroad, and it is why the fully electronic route is worth arranging where you can. Postal return to an international address adds a leg that no published figure covers.
My name uses non-Latin characters. What do I put on the form?
Use the Latin-character spelling exactly as it appears in your passport, and keep it identical across the fingerprint card, the request, and any apostille request. Inconsistency between documents is a common cause of rejection.

Next decision

  • How do I get an FBI background check?

    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.

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

    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.

  • How long does an FBI background check take?

    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.

In depth

The reference layer, where these facts are set out at length and cited in full. You do not need any of it to act on this guide.

  • Apostille and Authentication of an FBI Identity History Summary

    Because the Identity History Summary is a federal document, it is authenticated by the U.S. Department of State — not by a state Secretary of State. This article explains that distinction, the Hague Convention fork, and what happens when the destination is not a Convention party.

  • How to Request Your Identity History Summary

    Three channels exist: direct electronic submission to the FBI, direct submission by mail, and submission through an FBI-approved Channeler. They differ in eligibility, cost, delivery, and — critically — in whether particular foreign authorities will accept the result.

  • Validity and Recency Requirements

    The FBI does not print an expiry date on an Identity History Summary. Any expiry an applicant encounters is imposed by the authority receiving it. This article explains where recency requirements come from and how to read them.

References

Every source below is a primary publication of the body that controls the fact it supports. See the citation policy.

  1. [1]List of FBI-Approved Channelers — Federal Bureau of Investigation. Reviewed 2026-08-01.fbi.gov rejects automated retrieval; reviewed manually in a browser.https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-information/identity-history-summary-checks/list-of-fbi-approved-channelers
  2. [2]Identity History Summary Checks — Federal Bureau of Investigation. Reviewed 2026-08-01.fbi.gov rejects automated retrieval; reviewed manually in a browser.https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/more-fbi-services-and-information/identity-history-summary-checks
  3. [3]28 CFR Part 16, Subpart C — Production of FBI Identification Records — Office of the Federal Register (eCFR). Reviewed 2026-08-01.https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-28/chapter-I/part-16/subpart-C
  4. [4]Standard Fingerprint Form (FD-258) — Federal Bureau of Investigation. Reviewed 2026-08-01.https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/standard-fingerprint-form-fd-258-1.pdf
  5. [5]electronic Departmental Order (eDO) — Identity History Summary request portal — Federal Bureau of Investigation, CJIS Division. Reviewed 2026-08-01.The only FBI-published processing estimate this site has been able to verify, and it covers one submission path only.https://www.edo.cjis.gov/
  6. [6]Apostille Requirements — U.S. Department of State. Reviewed 2026-08-01.https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/records-and-authentications/authenticate-your-document/apostille-requirements.html
  7. [7]Status Table — Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Reviewed 2026-08-01.https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41

Change log

  • 2026-08-01First publication.

Last updated 2026-08-01