FBI Identity History Summary Check

What the FBI Identity History Summary Actually Contains

The FBI Identity History Summary Check — formally called an IdHSC — pulls from the bureau's national fingerprint database to show arrest and conviction records linked to your biometrics. Unlike name-based commercial background checks that scrape public court dockets, this report matches your actual fingerprints against records submitted by arresting agencies, prosecutors, and federal systems across all fifty states.

Your summary will include arrest dates, charges, and any dispositions that reporting agencies forwarded to the FBI. It will not include traffic infractions or civil matters, and it may be missing final dispositions when jurisdictions have not transmitted them. That last point matters: your summary can show an arrest without noting that the charges were later dismissed.

Two Paths to Get Your FBI Summary

The Electronic Route (24–48 Hours)

The fastest option runs through the FBI's Electronic Departmental Order portal at edo.cjis.gov:

1. Create an account and enter your personal details exactly as they appear on your government-issued ID
2. Pay the $18 federal processing fee by credit card or Amazon Pay
3. Print your confirmation email with the order number
4. Schedule a digital fingerprinting appointment at a USPS location ($50 service fee at ips.usps.com) or through an FBI-approved channeler like IdentoGO, Accurate Biometrics, or Telos ID ($30–$75 depending on the provider)
5. Attend your appointment — bring your confirmation email and photo ID

Your digitally signed PDF report typically arrives by email within 24 to 48 hours after fingerprint capture.

The Mail-In Route (2–6 Weeks)

If you can't access a live-scan location — common for people living abroad or in rural areas — the paper process works:

1. Print and complete FBI Form 1-783 in black ink
2. Get two FD-258 fingerprint cards rolled at a local police station or private site ($5–$25)
3. Prepare an $18 money order or cashier's check payable to "Treasury of the United States," or fill out the Credit Card Payment Form (Form 1-786)
4. Mail everything in a rigid envelope (don't fold the fingerprint cards) to FBI CJIS Division, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, WV 26306

Standard processing takes 2 to 6 weeks. Seasonal backlogs can push it to 12 to 14 weeks, so plan accordingly if you're working toward a deadline.

Why Your FBI Summary Might Not Match What Employers See

Here's what catches people off guard: the FBI report and a commercial background check operate on completely different systems. Commercial screeners use name-based queries that pull from scraped court dockets, data brokers, and credit registries. The FBI uses fingerprint-to-fingerprint matching through direct law enforcement reporting channels.

This means your FBI summary could show an old arrest that a commercial screener missed, or a commercial report might display a dismissed charge that your FBI file correctly omits. Neither source alone gives the complete picture — which is why ordering both is the only reliable way to know exactly what's in your file before a potential employer or landlord runs their own check.

What to Do If Your Summary Contains Errors

Under FBI policy, you can challenge any information on your Identity History Summary by contacting the original agency that submitted the record. The FBI itself doesn't create or modify criminal history entries — they store what agencies report.

If a charge was dismissed but still shows as pending, you'll need a certified Certificate of Disposition from the court clerk (with the raised seal) and submit it to the state repository, which then transmits the correction to the FBI. The correction timeline depends on the state repository and reporting agencies.

For errors involving identity confusion — someone else's record attached to your fingerprints — contact the FBI CJIS Division directly with supporting documentation.

Getting Started

Your FBI Identity History Summary is one piece of a multi-layered record audit. The Get Your Own Criminal Record toolkit walks through the complete process: FBI reports, state repository requests, commercial screening file disclosures, and the FCRA dispute procedures you'll need if anything comes back wrong.