FBI Rap Sheet Request: How to Get Your Identity History Summary

Why Your FBI Record Matters Before Filing for Clemency

Before you invest months assembling a pardon petition, you need to know exactly what's on your record — all of it. Your criminal history doesn't live in one place. It's scattered across court dockets, local police departments, state criminal information agencies, and the FBI's national database.

The FBI maintains what it calls an Identity History Summary — commonly known as a "rap sheet." This federal record compiles every arrest and disposition reported to the FBI by state and local agencies across the country. It's the most comprehensive single source of your arrest and conviction history, and it's the record that federal clemency reviewers and FBI field investigators will reference when evaluating your petition.

Discovering missing dispositions, incorrect charges, or records from arrests you'd forgotten about after you've already filed a petition is a serious problem. It signals carelessness to the reviewing board and can delay your application by months.

How to Request Your FBI Identity History Summary

The FBI offers two methods for requesting your own record.

Electronic Request (Faster)

Submit your request online through the FBI's Identity History Summary portal. You'll need to provide a full set of fingerprints electronically through an approved channeler or a participating law enforcement agency that offers live-scan fingerprinting.

The electronic submission fee is $18 (as of 2026), paid by credit card during the online process. Results typically arrive within three to five business days via the email address you provide.

Mail Request (Slower)

Download the FBI's Identity History Summary request form. Complete it with your personal information, attach a standard fingerprint card (Form FD-258) with a full set of rolled fingerprints taken by a law enforcement agency or authorized fingerprint service, and include an $18 check or money order payable to the Treasury of the United States.

Mail everything to: FBI CJIS Division — Summary Request 1000 Custer Hollow Road Clarksburg, WV 26306

Processing time for mailed requests typically runs eight to twelve weeks.

What Your FBI Rap Sheet Shows

Your Identity History Summary lists every arrest, charge, and disposition that has been reported to the FBI by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Each entry typically includes the arresting agency, date of arrest, charges, and the final court disposition (convicted, acquitted, dismissed, deferred).

What it may not show is equally important. State-level sealed or expunged records are supposed to be removed from the FBI file, but delays in inter-agency reporting mean that some sealed records continue to appear. If you find entries that should have been removed, you can request corrections through the FBI's record challenge process.

Missing dispositions are another common issue. An arrest was reported but the final outcome — whether the charges were dropped, you were acquitted, or you pled to a lesser offense — never made it to the FBI. Before filing a clemency petition, you need to track down certified copies of the final disposition from the court of jurisdiction for any arrest that shows as open or incomplete.

State-Level Criminal History Reports

Your FBI rap sheet covers the federal picture, but you'll also need your state-level criminal history report from the state where you were convicted. Each state calls this something different:

• Georgia: GCIC (Georgia Crime Information Center) report — request a Purpose Code U version for personal review, and a Purpose Code E version (less than 30 days old) for your actual clemency submission
• Pennsylvania: Request a certified criminal record through the Pennsylvania State Police using Form SP4-164 ($10 fee)
• Texas: Order your criminal history from the Texas Department of Public Safety

Some states also require a separate local-level search through the county sheriff or clerk of courts. Check your state's clemency application instructions for exactly which records they need and from which agencies.

Using Your Records to Prepare a Pardon Application

Once you have both your FBI rap sheet and state criminal history report, compare them line by line. Look for:

• Discrepancies between the federal and state record (charges listed differently, missing dispositions)
• Arrests you need to account for in your personal statement — the Subject's Version in a federal clemency petition requires you to address every offense
• Errors or records belonging to someone else — identity theft contamination appears more often than most people expect, and filing for a pardon on a record that includes someone else's offenses creates serious complications

Resolving discrepancies before you file saves months of back-and-forth after submission. The Complete Pardons & Clemency Guide includes a document assembly checklist that walks through the full records-gathering process step by step, including how to request corrections and chase down missing dispositions.