FBI Background Check from India: How to Get Your US Police Clearance

An FBI background check, the FBI Identity History Summary, is the police clearance for anyone who lived in the United States. You can get it from India without travelling: you send your fingerprints to the FBI and receive the result by post or electronically. This guide covers the steps, the fingerprints, the time and the apostille.

For the service, see our USA police clearance page.

What the FBI check is

The FBI searches its records with your fingerprints and returns one of two letters: a letter saying you have no prior arrest data on file with the FBI, or your record, listing the agency that submitted the prints and the date of each arrest. The FBI authenticates its results with an FBI watermark and a signature from the FBI division that handles it.

How to apply from India

1. Request online

   The FBI's electronic departmental order site (edo.cjis.gov) is the fastest route. You fill in the request and pay online, and receive a confirmation email.

2. Get your fingerprints taken

   On a fingerprint card, all ten fingers rolled (see below).

3. Mail the card

   Send the card with the confirmation email to the FBI's CJIS Division. The FBI keeps processing it as an electronic request.

4. Receive the result

   An electronic request gets an electronic response, which you can print as many times as you need. You can also ask for a copy by US first-class mail.

You can also apply fully by mail: the applicant information form and a current fingerprint card, posted to the FBI.

FBI-approved channelers cannot be used from India: the FBI allows them only for US citizens or permanent residents who are in the United States, and never for employment or licensing.

Fingerprints

• The FBI accepts FD-1164 fingerprint cards on standard white paper. Many people still call it the FD-258.
• Ink or live scan are both accepted; for live scan, get a hard copy on the card.
• Do not use red or purple ink. An illegible card is rejected.
• US embassies and consulates abroad do not take fingerprints. The US State Department says local police can often provide fingerprint cards.

Processing time and the result

• Online request, card mailed: about 10 days after the FBI receives your card.
• Mail request: up to 15 days, plus the time in the post.
• The FBI does not expedite requests; they are processed in the order received.

Add the courier time from India to the US for your card. Our USA police clearance page gives the usual total time for a case we handle.

Apostille for use abroad

If the country asking for it is in the Apostille Convention, the FBI result can get an apostille from the US Department of State's Office of Authentications. Tell the office which country you will use it in. For a country that is not in the Convention, the foreign embassy's authentication is needed as well.

• Do not notarise the original: it is no longer valid if it is notarised.
• The FBI does not forward results to the State Department for you, and it will not authenticate results that were processed earlier.
• The State Department says a request by mail takes about 5 weeks from when it is received.

• A smudged fingerprint card

  An illegible card is rejected and you start again. Check every print before you post it.

• Using a channeler from India

  Channelers can only process requests for people who are in the United States.

• Notarising the FBI letter

  A notarised original can no longer get an apostille.

Where Trueway helps

We check your passport copy and your fingerprints, prepare the application with you, follow it up and keep you updated on WhatsApp. See USA police clearance.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get an FBI background check from India?

Yes. You request it online or by mail and send your fingerprint card from India. You do not travel to the United States.

Where can I get fingerprints taken in India for the FBI?

US embassies and consulates do not take fingerprints. The FBI accepts prints taken by local police or a fingerprinting service, on an FD-1164 card.

How long does the FBI check take?

About 10 days after the FBI receives your card for an online request, or up to 15 days for a mail request, plus the time in the post.

Can I print the electronic FBI result?

Yes. The FBI says you can print as many copies as you need. Whether the office abroad accepts a printed copy, and whether a printout can get an apostille, is not stated by the FBI or the State Department: ask us before you choose electronic or mail delivery.

Do I need an apostille on my FBI certificate?

If the country asks for it. The apostille is added by the US Department of State. Do not notarise the original first.