Crime & Traffic
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What is an FBI background check for employment?
An FBI background check, known as an Identity History Summary, may be required if you’ve been arrested out of state.
Some Illinois employers, like school systems and public transportation authorities, may be required by law to run nationwide background checks. If so, they may arrange for you to be fingerprinted through a fingerprint vendor. The vendor will send your fingerprints to the Illinois State Police for a statewide background check. The Illinois State Police will also forward your fingerprints to the FBI to run the nationwide background check. The results of both background checks will be sent to the employer. By law, the employer is required to give you a copy of the report.
You can also request an FBI report directly from the FBI. The process can be handled online or through direct mail. If you choose to submit a paper form, you must request that the FBI email you an application.
Once you’ve filled out the appropriate forms, you must submit your fingerprints, which can be mailed to the FBI on the bureau’s standard fingerprint form, or you can be fingerprinted at an FBI-approved fingerprint vendor. These fingerprint vendors, which the FBI calls “channelers,” are authorized to submit criminal record requests directly to the FBI. The FBI charges $18 for the report while fingerprint vendors have their own set of charges that usually include the FBI fee. Once complete, you can choose to download the report or receive it through UPS or the U.S. mail.
An FBI background check, known as an Identity History Summary, may be required if you’ve been arrested out of state. If you have questions about the FBI background check process, call (304) 625-5590 or email [email protected].
- Complete process the online
- Complete the process by mail. If you choose to submit a paper form, you must request that the FBI email you an application.
- Note: FBI records include juvenile records that occurred before 2010, even if they have been expunged. Giving your employer a photocopy of your expungement order should be sufficient. If your juvenile record hasn’t been expunged, learn how to expunge it.
- Submit your fingerprints using the FBI’s standard fingerprint form, or have your fingerprints taken at an FBI-approved fingerprint vendor. These vendors, called “channelers” by the FBI, are authorized to submit criminal record requests directly to the FBI.
- Note: The FBI charges $18 for the report. Fingerprint vendors have their own fees, which usually include the FBI fee.
If you request your FBI background check through a “channeler,” you will pay the vendor directly using their accepted forms of payment.
If you submit your fingerprints directly with the FBI:
- Payment must be made by credit card using the FBI Credit Card Form
- Note: Complete information can be found on the FBI website
Once complete, you can choose to download the report or receive it through UPS or the U.S. mail.
