An FBI background check costs $18 whether you mail in a fingerprint card, file online, or go through an FBI-approved channeler. What changes is the wait, the extra fees, and how easy it is to get the result apostilled. This guide compares the two routes most people weigh, a channeler and mail-in, and explains where the FBI’s own online option fits.
The document is called an Identity History Summary, often nicknamed a rap sheet. It lists arrests and certain federal records tied to your fingerprints, or confirms that no record exists. Foreign immigration authorities often ask for one when you apply to live abroad, which is why people searching for an “FBI background check for immigration” are usually U.S. residents building a file for another country.
The FBI’s published timelines are shorter than many third-party sites claim. As the FBI’s page reads in November 2026, online requests come back within 48 hours of electronic fingerprinting at a participating Post Office, and mail requests take up to 15 days after the FBI receives your package, plus delivery time in both directions.
A channeler is a private company under contract with the FBI. It takes your fingerprints, collects the fee, sends the submission to the FBI and hands you the electronic result. The FBI does not publish channeler prices or turnaround, so you compare those directly with each company.
Mail-in is the original route. You fill out the applicant form, add a fingerprint card on form FD-1164, attach payment and send it all to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia. It is the cheapest route on paper and the slowest in practice.
Most U.S. filings do not ask you to attach this report. USCIS collects your fingerprints itself at your biometrics appointment, and that is separate from the document discussed here. Order the FBI summary when a foreign embassy, a foreign immigration agency or an overseas employer tells you to.
At a Glance: Channeler vs Mail-In
Cost: Same $18, Different Extras
The FBI charges $18 per person for an Identity History Summary and says the price is the same by mail or online. You cannot pay extra for faster service. A family needs a separate form, fingerprint card and $18 for each person.
Mail-in payment must be a credit card (using the FBI’s credit card form), a money order or a certified check made out to the Treasury of the United States. Cash, personal checks and business checks delay the request. A channeler collects the $18 for the FBI and can add its own service fee on top, so ask for the all-in price before you book.
If you cannot pay the $18, contact the FBI at [email protected] or (304) 625-5590 before you submit. A waiver request needs proof of indigence, such as a notarized affidavit.
Speed: Days vs Weeks
Channelers exist to shorten the wait, and many advertise results within a few business days, delivered electronically. That is the company’s promise, not an FBI guarantee, because the FBI says to contact each channeler for processing times and availability.
Mail-in is slower in two ways. The FBI quotes up to 15 days of processing once your package arrives, and you add the time your envelope spends in transit, then the time the result spends coming back by first-class mail. Plan on several weeks end to end. The FBI also does not offer expedited handling and works requests in the order received.
If your fingerprints are not legible, the FBI rejects the card, which causes delays and can bring additional fees. A technician in a proper fingerprinting setting reduces that risk.
Fingerprints: Ink Card or Live Scan
For a mail-in request you need a current FD-1164 card with rolled impressions of all ten fingers and flat impressions of all ten taken at the same time. The FBI does not accept a card used for an earlier request, and it does not return your card. A local police department or print shop may do it for a fee. The FBI accepts ink or live scan, but a live scan must be printed as a hard-copy card.
A channeler captures the prints electronically on site, which avoids smudged ink and card mix-ups.
Who Is Eligible
This is where channelers lose ground. The FBI says a channeler can only process a request for a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident located in the United States or its territories. If you hold a visa, such as H-1B or F-1, or you live abroad, the channeler route is closed to you. Check the FBI’s current list of approved channelers, which was last updated May 27, 2026 and names 12 companies.
Mail-in has no such restriction. People outside the United States mail a completed fingerprint card to the FBI, and the FBI will continue to process the request as an electronic submission once the card arrives.
The Third Option: Request Online From the FBI
The FBI calls online filing the fastest option. You start at edo.cjis.gov, pay the $18 and get a confirmation email. Then you go to a participating U.S. Post Office to give your fingerprints electronically, which the FBI says may involve an additional fee. The FBI gives a turnaround of within 48 hours of that Post Office visit. If you skip the Post Office, you can mail a fingerprint card with the confirmation printout, and the FBI puts that at about 10 days after it receives the card.
For many people this direct route beats both options in this comparison: it costs the same $18, avoids a private company’s fee, and the FBI publishes its timing. It is also open to people abroad who mail a card with the confirmation. A channeler still wins on convenience if you want one stop, an appointment today and a company that answers the phone.
Apostille: What Happens After the Report Arrives
Many countries want the FBI report apostilled or legalized. The FBI does not issue the apostille. It authenticates results by placing an FBI watermark and the signature of a division official on them at the time of submission. You then send the authenticated document to the U.S. Department of State to obtain the apostille. A state secretary of state office cannot do this for a federal document, and you should not notarize the original.
The State Department charges $20 per document, and for requests mailed in, it says it processes them within 5 weeks of receipt, with a faster walk-in drop-off for shorter notice. You submit Form DS-4194 with the document, the fee and a prepaid return envelope. The FBI itself will not forward your result to the State Department, and it asks you not to include return envelopes with the request.
The FBI will not authenticate results that were already processed, so decide on the apostille before you order. If you use a channeler and need an apostille, ask the company, before you pay, whether it can deliver a result in the form the State Department will accept. Countries moving to apostille from consular legalization is a recurring theme, as in Vietnam’s switch to the apostille system.
For a mail-in request that needs an apostille, the FBI step and the State Department step run back to back. Add the State Department’s 5 weeks for mailed requests to the FBI wait and postage, and the total can run well past a month.
Complete Comparison
| Dimension | Channeler | Mail-In |
|---|---|---|
| FBI fee | $18 | $18 |
| Extra cost | Company fee, set by each channeler | Fingerprinting and postage only |
| Speed | Fastest; company sets timeline | Up to 15 days plus mail time |
| Fingerprints | Electronic capture on site | Ink card or printed live scan |
| Who can use it | Citizens and green card holders in the U.S. | Anyone, including those abroad |
| How you get the result | Electronic copy | First-class mail |
| Rush option | Offered by the company | None from the FBI |
| Payment | Collected by the channeler | Money order, certified check or card form |
Mistakes That Cost Time
Sending a personal check or cash with a mail-in request delays it, and the FBI destroys checks it does not accept. The FBI does not accept a card used for an earlier request. Ordering a result without checking the destination country’s rules is the other classic error; some embassies want a recent report, so do not request it months early. For the rest of a document package, see the marriage-based I-485 documents checklist and the explainer on police certificates and medical exams. If a foreign country asks for a certificate from each place you lived, our report on missing police certificates shows what a refusal looks like.
The FBI also states that an Identity History Summary is not for employment or licensing; those checks go through a state identification bureau. If you are preparing a naturalization file, see how green card holders can prove good moral character.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an FBI background check cost for immigration?
The FBI charges $18 per person for an Identity History Summary, and the price is the same by mail or online. A channeler collects that $18 and may add its own fee. You cannot pay the FBI extra for faster service.
How long does an FBI background check take by mail?
The FBI lists up to 15 days for mail requests, counted from when it receives your package. You must add mail time in both directions. The FBI does not expedite requests and processes them in the order received.
What is an FBI-approved channeler?
A channeler is a private company under contract with the FBI. It takes your fingerprints, collects the fee, forwards the submission to the FBI and gives you the electronic result. Each channeler sets its own price and turnaround.
Can I use a channeler if I am on a work or student visa?
No. The FBI says a channeler can only process a request for a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident located in the United States or its territories. Visa holders and people abroad should use mail-in or the FBI’s online option.
What is the fastest way to get an FBI background check?
The FBI calls online filing at edo.cjis.gov the fastest option, with results within 48 hours of electronic fingerprinting at a participating Post Office. Channelers also advertise quick results, but each sets its own timeline.
Does the FBI apostille the background check?
No. The FBI authenticates results with a watermark and an official’s signature at submission. You then send the document to the U.S. Department of State for the apostille, which costs $20 per document using Form DS-4194.
Where do I mail the FBI fingerprint card?
Send the signed applicant form, an FD-1164 fingerprint card and $18 to FBI CJIS Division, Summary Request, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306. Do not include a self-addressed return envelope.
Can the FBI waive the $18 fee?
Yes, for people who cannot pay. Contact [email protected] or (304) 625-5590 before submitting. A waiver request must include a claim and proof of indigence, such as a notarized affidavit of indigence.
