A FBI Identification Record is essentially a record of a person’s criminal history. The FBI Identification Record includes information related to arrests (and in other cases, federal employment, naturalization, or military service) that the FBI attained through people’s FBI fingerprint submissions. When a person requests for a FBI Identification Record, a criminal background check is carried out.

In cases where the fingerprints are connected to arrests, the FBI Identification Record would usually have information regarding the name of the agency that submitted the fingerprints to the FBI, the date of the arrest, the arrest charge, as well as the disposition of the rest. Again, the information comes from fingerprint submissions, reports and other information provided by agencies with criminal justice responsibilities.

When subjects of a FBI Identification Record request their own record, they must note Order 556-73 of the U.S. Department of Justice, which sets rules and regulations regarding the matter. The agency that processes these requests is the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division.

Who can request a copy of a FBI Identification Record? Only the subjects of the FBI Identification Record can request for their own identification records. When people request a copy of a FBI Identification Record, it is generally for personal review, to challenge the information on record, or to satisfy a requirement for adopting a child in the U.S. or internationally. People also request a copy of a FBI Identification Record to satisfy requirements such as police certificate, letter of good conduct, or background check, to live, work, or travel in a foreign county.

In situations where people request for a fingerprint background check for employment or licensing within the U.S., they need to note certain state statutes or federal law that may require them to make the request through their state identification bureau, the requesting federal agency, or another authorized channeling agency. For the correct procedures, they should of course contact the agency requiring the background check or the appropriate state identification bureau or state police.

If the CJIS Division finds no record, the requestor will simply receive a “no record” response.