Want an FBI Background Check in Karachi? Read This First

To get an FBI background check in Karachi, get your fingerprints taken on an FD-258 or FD-1164 card locally. Then register on the FBI's eDO portal (or fill in the mail-in form), pay the $18 fee, and courier your card to the FBI in West Virginia. Once the card arrives, US citizens usually get results in 1 to 3 days and non-US citizens in 2 to 3 weeks.

If you lived, studied, or worked in the US, you can get your FBI background check without leaving Karachi. This blog shows you how to do each step right the first time, plus how to get an apostille if your report is for use abroad.

Maybe a consulate, employer, or immigration office in Karachi asked you for an "FBI police clearance," and you are not sure if it applies to you. It is easy to spend money and weeks on the wrong document.

So before you book fingerprinting, check whether the US ever left a record about you.

What the FBI Identity History Summary is

An FBI Identity History Summary is the official record of what the FBI holds against your fingerprints. It is usually called a "rap sheet." It can list arrests, and in some cases federal employment, military service, or naturalization details. If nothing is on file, the FBI sends a response confirming that.

Under US Department of Justice rules, anyone can request a copy of their own summary for personal review, correction, or use abroad, such as for work or residency. The FBI's own form points out that it is not a full national background check and may not include information held in state repositories.

Who needs it

Most applicants in Karachi fall into one of these groups:

• US Citizens Living or Working in Karachi: American expats, dual US and Pakistani nationals, remote workers for US companies, and diplomats based in the city.

• Returning Students and Professionals: Pakistani nationals in Karachi who lived, studied, or worked in the US for six months or more on F-1, H-1B, or J-1 visas.
• Green Card Holders Living in Karachi: Lawful Permanent Residents who live in Karachi or spend long periods in Pakistan.
• High-Security or Legal Cases: People in Karachi going through high-security clearance processing, legal disputes, or defense contractor work linked to the US Government.

Who does not need it

If you have never lived, studied, or worked in the US, there is nothing for the FBI to check, and you most likely do not need this document. In that case, the authority asking for it usually wants a Pakistani Police Character Certificate instead. When in doubt, ask them in writing which document they mean.

FBI Background Check vs Pakistani Police Character Certificate

The US State Department's reciprocity page for Pakistan lists Character Certificates as available, issued by a Police Facilitation Center or local police office in the province shown on your CNIC. That is a separate document from the FBI background check. Many Karachi readers mix the two up, so here is the difference:

From outside the US, fingerprints cannot be submitted electronically. You must use an ink fingerprint card on form FD-258 or FD-1164, which is then mailed to the FBI. That means you need the right physical card with clean rolled prints.

Karachi has no shortcut here. The card is the one thing you must get right, because everything else depends on it.

Where to get a FBI fingerprint card in Karachi

• Download it Yourself - The FBI publishes the FD-258/FD-1164 as an official PDF. Print it on the correct card stock, since some fingerprint experts only use original cards because the wrong size or paper thickness can cause rejection.
• Use a Fingerprinting Service Provider - Many providers will send you a compliant card or take the prints for you on one, which saves the guesswork.
• Order From e-Commerce Sites Like Ubuy Pakistan - Blank FD-258 cards are sold online. Many sellers do not ship to Pakistan, so check before ordering.

Filling in the FD-258 card properly

The card has these sections:

• Last name, first name, middle name
• Signature of person fingerprinted
• Aliases (AKA)
• Residence of person fingerprinted
• Date and signature of the official taking fingerprints
• Employer and address
• Reason fingerprinted
• Date of birth and place of birth
• Citizenship, sex, race, height, weight, eyes, hair
• Your No. (OCA), FBI No., Armed Forces No., Social Security No., Miscellaneous No.
• The ten fingerprint boxes, plus the four-finger impression boxes at the bottom

Some areas are printed with the words LEAVE BLANK, and you must not write in them. The FBI's instructions say not to enter data in those areas, not to use highlighters, and to roll each print completely from nail to nail.

You do not need to work out the rest alone. A trained associate will fill in the details and roll the prints properly, which avoids the small mistakes that lead to rejection.

You have two realistic options in Karachi: the police forensic office, or a private fingerprint expert.

Option 1: Sindh Police Forensics/Fingerprint Bureau (Garden HQ)

Applicants have taken their fingerprints at the Fingerprint Bureau, Forensics Division, Sindh Police, at Police Headquarters in Garden, South Karachi. Many Karachi applicants have described ink prints taken here at no charge, and their FBI reports came through.* 

What to carry:

• Original CNIC and passport.
• Your FD-258 card, plus one or two spare cards.
• The FBI eDO confirmation email or your printed request form.
• A black pen and passport-size photos.
• Ask for the officer's signature and stamp on the card.

*Those claims could be old or unverified, so call ahead to confirm fees, timings, and whether they will stamp your card. 

Option 2: Private Fingerprint Experts and Agents

Private experts are the most flexible option. They are quicker than a government office, they work with FBI-compliant cards, and they can review the card before it goes out. Most operate around document attestation and notary clusters, in areas like Saddar, Clifton, DHA, PECHS, and Gulshan-e-Iqbal.

Some also offer doorstep or mobile fingerprinting, on FBI-compliant cards, so you do not have to travel across the city. Whoever you pick, ask what card they use and whether they replace it for free if it is rejected.

How to Avoid Fingerprint Rejections from Karachi

Karachi's humidity can make hands sweaty, and ink then smears. Air conditioning can also dry the skin, and dry fingers give faint prints. Either way, a rejected card costs you weeks in courier time.

A few things that could help:

• Wash your hands with soap and dry them fully before starting. Skip hand cream that day.
• Ask the technician to use a thin, even layer of ink.
• Make sure each finger is rolled completely from nail to nail, with no slipping.
• Check every box for smudges before you leave, and ask for a fresh card if you see any.

Also Check How Many Times Can You Submit Fingerprints to the FBI?

There are two ways to register. You can do it online through the FBI's eDO portal, or by mailing everything in directly. The fee is $18 either way.

eDO online vs mail-in

A few things to know before paying the $18 fee:

• Check your card first. Most Pakistani bank cards ship with international payments switched off, so you must enable them in your mobile app or by calling the bank. PayPak cards only work inside Pakistan. Use a Visa or Mastercard, raise your international limit, and keep your phone handy for the OTP.
• Do not pay extra for "faster FBI service." The FBI does not sell expedited service. The fee is $18 per person, and you cannot pay more for speed.
• If the portal does not load from Pakistan, try again or switch to mail-in, since reports about reaching the portal from outside the US are mixed.
• Use only the official site. Type edo.cjis.gov yourself and avoid look-alike sites that add fees.

You need to send the FBI one complete package. Anything missing can send it back or stall it for weeks. Include the following:

• Your completed FD-258 or FD-1164 fingerprint card, unfolded.
• Your eDO confirmation email (if you registered online), or your signed request form (if mailing directly.)
• Payment through the credit card form (for mail-in requests.)

For direct mail-in, the address is: 

FBI CJIS Division - Summary Request, 

If you registered through eDO, use the address printed on your confirmation email, since it can differ from the general one.

International Courier Options You Can Choose from Karachi

Karachi has several international options:

Our Advice: For an FBI card, a tracked express service is worth the extra cost. A lost or delayed card can cost you weeks.

How to Track and What to do if it Goes Missing

Keep your courier receipt and tracking number from the day you send. Take a photo of the card and every form before you seal the envelope. Then check tracking regularly until it shows delivered in Clarksburg.

If tracking stalls for several days, contact the courier first and file a trace request. If the package is confirmed lost, you will need a new fingerprint card. Do not pay the fee again. You do not need to pay the $18 again if your original payment cleared. Contact the FBI through the details on its Identity History Summary page to ask how to link your new card to your existing request.

If the FBI receives your card but cannot process it, it will let you know, and you can try again with a cleaner set.

Processing starts only after the FBI receives your card. The current processing time stands at around 1 to 3 days for US citizens and 2 to 3 weeks for non-US citizens. Add courier time on both ends, and apostille time if you need one.

You will receive your result in one of two ways. With eDO, results can arrive as a digitally signed PDF by email, or as a mailed paper copy. If you have a choice, pick the electronic copy. Mail from the US to Karachi can take weeks and may not arrive at all.

What the result looks like:

• No record: If you have no Identity History Summary, you get a response explaining that no prior arrest data is on file. This is the most common outcome for people with a clean history.
• Record on file: You receive a summary listing each entry the FBI holds, such as arrests, charges, and outcomes. If something looks wrong, you can challenge it with the FBI.

Read More What Does an FBI Background Check Show: How to Read It?

An apostille is a stamp that tells a foreign authority the FBI's report is genuine. Whether you need it depends on the country where you will submit your document.

Most of the world has joined the Hague Apostille Convention, a 1961 treaty that replaces the old multi-step attestation process with a single stamp called an apostille. The list of members includes the US, Canada, the UK, Pakistan, and most European countries.

If your destination country is a member, you need an apostille on your FBI background check report. It is issued by the US Department of State and accepted directly, with no further attestation needed from that country's embassy.

If your destination is not a member, an apostille will not be accepted. The US Department of State issues an authentication certificate instead, and the country's embassy or consulate in the US usually legalizes the report after that. This takes longer.

You can skip both steps if the authority asking for your report has said in writing that the plain FBI report is enough. Some employers and offices only want the report itself.

Federal Apostille Through the US Department of State

• Get your FBI report and keep it exactly as received. Do not notarize it.
• Complete Form DS-4194 and list the country where you will use the document.
• Pay $20 per document by check or money order made out to the US Department of State.
• Include a prepaid return envelope.
• Mail it to: Office of Authentications, US Department of State, 44132 Mercure Circle, P.O. Box 1206, Sterling, VA 20166-1206.
  Standard mail processing takes 5 or more weeks, and hand delivery in Washington, DC is faster.
• To do the apostille process from Karachi, you need a US dollar check, a US return envelope, and a way to submit the paperwork. That is why many applicants hand it to a service provider.

Learn More How to Get an FBI Background Check & Submit It for Apostille in 2026

If the Report is for Use in Pakistan

Pakistan has accepted foreign apostilles since March 2023, without extra attestation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Pakistan missions abroad. So a US Department of State apostille on your FBI background check is enough.

For property deals or other high-stakes matters, confirm apostille acceptance with local counsel first. If a Pakistani office still asks for old-style attestation, ask them to show you the rule in writing.

You can absolutely do all of this yourself. It is not illegal, and many people do. But it is technical, especially from abroad. You need the right card, careful fingerprints, correct forms, a payment method that works, a courier, and then a separate apostille process, often with different vendors at each stage.

Globeia can take that load off you. We have over 10 years of experience in international background checks and fingerprinting. You can choose one service, two or three, or all of them bundled together.

If you choose everything together, the whole process runs as one workflow, with no unnecessary handovers to third-party vendors:

• We take your fingerprints at your door.
• We courier them to Globeia Inc. in the USA.
• We drop off your report at the US Department of State for the apostille.
• Your report is delivered back to your address in Karachi by international courier.

One team means fewer chances for a card to get rejected, a package to go missing, or a deadline to slip. It can save you a lot of time, effort, and repeat courier costs. Start your booking process here!

Once your FBI background check arrives, save the PDF in more than one place and keep the paper copy flat and unmarked. Do not notarize it, laminate it, or write on it, since that can make it unusable for an apostille. Many offices only accept reports issued within the last few months, so check how long yours stays valid before you file it away. If you might need it again for another visa or job, you should request a fresh one rather than reuse an old one.