How to Get Police Clearance Certificate in USA

While going through paperwork in the USA, you might be asked to provide a police clearance certificate, a background check, or a certificate of good conduct. It goes by many names, but the request usually means the same thing. The authority asking for it wants a clear picture of your background. And you sometimes might need to get fingerprints taken to obtain those certificates.

Keep reading this blog to understand the types of police checks available in the USA, which one you actually need, and how to apply for it.

A Police Clearance Certificate, usually called a Criminal Record Check, is an official document that shows your criminal record history in the United States. It confirms whether you have any arrests or convictions on file, or states clearly that you have no criminal record at all.

In the USA, this certificate can come from different levels of law enforcement. It could be issued by the FBI at the federal level, by a state police department, or by a local police department or county sheriff's office. Each one checks a different set of records, but the purpose stays the same. It gives an official, verified answer to one simple question: does this person have a criminal history, and if yes, what does it include.

This certificate is not something you write yourself or get informally. It has to come directly from a law enforcement agency, based on your fingerprints or personal details, so that the information is accurate and can be trusted by whoever is asking for it.

Common Reasons You'd Need One

People usually need a police clearance certificate in USA for one of these reasons:

• Applying for a green card or permanent residency in the USA or another country.
• Applying for a work visa or long term visa in the USA or abroad.
• Getting married to a foreign national and applying for a spouse visa.
• Adopting a child internationally.
• Studying abroad, especially for long term programs.
• Applying for jobs overseas, particularly in government, education, or healthcare.
• Volunteering abroad, including programs like teaching or aid work.
• Applying for citizenship or naturalization in another country.
• Getting a professional license in a different state within the US.
• Certain local jobs or volunteer roles that require a background check, such as working with children or in schools.
• Renting a home or applying for housing programs in some cases.

Almost every case above involves an authority, whether a foreign government, an employer, or a licensing body, that wants proof of your background before approving your application.

Check Fingerprinting Requirements for Criminal Record Check

There are three different levels of law enforcement that can issue one, and each covers a different range of records.

The federal level is handled by the FBI. The state level is handled by the state police or a state bureau of investigation. The local level is handled by a city police department or a county sheriff's office.

An FBI Identity History Summary is a nationwide criminal record report issued by the FBI. It is built from fingerprint records collected by police and law enforcement agencies across the country, and it either lists your arrests and convictions or confirms that you have no criminal record at all.

Three Ways to Apply

• FBI eDO (Electronic Departmental Order): This is the official online system where you fill out your request and pay the fee on the FBI website. For fingerprints, you can either visit a participating US Post Office that offers electronic fingerprint scanning, or you can print a physical fingerprint card, get your fingerprints taken separately, and mail the card to the FBI.
• Direct Mail Submission: Instead of applying online, you can download the Identity History Summary Request Form, fill it out by hand, attach your fingerprint card, and mail everything directly to the FBI along with a check or money order for the fee.
• Private Service Providers: Several third party companies in the US, such as Globeia, offer a more guided process. They handle your fingerprinting, prepare your application form and card, and submit everything to the FBI on your behalf. This option usually costs more, but it can be helpful if you want extra support or live somewhere without easy access to fingerprinting services.

Step by Step Process

Step 1: Choose Application Method

Decide between the FBI eDO online system, mailing your request directly, or using a private service provider.

Step 2: Fill out the FBI Background Check Request Form

Include your full legal name, date of birth, place of birth, citizenship, and the address where you want your results sent.

Step 3: Get your Fingerprints Taken

This can be done electronically at a participating post office, or on a physical FD-258/FD-1164 card through a fingerprinting service.

Step 4: Submit Your Fingerprints and Pay the Fee

If applying online, your chosen US POst Office will facilitate the electronic submission of your fingerprints along with your request. If applying by mail, send your card along with the form and payment.

Step 5: Wait for Processing

The FBI reviews your fingerprints and criminal history records to prepare your summary.

Step 6: Receive your Result

You will get either a sealed hard copy by mail or a secure digital copy, depending on the option you chose.

Fees and Processing Time

The FBI charges a fixed fee of $18 for the Identity History Summary, no matter which method you use to apply. If you use a private service provider, they usually charge an additional service fee on top of this.

Processing time depends on your citizenship status. For US citizens applying electronically, results are often ready within 1 to 3 business days. For non-US citizens, or for applications sent in by mail, it usually takes around 2 to 3 weeks, sometimes longer depending on current workload, backlogs, or other circumstances.

Where to Get Fingerprinted

• Participating US Post Offices: Certain post offices across the country offer electronic fingerprint scanning specifically for FBI Identity History Summary requests. Not every post office has this service, so you need to check availability before visiting.
• Local or State Law Enforcement Agencies: Many police stations offer fingerprinting services for a small fee, using either ink cards or live scan equipment.
• Third Party Service Providers: Private fingerprinting companies are available in most cities and can take your prints on FD-258 or FD-1164 card, ready to be submitted to the FBI.
• Mobile Fingerprinting Services: Some companies offer mobile fingerprinting, where a technician comes to your home or office to take your prints, which can be useful if you are unable to travel.

A state or local police clearance certificate works a little differently from the FBI process. Instead of one central system, you go directly to the police department in the city or county where you currently live, or where you lived before. The process is fairly similar across most departments, with only small differences depending on the location.

Step 1: Find the Right Department

Contact the police department or sheriff's office for the city or county where you currently live or previously lived. This is the agency that holds the local records.

Step 2: Visit In Person

Most departments require you to show up yourself rather than apply online or by mail.

Step 3: Carry a Valid Photo ID

You will need a government issued ID, such as a driver's license or passport, to confirm your identity.

Step 4: Ask For a Local or State Criminal Records Search

Clearly request that the department conduct a local or state level criminal records search for you, and let them know it is for a clearance certificate.

Step 5: Get Fingerprinted, If Required 

Some departments will take your fingerprints as part of the process, either using ink or a live scan machine.

Step 6: Receive your Signed Letter

Once the search is done, you will get a signed letter from the department confirming your record within that jurisdiction, or stating that no record was found.

A Few Helpful Tips

• Timings, fees, open days, and required documents can vary a lot from one department to another, so call ahead before visiting.
• Ask if an appointment is needed. Some departments accept walk-ins, while others only work by appointment.
• Carry extra copies of your ID and any supporting documents. It is better to have more than you need than to be turned away for missing paperwork.
• Ask specifically for a notarized copy if you will need it apostilled later.
• Some departments only accept cash or a specific type of payment for the fee. So, confirm accepted payment methods in advance.
• You may need to make copies for different applications, so avoid submitting your only original copy anywhere. Keep the original letter safe.

Once you have your police clearance certificate in hand, the process is not always over. If you plan to use it in another country, most foreign authorities will not accept it as it is. It usually needs to go through an authentication process first, so that the receiving country can trust that the document is genuine.

While going through this process, you will come across a few terms that can feel confusing at first:

For FBI Identity History Summary

If your destination country is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, your FBI Identity History Summary can be apostilled directly through the US Department of State in Washington, D.C. This is a single step, since the document already comes from a federal agency and does not need notarization first.

If your destination country is not part of the Hague Convention, the process involves one extra step called legalization. In this case, the document is first authenticated by the US Department of State, and then sent to the destination country's embassy or consulate in the USA for a final legalization stamp. Only after this stamp is added does the document become valid for use in that country.

For State or Local Certificates

A state or local police clearance certificate usually needs to be notarized first, if it is not already signed and sealed properly by the issuing department. Once notarized, it can then be apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state where the document was issued.

For example, if your state police clearance certificate was issued in California, the document should either be signed by a California public official, or be an original notarized document, before it can be apostilled by the California Secretary of State. The same pattern applies to any other state, just with that state's own Secretary of State office handling the apostille.

The right choice usually depends on who is asking for the certificate and what it will be used for.

Some countries or embassies may ask for both certificates together. For example, if you are applying for a work permit in Switzerland for a sensitive or high security role, the employer or immigration office may ask for both your FBI Identity History Summary and a state level criminal record, just to get a more complete picture of your background.

As a general rule, anything involving a foreign country will ask for the FBI Identity History Summary. It is treated as the most complete and most trusted version, since it covers your full criminal record across the entire country.

State and local certificates are usually needed for things happening inside the US itself, like a job in a different state or a role that requires a background check within your city or county. Sometimes, an international authority may ask for both a federal certificate and a state certificate.

Globeia is a trusted service provider for fingerprinting and international documentation services. This is what you get when you work with us:

Submission to the FBI on Your Behalf: Our processing office, Globeia Inc, based in the USA, processes and submits your fingerprints to the FBI, so you do not have to handle these extra steps yourself. Start your FBI Background check application!

Federal Apostille: Our office is just a few blocks away from the US Department of State Office of Authentications, so we can coordinate the FBI apostille of your background check by dropping off your documents in person on your behalf. Our expedited services cut down the processing time to just 10 days.

State Apostille: We can also coordinate the state apostille of your documents, including your police checks and other vital records if needed, for all 50 states in the USA. We review and submit the documents on your behalf. Check our US State Apostille services here!

Add on Services: We also offer notarization, legalization, and translation services, based on your document type and the receiving country. You can choose these services as well, depending on what you need.

You can easily avail all these services together, or as standalone ones, from a single portal. The booking process is entirely digital and takes just a few minutes. Everything is managed and coordinated for you, without you even needing to step out of your house.

Once you know which type of police clearance certificate you actually need, the rest of the process becomes a lot easier to handle. The confusing part is usually right at the start, figuring out whether it is the FBI, your state, or your local police department that should be issuing your certificate. After that, it is mostly a matter of following the steps.

Just keep in mind that every department and every state works a little differently. What applies to a state or local police check in one city may not apply the same way in another. Some departments want an appointment, some accept walk-ins, some ask for a specific payment method, and some have their own rules around notarization. So spend a little time researching your specific state or county before you decide to go there.