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Criminal-record and social-profile search option.
View Records Sponsored partner optionWhat should you know about this search?
Direct answer
To obtain a criminal background check online, first identify the exact report required for the purpose. Then use the official FBI, state, court, or authorized consumer-report channel, complete its identity requirements, and review the result before relying on or forwarding it.
Do not start with the order button - start with the requesting purpose
The phrase criminal background check online can describe several different processes. A person may want to review their own FBI identity history, satisfy a state licensing requirement, respond to an employer’s screening process, or research a public court case. Those tasks can all involve criminal information, but they are not fulfilled by the same request.
The FBI states that its direct Identity History Summary review is provided for personal review or correction and is fingerprint-based. It also explains that some U.S. employment, licensing, or adoption purposes may require the request to go through a state identification bureau, the requesting federal agency, or another authorized channel. That means the first step is to obtain the requesting organization’s exact instructions, not to assume that the first online criminal-search product will be accepted.
Choose the route by purpose
| Purpose | Typical route | Key verification |
|---|---|---|
| Personal FBI history review | Direct FBI Identity History Summary process | Fingerprint submission and FBI instructions for the personal-review request. |
| Employment screening by a reporting company | Employer-authorized consumer report | Written permission, reporting-company identity, and the required pre-adverse and adverse-action rights. |
| State license, adoption, or statutory check | State bureau, requesting agency, or authorized channel specified by the program | The exact statute or agency instructions and whether state/federal fingerprints are required. |
| Informal public-record research | Court or agency public search where available | Identity match, jurisdiction, and current disposition; do not present it as an official fingerprint history. |
Gather the right information before starting
Instructions
Get the requester’s written requirement
The accepted report name, issuing authority, fingerprint method, and delivery rules prevent ordering a technically valid but unusable report.
Identity
Prepare the identifiers required by the official route
Fingerprint-based systems and court searches use different identity controls; follow the owner’s instructions rather than improvising.
Consent
Separate self-review from employer authorization
When an employer uses a background reporting company, the subject has specific notice and authorization rights.
Correction
Know where to challenge an error
A source-level criminal-history error and a consumer-report mismatch may require different correction paths.
A reliable online request sequence
1
Ask what report is requiredGet the exact name of the accepted criminal background product or agency channel from the organization that needs it.2
Use the official access pageFollow the FBI, state bureau, court, or authorized reporting process rather than a look-alike commercial result.3
Complete the required identity stepProvide fingerprints or other identifiers exactly as the official route requires.4
Review the result before forwarding itCheck identity and record status, and use the appropriate source or reporting-company correction procedure if something is inaccurate.