Can I search the FBI national CHRI database by name?

There is no unrestricted public FBI national CHRI name search. Individuals may request their own FBI Identity History Summary using fingerprints, while authorized agencies use separate systems.

Does CHRI include investigative intelligence?

General investigative or intelligence information is not automatically CHRI. Federal regulatory commentary distinguishes CHRI from information such as suspected activity, associates, financial intelligence and property or vehicle ownership.

CHRI Includes Criminal History Records Search: Checks & Access

Q: Does CHRI only show convictions?

No. CHRI can include arrests, charges, acquittals and other dispositions as well as convictions, sentencing, correctional supervision and release.

Q: Are fingerprints themselves CHRI?

Not necessarily. Identification information such as fingerprints is not CHRI when it does not indicate the individual's involvement with the criminal justice system.

Q: How much does an FBI Identity History Summary cost?

The FBI currently charges 18 U.S. dollars for a direct Identity History Summary request. FBI-approved Channelers can charge additional service fees.

Q: Is an FBI Identity History Summary the same as a state criminal record?

No. State criminal history repositories maintain their own records and access rules. State data and FBI data can overlap but are not necessarily identical.

Q: Does a sealed or expunged record disappear from every background check?

Not necessarily. The effect of sealing or expungement depends on the jurisdiction, record type, agency maintaining it and legal purpose of the background check.

U.S. criminal-history access guide

What CHRI actually contains — and which official record system to use

Criminal History Record Information, commonly shortened to CHRI, is a defined category of criminal-justice information. It can contain identifiable information connected with arrests, detentions, formal criminal charges and the outcome of those charges. It can also include acquittals, sentencing, correctional supervision and release information. But CHRI is not the same thing as every police report, every court document, an unrestricted nationwide people search, or every record held by the FBI.

Coverage: United States Information checked: September 2026 Primary authority: FBI / CJIS / federal regulations

Quick answer: Under the federal definition, CHRI generally includes identifiable descriptions and notations of arrests, detentions, indictments, informations or other formal criminal charges, together with dispositions such as acquittal, sentencing, correctional supervision and release. Standalone identification data such as a fingerprint record is not CHRI when it does not indicate involvement in the criminal-justice system.

Get your own FBI record Fingerprint-based FBI Identity History Summary for personal review.

FBI process →

Check a state record Find the state repository or State Identification Bureau.

State access →

Find a court case Use the appropriate federal, state or local court system.

Court records →

Employment or licensing check Use the legally authorized fingerprint/background-check channel.

Authorized checks →

CHRI has a specific federal meaning

The federal definition appears in 28 CFR § 20.3. It describes criminal history record information as information collected by criminal-justice agencies about identifiable individuals that records specified criminal-justice events.

The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services guidance uses the same basic concept: CHRI is a subset of broader Criminal Justice Information (CJI).

Why the definition matters: a document can contain some CHRI without every sentence in the document being CHRI. For example, an arrest report may contain a person’s arrest notation and disposition-related information that qualifies as CHRI while also containing investigative observations that fall outside the federal CHRI definition.

What information can CHRI include?

CHRI follows the person’s formal interaction with the criminal-justice system from an arrest or formal charge through the eventual disposition and, where applicable, correctional supervision and release.

Initial event

Arrests

An arrest notation connected to an identifiable individual can be part of CHRI.

Custody

Detentions

Qualifying detention information associated with the criminal-justice process can be included.

Formal charge

Indictments

A grand-jury indictment or other formal criminal charge can form part of the criminal-history record.

Charging record

Informations / complaints

Formal charging information associated with an identifiable person can qualify as CHRI.

Outcome

Convictions

Conviction and related disposition information can appear as part of a criminal-history record.

Outcome

Acquittals

CHRI is not limited to convictions. The federal definition expressly encompasses dispositions such as an acquittal.

Court result

Sentencing

Sentencing information arising from a criminal charge can form part of CHRI.

Corrections

Supervision and release

Correctional supervision and release information can be included in the criminal-history record.

Arrest does not mean conviction. Because CHRI can contain arrests and formal charges as well as acquittals and other dispositions, a record must be read through to its final outcome before drawing conclusions about what happened.

What is not automatically part of CHRI?

One of the biggest mistakes is treating all criminal-justice information as CHRI. Federal regulations draw a narrower boundary.

Usually outside the definition

Standalone identification information

Fingerprints or other identification records are not CHRI by themselves when they do not indicate that the person was involved in the criminal-justice system.

Investigative information

Intelligence and investigation details

Federal commentary distinguishes CHRI from intelligence or investigative material such as suspected criminal activity, associates, hangouts, financial information and property or vehicle ownership.

an address by itself
a fingerprint record with no criminal-justice involvement
general intelligence about suspected activity
lists of associates or contacts by themselves
property ownership information by itself
vehicle ownership information by itself
financial intelligence by itself
every narrative detail in a police investigative file

A police report can contain both. The arrest notation or formal criminal-justice transaction in an arrest report may qualify as CHRI, while unrelated narrative intelligence in the same report may not.

CHRI is not the same as every criminal-record search

Record/system	What it is	Same as CHRI?
CHRI	Defined criminal-history information maintained or exchanged by criminal-justice agencies.	Yes — this is the defined information category.
Court docket	A court’s record of events, filings and disposition in a particular case.	It may contain CHRI, but the entire court file is not automatically identical to CHRI.
Police report	Agency record describing an event, investigation or arrest.	It can contain CHRI plus other investigative information.
Jail roster	Local custody or booking information.	Related information, but not a substitute for a complete criminal-history record.
FBI Identity History Summary	Fingerprint-based listing of certain information retained by the FBI.	A personal FBI criminal-history summary derived from fingerprint submissions.
NCIC	Law-enforcement information system containing multiple files such as wanted-person and other records.	Broader criminal-justice information; not every NCIC record is CHRI.
NICS	National Instant Criminal Background Check System used for firearm transfer eligibility checks.	Not a public CHRI search service.

Where criminal history record information comes from

CHRI is created and updated through many parts of the criminal-justice system rather than by one office writing a single lifetime record.

1 Law enforcement Arrest and fingerprint information may begin the criminal-history transaction.

2 Prosecution / court Formal charges, case events and disposition information are created as the case proceeds.

3 Corrections Sentencing, custody, supervision and release data may update the history.

4 State / FBI systems Repositories receive and exchange eligible criminal-history information under applicable law.

Because information is contributed by state, local and federal agencies, timing differences can occur between the court’s current docket, the state repository and an FBI-maintained record.

What the Interstate Identification Index does

The FBI’s Interstate Identification Index (III), often called “Triple I,” supports the interstate exchange of criminal-history records for authorized purposes.

It is a cooperative federal-state system. Authorized criminal-justice users can determine whether an indexed criminal-history record exists and obtain the appropriate record through the authorized system.

III is not a public people-search website. An ordinary visitor cannot enter someone’s name into III and retrieve their national CHRI. Public and noncriminal-justice access must occur through legally authorized processes.

Why state records and FBI records can differ

The FBI’s National Fingerprint File (NFF) program uses a decentralized model in which participating states maintain and disseminate their own state criminal-history records for authorized national fingerprint-based checks.

The FBI explains that a state’s own repository can sometimes have more complete or more current information than a duplicate record formerly maintained at the federal level. In an NFF state, an authorized national fingerprint-based check can query the state repository directly.

Practical lesson: when you are reviewing or correcting your own record, check both the appropriate state repository and the FBI process when the issue may involve information contributed by a state agency.

How to get your own FBI Identity History Summary

The FBI allows an individual to request their own Identity History Summary, often informally called an FBI criminal-history record or “rap sheet.”

It is based on fingerprint submissions retained by the FBI in connection with arrests and, in some instances, federal employment, naturalization or military service.

Choose electronic or mail submission

The FBI provides an electronic request option as well as a mail process.

Complete the request information

Provide the identifying information required by the FBI’s current request process.

Submit current fingerprints

The FBI requires fingerprints for an Identity History Summary. It does not perform a name-only check for this personal summary service.

Pay the current FBI fee

The direct FBI fee is currently $18 per request.

Review the result carefully

Compare arrests, charges and dispositions with the underlying state or court records, especially if something appears incomplete.

FBI Identity History Summary instructions

Why the FBI requires fingerprints instead of a name-only search

Names can be shared, changed, misspelled or associated with aliases. Fingerprints provide positive biometric identification and reduce the risk of assigning another person’s criminal history to the requester.

The FBI specifically states that it does not provide name checks for personal Identity History Summary requests.

Depending on how you submit the request, fingerprints may be taken through:

a participating U.S. Postal Service location for an eligible electronic request
a local law-enforcement agency
a county or state law-enforcement agency
a private fingerprinting provider
an FBI-approved Channeler
another authorized fingerprint service

Use current fingerprints. The FBI states that a fingerprint card from an earlier Identity History Summary request cannot simply be reused for a new request.

Current FBI Identity History Summary fee and mailing information

Item	Current FBI information
Direct FBI request fee	$18
Identification method	Fingerprint-based
Name-only personal check	Not provided
Electronic submission	Available through the FBI’s official process
Mail submission	Available with completed application, fingerprints and payment
Fee-waiver inquiry	FBI provides instructions for eligible requesters unable to pay

Mail requests

FBI CJIS Division – Summary Request

1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306

Do not mail cash or ordinary personal/business checks. Follow the FBI’s current payment instructions because accepted payment methods can change.

What an FBI-approved Channeler does

An FBI-approved Channeler is a private contractor approved to receive a person’s fingerprint submission and required information, collect applicable fees, electronically forward the submission to FBI CJIS, and return the result to the individual.

A Channeler does not create a different criminal-history record. It acts as an approved transmission channel for the FBI Identity History Summary process.

Expect an additional service fee. A Channeler’s charge is separate from the FBI’s direct $18 request fee structure and varies by provider.

Current FBI-approved Channeler list

Every state has its own criminal-history repository and access rules

State criminal-history systems are not uniform. Depending on the state, the centralized repository may be operated by a state police agency, department of public safety, bureau of investigation, attorney general, department of justice or another designated agency.

A state’s rules determine such things as:

whether the public can perform a name-based search
whether fingerprints are required
which arrests or convictions are publicly disclosed
how juvenile records are treated
how long information remains publicly available
which sealed records remain visible to authorized agencies
the fee for a state record check
how the person can challenge an inaccurate record

The FBI maintains an official State Identification Bureau directory covering state criminal-history repository contacts.

For a record-review problem involving one state: the state repository is often the best place to start because it may be the original source of the information later transmitted to the FBI.

A public court case search is useful, but it is not the same as CHRI

Court systems maintain the actual case docket, filings, orders, plea events and dispositions. Those records can help explain or verify an entry that appears in a state or FBI criminal-history record.

Court docket

Best for case history

Follow the filed charges, hearings, orders and disposition of a particular case.

State repository

Best for state criminal history

Review the information that state law allows the repository to maintain or disseminate.

FBI summary

Best for your FBI record

Review the fingerprint-supported Identity History Summary maintained through FBI CJIS.

A missing disposition should be investigated. If an arrest appears in a criminal-history record but the final outcome is absent, check the court that handled the case and then follow the appropriate state/FBI correction process.

Can anyone search someone’s CHRI?

No single federal website allows the general public to type any person’s name and retrieve unrestricted national CHRI.

Access depends on who is requesting the information, the purpose of the request, the source of the record and applicable federal and state law.

Individual

Your own record

You can request your own FBI Identity History Summary using the official fingerprint-based process.

Public

State / court records

Public access varies widely. Some states offer public conviction searches while others restrict access more heavily.

Authorized recipient

Statutory background check

Employers, licensing bodies, government agencies and other recipients can receive CHRI only where law authorizes the particular check.

Employment and licensing CHRI checks follow a different path

An FBI Identity History Summary requested directly by an individual should not automatically be substituted for a background check required by a U.S. employer, licensing agency, adoption authority or other regulated program.

The FBI explains that, when federal or state law authorizes a fingerprint-based background check for a noncriminal-justice purpose, the request may need to be submitted through the appropriate state repository, government agency or other authorized channel.

1 Statutory authority The check must have a lawful authorized purpose.

2 Fingerprints National noncriminal-justice CHRI checks are commonly fingerprint-based.

3 State repository The submission generally moves through the state’s authorized repository/process.

4 Authorized recipient The result is disseminated according to the law governing that check.

Purpose matters. Access to criminal-history information for employment, licensing, volunteering, child care, elder care, security clearance or another regulated use can have different statutory rules from an individual’s personal record-review request.

Does CHRI include juvenile offenses?

Federal III/FIRS regulations provide for inclusion of serious and/or significant adult and juvenile offenses. That does not mean every juvenile record is publicly accessible.

Juvenile confidentiality and dissemination rules vary substantially by state and by the purpose for which the criminal-history information is requested.

What about minor or nonserious offenses?

Federal regulations exclude certain nonserious offenses from the FBI’s applicable federal criminal-history systems when they are unaccompanied by a serious or significant offense. Examples in the regulation include certain public-order violations and ordinary traffic violations.

Important exceptions include offenses such as vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence and hit-and-run. State repositories can also maintain records differently from the federal system.

Do not apply the federal inclusion rule blindly to a state database. 28 CFR § 20.32 specifically notes that federal exclusions may not apply to records maintained in state criminal-history repositories.

Sealed and expunged records can affect CHRI differently

Sealing and expungement rules are primarily controlled by the jurisdiction that created the record. States use different definitions, eligibility standards and dissemination rules.

For nonfederal arrest data, the FBI directs people with sealing or expungement questions to the relevant State Identification Bureau because the state’s legal process normally determines whether the originating record should be changed or removed.

Federal arrest information is removed from the FBI criminal file when the submitting agency requests the removal or when the FBI receives an applicable federal court order specifically directing expungement.

“Sealed” does not always mean invisible to every government background check. Some federal statutory definitions expressly account for state or local sealed records when those records remain accessible to criminal-justice agencies for specified background-check purposes. The result depends on the governing law and purpose of the search.

How to challenge incorrect or incomplete FBI criminal-history information

If your FBI Identity History Summary contains information that appears inaccurate or incomplete, the FBI provides a formal challenge process.

Obtain your Identity History Summary

The FBI must positively identify you before discussing or releasing your criminal-history information.

Identify the exact error

Note the arrest, charge, disposition, date or other entry that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.

Collect supporting records

Court dispositions, expungement orders and other official records can help support a challenge.

Use the FBI challenge process

The FBI currently charges no fee to challenge Identity History Summary information.

Contact the state repository when appropriate

Most states require corrections to state-contributed information to be processed through their centralized State Identification Bureau before the FBI record is updated.

The FBI currently says Identity History Summary challenges are processed in the order received, with an average response time of about 45 days.

FBI challenge guidance

An FBI Identity History Summary is not a FOIA request

Another frequent mistake is trying to obtain a criminal-history summary through the FBI’s Freedom of Information/Privacy Act portal.

The FBI specifically separates Identity History Summary Checks from FOIA/Privacy Act requests. The criminal-history summary process is handled through CJIS and requires fingerprints.

Identity History Summary

Criminal-history review

Uses fingerprints and the FBI CJIS process to provide your Identity History Summary.

FOIA / Privacy Act

Other FBI records

Used for qualifying FBI records such as files concerning investigations, events, organizations or other agency records—not as the substitute process for an Identity History Summary.

FBI CJIS Division location for Identity History Summary mail requests

FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division

Summary Request mailing address

FBI CJIS Division – Summary Request
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306

This address is published for Identity History Summary mail submissions. The map is provided for location context only and should not be interpreted as an invitation to appear in person. Follow the FBI’s current electronic or mail submission instructions.

Practical CHRI search tips that prevent common mistakes

Tip 01

Decide what record you actually need

A court docket, public state conviction search and FBI Identity History Summary answer different questions.

Tip 02

Use fingerprints for identity certainty

Names alone can produce false matches. The FBI uses fingerprints for personal Identity History Summaries.

Tip 03

Read the disposition

Never stop at the arrest or charge. Look for dismissal, acquittal, conviction or another final outcome.

Tip 04

Check the originating state

A state repository may have information or correction procedures that are more current than another database.

Tip 05

Do not call III a public database

The Interstate Identification Index is an authorized criminal-history exchange system, not a public people search.

Tip 06

Separate personal review from employment checks

A direct FBI personal summary may not satisfy a background check required by U.S. employment or licensing law.

Tip 07

Use court records to resolve missing dispositions

The court that handled the case is often the strongest source for proving how the charge ended.

Tip 08

Do not confuse CJI and CHRI

CHRI is a subset of broader criminal-justice information; not everything in an agency system is CHRI.

Tip 09

Verify current state rules

Public access, fees, sealing rules and record-review procedures can differ significantly among states.

Using CHRI for employment, housing or other eligibility decisions

Accessing a public court record or your own Identity History Summary does not automatically create a legally compliant employment, tenant, licensing or consumer background check.

Different federal and state laws control who may receive criminal-history information, what information may be considered and which procedures must be followed.

Purpose controls the correct process. When a government agency, employer, licensing authority or another organization requires a specific fingerprint-supported background check, follow that organization’s authorized submission instructions rather than independently ordering a different record and assuming it satisfies the requirement.

Common questions about Criminal History Record Information

1. What does CHRI stand for?

CHRI stands for Criminal History Record Information. It is a defined category of information collected by criminal-justice agencies about identifiable individuals and formal criminal-justice events.

2. Does CHRI include arrests?

Yes. The federal definition includes identifiable notations of arrests and detentions, along with formal criminal charges and resulting dispositions.

3. Does CHRI only show convictions?

No. CHRI can include arrests, charges and dispositions such as acquittals as well as convictions, sentencing, correctional supervision and release.

4. Are fingerprints themselves CHRI?

Not necessarily. Federal regulations state that identification information such as fingerprints is not CHRI when that information does not indicate the person’s involvement with the criminal-justice system.

5. Can I search the FBI’s national CHRI database by name?

There is no unrestricted public FBI national CHRI name-search service. Individuals can request their own FBI Identity History Summary using fingerprints, while authorized agencies use separate systems.

6. How much does an FBI Identity History Summary cost?

The FBI currently charges $18 for a direct Identity History Summary request. FBI-approved Channelers can charge additional service fees.

7. Is an FBI Identity History Summary the same as a state criminal record?

No. State repositories maintain their own criminal-history records and access rules. State data and FBI data can overlap but are not necessarily identical.

8. Does CHRI contain investigative intelligence?

The federal regulatory commentary distinguishes CHRI from general investigative or intelligence information such as suspected activity, associates, hangouts, financial information and property ownership.

9. How do I correct an inaccurate FBI criminal-history record?

Obtain your FBI Identity History Summary, identify the inaccurate or incomplete entry, gather supporting documentation and use the FBI’s Identity History Summary challenge process. State-contributed errors may first need correction through the appropriate State Identification Bureau.

10. Does a sealed or expunged record disappear from every background check?

Not automatically. The effect of sealing or expungement depends on the jurisdiction, the type of record, the agency maintaining it and the legal purpose of the background check. Contact the relevant state repository for state-record questions.