Choose the federal system that actually holds the record
A “federal criminal record” can mean several different things. A prosecution filed in a U.S. District Court is searched through PACER. Your own fingerprint-based national Identity History Summary comes from the FBI. Federal custody information comes from the Bureau of Prisons. Older federal court files may eventually move to the National Archives. These systems serve different purposes, so searching the right one first saves both time and unnecessary fees.
“Federal criminal record” can describe four different records
There is no single public federal webpage that combines every federal arrest, prosecution, prison record and investigative file into one free background check.
Court case
Filed federal charges, docket entries, indictments, motions, judgments and sentencing documents.
Identity History Summary
Your own fingerprint-based summary of identifying, arrest and disposition information held in FBI systems.
Federal inmate record
Public custody information for federal inmates incarcerated from 1982 to the present.
Investigative file
Law-enforcement or agency records that may require FOIA or Privacy Act procedures and can be restricted.
Search federal criminal court records with PACER
Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) is the official electronic public-access service for federal appellate, district and bankruptcy courts.
Federal criminal prosecutions are generally filed in a U.S. District Court. If you already know the district where the prosecution was filed, searching that court directly gives access to the most current case information.
Find a federal case PACER login / registrationWhat you can commonly find in a federal criminal case
- federal district court name
- case number
- filing date
- defendant name
- indictment or information when public
- docket entries
- motions and responses
- court orders
- plea-related public filings
- judgment
- sentencing documents that are public
- notice of appeal
Use the PACER Case Locator when you do not know the federal court
A person can be prosecuted in a federal district far from where they currently live. If you do not know which district handled the case, use the PACER Case Locator.
The Case Locator is the nationwide PACER index for federal district, bankruptcy and appellate cases. PACER states that the index is updated every 24 hours, typically overnight.
Case Locator search fields can include
- party name
- case number
- court
- date filed
- date closed
- nature of suit for applicable case types
How to search a federal criminal case step by step
Create a PACER account
Registration is required for online PACER searching. Ordinary public users do not need to be attorneys.
Search the known district court when possible
If you know the federal district where the case was filed, start there because the court’s own CM/ECF information is the most current.
Use Case Locator if the court is unknown
Search the nationwide index by party name and narrow the results by court or filing date when possible.
Open the docket report
The docket is the chronological record of filings, hearings, orders and other events in the federal case.
Open only the documents you need
PACER charges for many searches and documents, so identify the relevant docket entry before opening PDFs.
Look for judgment and disposition
Do not treat an indictment or criminal complaint as proof of conviction. Review the final judgment and later appellate activity.
Contact the clerk when PACER is incomplete
Older files, restricted remote documents and certified-copy requests may require direct contact with the clerk’s office.
How to read a federal criminal docket correctly
Federal dockets can contain dozens or hundreds of entries. A user can save time by recognizing the entries that usually answer the core criminal-record questions.
| Docket item | What it generally means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Complaint | An initial federal charging document supported by allegations. | It does not itself establish guilt. |
| Indictment | Formal charges returned by a federal grand jury. | Read each count separately. |
| Information | A formal charging document filed by the prosecutor without a grand-jury indictment in applicable circumstances. | Check later plea and judgment entries. |
| Arraignment | Court proceeding addressing the charges and plea. | A not-guilty plea is not the final result. |
| Plea agreement | Agreement concerning a plea, when publicly filed. | Parts may occasionally be sealed or restricted. |
| Judgment | Formal record of conviction/acquittal-related outcome and sentence where applicable. | This is one of the most important records for confirming outcome. |
| Notice of appeal | Signals appellate review. | Follow the linked appellate case when relevant. |
Which federal criminal documents are normally most useful?
Indictment / information
Shows the federal offenses alleged and the counts filed against the defendant.
Judgment
Usually the best single document for confirming a conviction and sentence after a completed prosecution.
Docket report
Shows the chronological procedural history and links to publicly available filed documents.
Appellate docket
Shows whether a conviction, sentence or another ruling was appealed and what happened next.
Sentencing filings
Some sentencing materials are public, while other information can be redacted, restricted or sealed.
Transcript
Verbatim court proceeding transcript when one was ordered and prepared.
Sealed federal criminal records do not appear in PACER
PACER states that sealed documents—including sealed indictments—are not available to the public through the system.
Federal courts can also restrict access to certain documents to protect confidential information, ongoing investigations, minors, witnesses, classified material or other legally protected interests.
Court filings also redact certain personal identifiers before public release. Federal Judiciary guidance identifies protected information such as Social Security numbers, financial-account numbers, minor children’s names and portions of dates of birth.
Special rule for older federal criminal documents
Federal criminal case documents filed in district court before November 1, 2004 have more restrictive remote electronic access.
PACER explains that most criminal documents filed before that date are not remotely available to ordinary public users in the same way as newer criminal filings.
Current PACER fees and the January 2027 change
As of September 30, 2026, PACER charges $0.10 per billable page for most electronic court-record access.
| Access type | Current fee | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Case document | $0.10 per page | Usually capped at $3 per single document. |
| Docket / case-specific report | $0.10 per page | 30-page / $3 cap generally applies to qualifying case-specific reports. |
| Name / search result pages | $0.10 per page | No ordinary $3 document cap for search-result pages. |
| Transcript through PACER | $0.10 per page | No 30-page maximum fee
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