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Guide

How Long Does an FBI Background Check Take?

What the FBI actually publishes about turnaround, what it does not, and how to build a realistic date from the parts you can control.

Last updated 2026-08-01 · 7 min read

The short answer

How long does an FBI background check take?

For a request started online with the fingerprint card posted in, the FBI estimates up to 10 days from the day the card reaches it. [1] Add your own fingerprinting appointment, the post in both directions, and — only if a foreign authority requires it — the apostille queue.

Basis
The 10-day estimate is published by the FBI on its eDO request portal and was read there on 1 August 2026. [1] The surrounding steps are not FBI processing and carry no FBI figure; the ranges below are ours, and are described as such.
Caveat
The FBI publishes no equivalent estimate for the fully electronic path, and none for Channeler submissions. Turnaround times advertised by companies are their own claims, not FBI figures.

This is the question the site is asked most often, and it has an unsatisfying shape: the government publishes a number for one leg of the journey and says nothing about the rest. Rather than refuse the question, this page separates what is published from what is not, and tells you which parts you can move.

What the FBI actually publishes

Current processing time for Identity History Summary requests submitted electronically but the fingerprints mailed into our facility is estimated up to 10 days upon receipt of the fingerprint card.
— FBI eDO request portal, read 1 August 2026 [1]

Read that carefully, because every word of it is load-bearing. It covers requests *submitted electronically* whose *fingerprints were mailed*. It runs from *receipt of the card*, not from the day you applied or the day you posted it. And it is an *estimate*, stated as an upper bound.

Building a realistic date

Work backwards from your deadline, leg by leg. Only the third row below carries a government figure; the rest depend on your own circumstances, and are here as a structure to fill in, not as national averages.

The legs of the journey
LegWho controls itWhat is published
Booking and attending a fingerprint appointmentYou and the providerNothing — depends entirely on local availability
Posting the fingerprint card to the FBIYour postal serviceNothing from the FBI; your carrier's own transit estimate is the figure to use
FBI processingThe FBIUp to 10 days from receipt of the card, for requests started online [1]
Return of the resultThe FBI and your postal serviceNothing; electronic delivery removes this leg
Apostille by the U.S. Department of State, if requiredThe Department of StatePublished by the Department separately, and only relevant if a foreign authority asked for it [2]

One row here has a government number in it. That is not an oversight in our research — it is the state of the published record.

What genuinely makes it faster

Almost every hour you can save is outside the FBI, which is good news: those are the parts you control.

  1. Have your fingerprints captured and transmitted electronically rather than posting a card. This removes an entire international mail leg, and it is the single largest saving available to most applicants.
  2. Get the prints taken properly the first time. A rejected card costs you the full round trip again. This is the most expensive avoidable mistake in the process. [3]
  3. Choose electronic delivery of the result where the route offers it.
  4. Start the apostille question early — before your summary arrives, not after. Find out whether your destination actually requires one, and what it requires it to look like. [2] [4]
  5. Do not stack avoidable steps. If you are eligible for a Channeler and can reach electronic capture, that combination removes both mail legs; see Direct to the FBI or an Approved Channeler?.

Common questions

Why won't anyone give me a straight number?
Because the FBI publishes one only for a single submission path. [1] Anyone quoting you a confident all-in figure is either describing their own service or estimating — which is fine, as long as they say which.
Is the electronic route faster than mailing a card?
In practice, yes — it removes the mail legs entirely, which are usually the longest part. But the FBI publishes no processing estimate for it, so we cannot tell you the FBI-side difference, only the postal one.
Does an apostille add time?
Yes, and it is a separate process at the U.S. Department of State with its own queue. [2] Only start it if the authority receiving your document requires it.
Can I pay the FBI to rush it?
No. The FBI does not offer a paid priority option for Identity History Summary requests. Companies selling "expedited" service are compressing the steps around the FBI, not inside it.
How long is my summary good for once I have it?
The FBI sets no expiry. The clock that matters belongs to whoever asked for the document — commonly three or six months from issue.

Next decision

  • How do I get an FBI background check?

    There are three ways, and all of them start with your fingerprints. You can apply online to the FBI, mail a paper request to the FBI, or go through an FBI-approved Channeler. The FBI's own fee is $18. Channelers add their own fee and can only serve U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents.

  • Should I apply to the FBI myself or use an approved Channeler?

    If you are not a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, you cannot use a Channeler at all — you apply directly. If you are eligible, a Channeler costs more than the FBI's $18 and sells you speed and handling. The FBI publishes no figure showing how much faster that is, so treat any speed claim as the vendor's own.

  • Can I get an FBI background check while living abroad?

    Yes. Applying directly to the FBI is not restricted to people inside the United States. But Channelers are closed to you unless you are a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, you must arrange fingerprinting locally on an FD-258 card, and international post — not FBI processing — usually decides how long it takes.

In depth

The reference layer, where these facts are set out at length and cited in full. You do not need any of it to act on this guide.

  • Processing Time: What the FBI Publishes, and What It Does Not

    The FBI does not publish a processing time for Identity History Summary requests. It publishes three statements about how requests are handled. This article documents exactly what those statements are and why widely circulated turnaround figures cannot be traced to the agency.

  • Validity and Recency Requirements

    The FBI does not print an expiry date on an Identity History Summary. Any expiry an applicant encounters is imposed by the authority receiving it. This article explains where recency requirements come from and how to read them.

References

Every source below is a primary publication of the body that controls the fact it supports. See the citation policy.

  1. [1]electronic Departmental Order (eDO) — Identity History Summary request portal — Federal Bureau of Investigation, CJIS Division. Reviewed 2026-08-01.The only FBI-published processing estimate this site has been able to verify, and it covers one submission path only.https://www.edo.cjis.gov/
  2. [2]Apostille Requirements — U.S. Department of State. Reviewed 2026-08-01.https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/records-and-authentications/authenticate-your-document/apostille-requirements.html
  3. [3]Standard Fingerprint Form (FD-258) — Federal Bureau of Investigation. Reviewed 2026-08-01.https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/standard-fingerprint-form-fd-258-1.pdf
  4. [4]Status Table — Convention of 5 October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents — Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Reviewed 2026-08-01.https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/status-table/?cid=41

Change log

  • 2026-08-01First publication. Supersedes this site's earlier position that no FBI turnaround figure could be cited at all: the eDO portal publishes one for a single path, verified 1 August 2026.

Last updated 2026-08-01