Frequently Asked

Questions

If you are visiting a DTIS collection site, you must complete online registration before your appointment. If you are mailing a hard card, please check with your third party fingerprint collector to confirm if an appointment is needed.

The appointment typically takes less than 10 minutes. Upon arrival, the agent will verify your identity and confirm your pre-enrollment information matches your documents. DTIS captures four fingers on each hand simultaneously, plus both thumbs, for a total of three images.

The FBI requires the following information to process your request:

• First and last name
• Home address (address must be within the US)
• Country of citizenship
• Date and place of birth
• Gender and race
• Height, weight, eye color, and hair color
• Phone number and email address

Please bring your Application Identifier from your DTIS registration confirmation. Print it if possible, or record it carefully if you cannot. You will also need two forms of identification.

Your primary ID must be a government-issued photo ID. Accepted forms include:

• State-issued driver’s license or identification card
• U.S. passport or passport card
• U.S. Active Duty, Retiree, or Reservist Military Identification Card (DD 10-2)
• Federal Government Personal Identity Verification Card (PIV)
• Department of Defense Common Access Card
• U.S. Tribal or Bureau of Indian Affairs Identification Card
• U.S. Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Card
• Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551)
• Machine-readable visa with I-551 residency notation
• Foreign passport with I-551 residency notation

Your secondary ID must show your name and current home address. Accepted forms include:

• Bank statement or paycheck stub
• Utility bill
• Birth, marriage, citizenship, or naturalization certificate
• School ID with photograph
• Vehicle registration or title
• Voter registration card

The name on your primary ID must match your application exactly. If any name or address discrepancy exists, bring supporting documentation such as divorce papers, a court-approved name change, or a USPS change of address card.

Results are often returned within 24 hours, though processing times depend on FBI backlog. Allow up to three to five business days to be safe.

You will receive an email notification when your results are ready. To access your results, log in to the DTIS results portal and authenticate your identity using multi-factor verification. You will need to provide a phone number registered in your name to receive a security code via text or voice call. The code is valid for 10 minutes. Per FBI rules, DTIS is required to use an FBI approved third party vendor to complete the two factor authentication process. If authentication process is failed, DTIS will provide your RAP sheet via US Mail.

Once authenticated, your report will be displayed in PDF format. Download and save it immediately. Per FBI rules, DTIS is required to delete your report from our system as soon as you confirm the download, and no later than 30 days after your results are first made available.

If your phone is registered to someone else or if you wish to have the results mailed select “I do not have a phone available” and your results will be mailed to your address on file instead.

For security, do not access your results from a public computer or unsecured public Wi-Fi network.

DTIS is required by the FBI to delete your report within 30 days of notifying you that results are available, even if you never access them. You will receive reminder emails at 15 days and a final warning at 27 days. If you fail to retrieve your report within the 30-day window, you will not be eligible for a refund and will need to restart the process from the beginning.

Your FBI CHRI, also known as an Identity History Summary or ‘rap sheet’, is a record of arrest information retained by the FBI, including agency name, date of arrest, charge, and disposition where known. If you have no criminal history, the report will confirm this.

Yes. Your results are delivered in PDF format. Save and print a copy immediately upon access. Once the report is purged from the DTIS system, it cannot be retrieved without restarting the process. We recommend downloading Adobe Reader if needed.

If you previously accessed and downloaded your report, it will have been deleted from our system immediately after your confirmed download, even if it is still within the 30-day window. If you have not yet accessed your report and nothing is showing, contact DTIS Customer Service for assistance.

In a small number of cases, fingerprints may be rejected. If this happens, DTIS will send you an email notifying you that your fingerprints returned Unclassifiable. You are then eligible to submit a second set of fingerprints to be processed at no additional charge.

No. Previously collected fingerprints are not transferable from other agencies. A new set must be collected.

DTIS does not penalize you for missing or canceling your appointment. We do ask that you notify us if you plan to cancel. Please note that arriving late may mean waiting for the next available slot.

Refunds are subject to the following conditions:

• Refunds will not be granted if fingerprinting has already been completed
• Refunds must be requested within 30 days of submitting payment
• All refund requests are subject to a $10.00 processing fee
• It is the applicant’s responsibility to verify registration information is correct before being fingerprinted. Rejections due to improper registration, including incorrect demographic data or registering under the wrong agency, will require re-registration, re-payment, and re-fingerprinting at the applicant’s expense
• Full refunds will be granted if an error was made by a DTIS customer service representative during call center registration
• If you fail to retrieve your results within the 30-day window, you will not be eligible for a refund
• After two unsuccessful fingerprint attempts due to print quality, DTIS’s service obligation is complete and a refund will not be issued

To request a refund, email cscenter@dtis.com or call (703) 797-2562, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM ET.

DTIS takes the security of your personal information seriously and employs administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect the information provided during registration. Information submitted through our system is stored in secure data center environments and no personal information is stored on DTIS fingerprint collection systems.

While no system can guarantee absolute protection against unauthorized access, DTIS maintains security controls and continuously works to protect the confidentiality and integrity of your information.

For full details, please review our Privacy Policy.

No. If you require an apostille for your FBI CHRI report, you must request a signed and sealed copy directly from the FBI. An apostille is a certification through which the U.S. Department of State verifies that a document is a genuine U.S. government record, recognized by participating foreign countries.