Requests for information pursuant to the Freedom of Information (FOI) and Privacy Act (PA) should be directed in writing to FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The envelope containing your request should be addressed to:

FBI Headquarters
FOI / PA Section - Freedom of Information Request
935 Pennsylvania Ave. Northwest
Washington D.C. 20535

All requests are being handled by FBI Headquarters at this time.
 

Requesting Information About Yourself:

 If you are requesting information about yourself, you must provide, at a minimum, your full name, date and place of birth, and mailing address. You may also want to provide aliases, nicknames, prior addresses, employments or any other information you believe would assist in conducting an accurate search of our records. If you have an FBI file number, you should provide that as well. To ensure that documents are released only to persons with a right of access to the information, your signature should be notarized or, in lieu of a notarized signature, you may submit a declaration pursuant to Title 28, U.S. Code, Section 1746. If you are making a request through your attorney or another person, they should submit your signed, notarized authorization for the FBI to forward any responsive information to them.

Information About Another Individual:

Request for information regarding someone other than yourself must be accompanied by proof of death, e.g. a copy of a death certificate or a newspaper obituary, or a privacy waiver signed by the individual who is the subject of your request. The Privacy Waiver should be signed in the presence of a notary. You should provide as much information as possible about the individual who is the subject of your request, including their full name, aliases, nicknames, date and place of birth, addresses, employment or other information you believe may be helpful in conducting an accurate search.
 

How to Obtain a Copy of Your Criminal History:

§ 16.31 Definition of identification record: An FBI identification record, often referred to as a "rap sheet," is a listing of certain information taken from fingerprint cards submitted to and retained by the FBI in connection with arrests and, in come instances, includes information taken from fingerprint cards submitted in connection with Federal employment, naturalization, or military service.

§ 16.32 Procedure to obtain an identification record: The subject of an identification record may obtain a copy thereof by submitting a written request via the U.S. mail directly to FBI, Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS), SCU MOD D2, 1000 Custer Hollow Road, Clarksburg, WV 26306. Such requests must be accompanied by satisfactory proof of identity, which shall consist of name, date, and place of birth, and a set of rolled-inked fingerprint impressions placed upon fingerprint cards or forms commonly utilized for applicant or law enforcement purposes by law enforcement agencies.

§ 16.33 Fee for production of identification record: Each written request for production of an identification record must be accompanied by a fee of $18.00 in the form of a certified check or money order, payable to the Treasury of the United States. This fee is established pursuant to the provisions of 31 U.S.C. 9701 and is based upon the clerical time beyond the first quarter hour to be spent in searching for, identifying, and reproducing each identification record requested.

§ 16.34 Procedure to obtain change, correction, or updating of identification records: If, after reviewing his/her identification record, the subject thereof believes that it is incorrect or incomplete in any respect and wishes changes, corrections, or updating of the alleged deficiency, he/she should make application directly to the agency which contributed the questions information. Upon the receipt of an official communication directly from the agency which contributed the original information, the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division (CJIS) will make any changes necessary in accordance with the information supplied by that agency.

Questions regarding this procedure may be directed to the Correspondence Unit, CJIS, or telephone (304) 625-3878.