Certified Copies of Fingerprints and/or Identity History Summaries

Note: An individual cannot request a certified copy of fingerprints and/or Identity History Summary information.

The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division provides certification of fingerprints and/or Identity History Summary information to be used in court cases. Certified copies can only be requested by law enforcement entities.

There are two different types of certifications as follows:

Level 1

Level 1 certification of fingerprints and/or Identity History Summary information will include the requested information attached to FBI letterhead.

To request a Level 1 certification, the requesting agency must provide the following information on agency letterhead:

• Subject’s name;
• FBI number;
• Date of birth;
• Type of request (i.e., fingerprints with required dates of arrest, Identity History Summary, or both);
• Purpose of the request;
• Official name and title of requestor;
• Complete mailing address (no P.O. Boxes);
• Telephone number; and
• Agency ORI number.

The request can be sent via fax to (304) 625-5587 or mailed to the following address:

FBI CJIS Division
Attn: Special Processing Center/BTC-4
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306

Level 2

Level 2 certification of fingerprints and/or Identity History Summary information will include the requested information (if available), a document signed by the FBI CJIS assistant director with a raised seal and ribbon, and a letter from the Director of the FBI giving the CJIS assistant director signature authority for the document. This is recognized in court proceedings as an official document.

Requests for Level 2 certified copies of fingerprints and/or Identity History Summary information must include an original court order signed by a judge, with the following exceptions:

• Electronic communications (ECs) from FBI field offices;
• Written communications from U.S. Attorney’s offices only on agency letterhead;
• Written communications from a foreign country for extradition purposes;
• Written communications from any law enforcement agency going to a foreign country for extradition purposes; and
• Electronic court orders.

To request Level 2 certified copies of information, in addition to the original signed court order, the requesting agency must provide the following information on agency letterhead:

• Subject’s name;
• FBI Universal Control Number (formerly referred to as an FBI Number);
• Date of birth;
• Type of request (i.e., fingerprints with required dates of arrest, Identity History Summary, or both);
• Custodial status of the subject and location if subject is in custody;
• Purpose of the request (i.e., prosecution, extradition);
• Official name and title of requestor;
• Complete mailing address (no P.O. Boxes);
• Requestor telephone number; 
• Requesting agency’s Originating Agency Identifier (ORI) Number; and
• Court date.

Please note that any documents reflecting a foreign language must be accompanied by an official translation of the document(s).

The request must be mailed to the following address:

FBI CJIS Division
Attn: Criminal History Analysis Team 1/BTC-3
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306