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Instant Checkmate
Criminal-record and social-profile search option.
View Records Sponsored partner optionWhat should you know about this search?
Direct answer
To get a criminal background check online, first identify the record product you need. Use the official fingerprint-based route for your FBI Identity History Summary, the appropriate court for case records, and the relevant state or local repository when the question concerns records outside those federal systems.
Match the request to the correct criminal-record product
| Need | Starting source | What it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Your FBI identity history | FBI Identity History Summary process | Fingerprint-linked history held in that federal system |
| A federal criminal case | Federal court records | Case filings, docket events, and current federal court status |
| A state or local case | Court or repository with jurisdiction | The local record and its disposition |
| A regulated screening report | Appropriate consumer reporting company | A report prepared for the permitted decision process |
Use the official route without mixing record types
1
Name the documentWrite down whether you need identity history, a court docket, or a screening report.2
Use the required identity methodFor fingerprint-based self-review, follow the fingerprint submission process rather than substituting a descriptor search.3
Open connected court recordsIf a criminal event appears, use the responsible court to understand charges and disposition.4
Save the source trailKeep the record identifier and source name so later corrections or status changes can be checked.Do not let these terms collapse into one result
Arrest
A law-enforcement event
It does not itself establish a conviction.
Charge
A formal allegation
It can later be amended, dismissed, or resolved in another way.
Disposition
The recorded case outcome
This is often the key context missing from summary databases.
Conviction
A recorded conviction
It should be tied to the specific offense and current source record.
The fastest result can still be the wrong criminal-check product
People often search for a criminal background check when they actually need a specific document for licensing, immigration, employment, volunteering, or personal review. Those purposes can require different authorities and identity methods. A generic website can therefore return information while still failing to produce the document the requesting organization expects.
Before paying for any search, confirm the name of the required report and the authority that must issue it. This is especially important for fingerprint-based requests, because a name-only public-record search cannot be assumed to substitute for an identity-history product tied to fingerprints.