This post is very different from my other posts. I am writing this up just in case the information will be useful for someone out there. I need to get a US Criminal History check a.k.a FBI Background check for migration purpose. I had actually done this once, but I was still in the US back then, which made things so much easier. Now I had to obtain the document once again when I am physically in Australia. In order to get the background check, it is actually quite straightforward. The complete information is available on the FBI website. The only problem is to get the fingerprint sets. I have no clue where I can get some help on this. From the US Embassy’s website, it says the local police station provides this kind of service. I also googled a bit, and some people have different opinions and problems, from unreasonable cost to unbearable waiting time. I started considering the option to do it myself. But then, I have no ink that I can use. Not to mention, the possibility of doing it wrong is still high despite having experienced how the fingerprinting was done (the finger must be rolled to get the whole impression). I was back to square one. I decided to find out the closest police station in the city. A phone number also showed up on Google search. That’s it! I should call them to find out first. A lady picked up my call, and when I mentioned I need to do some fingerprinting for police check in the US, she mentioned the FBI check right away. I felt confident that they must have done a zillion times, so everything would be alright. So, if you decide to do digital fingerprinting (live scan)at the Sydney City Central Police Station, this is what you need to do:
Only go during the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) from 10 am to 4 pm (walk-in).The police station only offers the service from Mon – Fri 10 am to 4 pm (walk-in).- Bring and complete all the documents needed: FBI background check application form, credit card payment form/money order, your Australian visa, and your passport for identification purpose at the police station. Print the FBI fingerprint Card as well although you won’t use it. On the top of the card, there are some information that may be needed by the FBI (i.e. social security number).
- Bring debit/credit card to pay for the fingerprinting. As of April 11, 2019, it costs AUD 45. Day St police station may accept cash but only if you bring the exact amount.
- Get a prepaid envelope for international mail (I used Registered Post International B4 with size 353 mm x 250 mm for letters up to 500 g, but it is not trackable). Some suggest using International Registered Express or other trackable services such as FedEx, but get the prepaid mail first before going to the station. You won’t be given the fingerprint scan results. The fingerprint sets and the rest of the documents will be mailed directly by the Australian police to the FBI. For the background check results from the FBI, you do not need to prepare for any prepaid envelopes. The FBI will cover costs incurred from shipping the result for both domestic and foreign destinations.
- Call the police station before going to verify the above information.
Day St. Police station address: 192 Day St, Sydney NSW 2000
Phone number: (02) 9265 6499
F.A.Qs (compiled from the comments)
Is there any other police station that provides the fingerprinting service?.
Yes. Some had their fingerprints taken in Hurtsville, Balmain station on Darling St (ink-rolled on FD-258 and it is free of charge), and Queanbeyan (ink-rolled on FD-258). Please call the local police station to check if they provide the service.
Can people who hold tourist visas get their fingerprints taken in Australia?
When I called the police station and asked about this, they said ‘no.’ However, Thomas who held tourist visa at that time and was waiting for his partner visa to be processed actually got his fingerprints taken and processed. So, I would say check with the police station yourself.
Can the police station send the scans to an approved FBI channeler?
Marlene Jones and Anderskr had their fingerprints sent to their FBI channelers from Day St. station and Balmain station.
How long will the whole process take?
It varies. Anderskr claimed that he got his result in 10 days using ink-rolled form in Balmain station sent to a FBI Channeler, but many said it took them about 13-15 weeks. So, be prepared and get it done ASAP.
(Updated on April 11, 2019)
Berry Basket 
Wow. So complicated! 😦
Thanks for the post, I am going to need to do one for the FBI check and another for a different country ( Saudi Arabia) which could be done through the embassy. My question is, do you think the police could hand in the fingerprint card to me after if I request it? I want to send the details myself to the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Canberra.
I’m not sure.. but, give it a try.
hi did you get your finger print here how much it coast im in victoria ang i need finger print to get penal clearance to kuwait
Hi, may i ask how you can get a police clearance from saudi arabia?
Hi Michelle,
You can find the answer here.
http://www.border.gov.au/about/contact/offices-locations/saudi-arabia
If you are non-resident, non-Saudi citizen, then you are exempted.
Winny
Hi Winny,
My situation is same as you. I am just wondering, have you got your FBI check at the end? and how long it took?
regards,
Gary
Hi Gary,
I already got the result. It took about 6 weeks or so, but I had the result sent to my family in the US.
Hi! I’m looking into doing the same thing, and was getting all worried about having to find card stock (and a printer) to print out the fingerprint card! Thanks for the post, super helpful.
Glad that it could help you 🙂
Thanks so much for this! Did you go to the Sydney Police station on Day St or Eddy St?
No worries 🙂 I went to the one on Day St.
Just want to thank you for this post. Yesterday, I did exactly as you said and it was a totally easy process. I really appreciated your detailed instructions after reading all of the other posts that were very negative about the whole process. I am going to re-post your instructions to an ExPat forum, with a link to your original blog. Thanks again!!!
Feel free to do so. 🙂
Thanks mate! This is exactly what I was looking for. You saved me a lot of time.
Good for you 🙂
Perfect! Thank you. I love it when you find nice and clear instructions.
Thanks for this blog!!! It definitely helps. 🙂
You are welcome!
Thank you so much for this information! It was so helpful to me when I read, I had no idea where to start from.
Do we need to have an address in th US or they send the results to Australia? Also, is it $18 that FBI charge for the process?
Thanks again!
Katia
Hi Katia,
I think FBI sends the result to australia, but it will probably take a long time to arrive. Better alternative is to have it delivered to your US address or prepare a return envelope using FedEx. What I did at that time was to have it sent to a US address and have someone to scan a copy for me.
Hope this helps.
Winny
Thanks so much again Winny! I will have them send it to my friend’s address in the US then.
Hi! I just got my results back a week or so ago and they sent it straight to me in Australia. (So far as timeline goes- I tracked my fingerprints and they arrived Dec 23 and I received my records request about a week ago) I assume the $18 also covered the cost to mail it back and it didn’t cost my parents any extra- I also noticed when I was looking on the FBI site as of October they were destroying any prepaid return envelops.
Good luck!
Thanks Kaylyn for your information. I’m sure it will be a great help for others.
Winny
Cool! Thanks Kaylyn!
Hi Kaylyn,
I was wondering if you can help me out with the timeframe. I see that the documents were delivered to FBi on Dec 23, do you remember when your credit card got charged and the time from then on till you receive your report.
Mine was received by 2nd September, but till to date (20th Sept) my credit card still hasnt been charged and there hasnt been any word from the FBI regarding the status.
Halp!!
Hi! So I just looked it up, my credit card was charged on Feb 3rd and they must have mailed it shortly thereafter since I got it around Feb 10th or so. Hopefully that helps!
Hi
I mailed mine from Australia dec 8 2015 via registered post which is un track able and no one in post office can help to see if it got delivered!!
Registered mail requires a signature on delivery but I have no idea if it even reached West Virginia !
My credit card has not been deducted either, so worried !!
Anna
Thanks a lot for the information! This gave me and my husband a direction when when felt lost 🙂
Thanks for the post .But I have another problem for Dubai embassy they needed finger print to be attested by Ministry of foreign affaires and Sydney police is not willing to handed over the report they only sent directly.
I think you should bring your concern directly to the UAE embassy. Perhaps they can make an exception for you.
Hi Winny,
Can you please provide more information about the international pre-paid envelop? What specification envelop you got? I mean the size / weight etc.
Hi Bharat,
FBI apparently return the result for both domestic areas and foreign countries using US first class mail. So, prepaid envelopes are not necessary.
Thanks for your reply Winny, however my question was about point 4 (Get a prepaid envelope for international mail. The fingerprint sets and the rest of the documents will be mailed directly by the police.
)
Cheers
Sorry if I wasn’t being clear, but FBI no longer accepts prepaid envelope (Please see comments from Kaylyn above). I already updated point #4. Hope that answers your question.
Winny
Thanks Winny
Dear Winny,
Thanks for your kind post! That’s really helpful! Anyway I am a littile confused here, why you say only go on weekend? Is there any special requirement or you need to make an appiontment?
Hi joy, for a second I thought I was wrong. But I remember they said weekend, probably because they are not as busy as during the weekdays to offer this kind of service. You don’t need to make an appointment for this. If you are not sure, it doesn’t hurt to call them to get your questions answered. Hope this helps.
Winnu
Thank you for the post. Great help in getting the stuff done in one go. Really appreciated you taking your time and putting this up.
That’s great! 🙂
thanks for information.
If you are staying in Sydney or near by suburbs – you no need to go to CBD police station – you can visit any nearest police station to you.
I stay in Ryde and went to Ryde police station and get my finger print scanning done there – they charged same AUD 42.Request you to make call before going to your nearest police station and get time when they are free so that you no need to wait at police station.
/Bharat
Thanks for your further information 🙂
Great post, I need to have mine done now. Few weeks ago, I walked in to the Blacktown police station, they have no clue on what fingerprint for overseas application about. A policeman asked me to login to a website and pay $53 and then book with them.
As per your experience, I called the Day St police station, a nice lady detailed explained to me $43.10, no appointment required, just walk in on weekend 10am-4pm. I will go for it this weekend and get that done.
Thank you very much for the post and benefit so many.
I went to the North Sydney Police station to have my fingerprits done, the officer said he had never used ink fingerptints before. He said they only usecomputer scans of the whole hand. He did do my fingerptints, however when they were sent to the FBI through an approved channeler, they were unreadable and I was out of a lot of money and I had to restart the process all over again!!
Sorry to know that. Did you go to the same police station again to let them know what happened? I think the mistake is on their part, so they should take the responsibility.
That’s strange, I’ve always been under the assumption the comp scans were more accurate than the inks. I did mine at Redfern police station, brought in the paper template print-out and did not use it because theirs are the same just different format. Sent to FBI and got back no problem. I think if you want to be super safe you should go to the main HQ down in Sydney CBD cos they’ve done the same procedure for this exact purpose plenty. But before that I think you should try giving FBI a call directly and ask them what the exact problem is? smudgy print? cut-off segment? I called the FBI about 5 times between September to November when they were undergoing the darn System upgrade that took 3 months to finish. I think the result now should come back faster ~3 weeks turn-around, so don’t worry about it too much. And i didn’t use channeler either, did the whole Permanent residency application myself including FBI check, good times =] KAPPA
Thanks for sharing, Leon.
Hi,
What’s the number to call FBI to ask if they accepted my fingerprints? I am currently awaiting my results, my credit got charged 9/9/16 and my case officer is after me about the clearance.
Wow, this is really helpful. I contacted Castle Hill Police station, and they were not sure what to do. After reading this post, apparently FBI will take the livescan form the local police station printed on. My question is, do I still need to fill up the FD-258 form and attach this to the fingerprint form the police print ? Or simply skip the FD-258 ? Thanks heaps
Hi Henry,
I couldn’t recall if it was necessary, but it would not hurt to prepare the filled form and attach it to the fingerprint.
Maybe others can help with this?
Winnyhttps://berrybasket.wordpress.com/wp-admin/edit-comments.php?same=287#comments-form
If I remember correctly, you had to bring the filled FBI form with you to the police station and give it to them when you were fingerprinted, along with an envelop with proper postage paid, then they included the form in the envelope when they mailed it. They wouldn’t just hand you your fingerprints to mail yourself. Hope that helps (and that my memory is correct 🙂
Hi, do you know where should I check for the documents, such as the forms? is there any webstite containing the information?
Hi Natasha,
You can go to this link for the required forms:
https://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks/submitting-an-identity-history-summary-request-to-the-fbi
Thank you Winny. So, actually we have to bring the FBI police check form to the Sydney police office, right? Thanks for the info! 🙂
Cheers
I think you may not need it at the end for the fingerprints, but the form tells you what kind of information you need to provide for the FBI.
Winny
Hi Winny…Your post has been of great help to us. My wife needs to get the FBI check done for her Australian spouse visa (we are from India). Since she studied in the US (5 years ago), the Australian immigration is asking her the FBI check. She did the ink rolled fingerprinting in India once back in March, but it got rejected (after an excruciating 3 month wait). So, this time we are leaving no stone unturned and making sure we get the correct prints.
We live in Queensland and my wife is here on a tourist visa. I have specific questions:
1. Does the Sydney Day st police station take Live scans or ink rolled prints? We asked our local Qld police station here and they said in Qld, they only do ink rolled prints (wet prints). Live scans are only done for offenders and criminals.
Now, I believe, in your post you when you mentioned “The fingerprinting is apparently done digitally” – does it mean Live scans?
2. Would the Sydney police station still take the Live scans even if she is on the tourist visa (we don’t mind making a Sydney trip as we are puling all the stops to get it correct this time)?
3. What documents do we need to carry with us?
4.Who posts the fingerprints to the FBI? Do we send it ourselves through the FedEx Express (to reach as early as possible) or the Police do it for us?
Thanks once again for your help.
Cheerio
Hi Sush,
I called the station and updated some information on the post. I asked if they would do the fingerprinting for someone on a tourist visa. Unfortunately the answer is no. Your wife would have to get it done in India.
I also already listed the documents and other information that you would need.
All the best for you and your wife.
Winny
Hi Winny
Thanks very much for your post and updates, I have an update as well. I am in the same situation as Sush i.e here on a tourist visa while waiting for Partner Visa to get processed. I didn’t really fancy having to travel all the way back to Europe to get fingerprints so I figured it was worth trying at least
I got there about 10:30 on Saturday morning and there were 2 people there before me and another 2 came shortly afterwards. One of them needed ink finger prints for SA but they don’t do them there so were sent to another station
As there was a few people waiting 2 ladies were doing the prints, a younger lady was taking the prints on the live scan machine and another lady was doing the paperwork, taking payments etc. I had all my paperwork completed and filled in which was commented on so I think this definitely helped as otherwise they need to wait for you to do it which wastes their time, I was asked a few questions and I did explain that I was unemployed and was getting the fingerprints done here due to the long waiting time for partner visas and I was here in teh meantime with my partner. There were no issues at all and it wasn’t stated that I couldn’t have it done due to a tourist visa
Both ladies were very helpful and pleasant and it was a relief to get it done instead of leaving
Good on you, Thomas. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hi all,
I am in the same boat. Went to my LAC station and they said they won’t take the FBI fingerprint card. Instead they will use their own digital print and send to USA. Is FBI hell bent on receiving their print card?
Here they do the digital print only, but it fulfills the FBI requirement. The FBI print card is meant for manual fingerprinting only.
hi is anyone here knows how much coast now to get finger print im here in victoria i need it to get my penal clearance to kuwait
hi, is there any one here who would help me how to get police clearance certificate from UAE. im currently living in Sydney and i’m not a UAE citizen. i ring UAE embassy in Canberra, they said it takes 4 months to get the clearance report. how do i get finger printing services in sydney?? can my friends living in UAE help me get it??
Thank you for your detailed post on getting fingerprints in Sydney for the FBI check!
I followed your instructions and just wanted to let people know that the woman at the Day St police station claimed to only send the fingerprints directly to the FBI and not the Channeler I chose. She was kind enough to send them to the Channeler for me anyway despite their usual methods. I am happy to report that I received my FBI report quickly and without any problems. The woman at the police station also told me that they have the live scan machine at all the police stations now so you should be able to go to any of them. Good luck to the rest of you seeking finger prints!
That’s good to hear, Marlene.
Thanks.
Hi Marlene – I’m hoping to use a channeler as well, in order to avoid the lengthy FBI processing times. Which of the approved channelers did you use? Thanks!
I had a very different experience at the Day St. station. I went in on a Sunday with my prepaid envelope addressed to a channeler, and was told that the police could only send directly to the FBI and not a channeler, as it has to be “one law enforcement office to another” (despite the fact that the immigration website clearly states that channelers are approved). I walked out and visited the Balmain police station 2 days later. Not only were they willing to send prints to a channeler, they used their own ink rolled forms (the Day St. station was misinformed about that too – not all stations have live scan machines) and didn’t charge me for the service even when I offered to pay! I had my results within 10 days – far better than the 15-18 weeks it would have taken via the FBI.
This is awesome and very helpful. Thank you!
Hi………I need to take the finger prints for FBI background check.
If the fingerprints are done digitally..do we still need to fill the fingerprint card (FD-258).
And I heard that for Australian PR, we need to get background check done directly from FBI and not through any Channelers?
Has anyone applied for FBI background check recently? And how many weeks does it take now to get the result?
Is there a way to track the progress?
Thanks
Hi sasi,
You can bring the fingerprint in card just in case. I don’t think it’s needed, but they most likely need the information that should be filled on the form.
What I understand is that they will send the results directly to the FBI, so you don’t have to through any channeller. See the comment from Marlene Jones.
Maybe someone who recently requested the background check can answer about the time it took?
All the best,
Winny
Thanks Winny
Thank you Winny for your detailed instructions! I hope I could have read it before as I just received the rejection letter of fingerprinting.
I have read through the page, but still got one question: is it a digital scan if I go to the Day St police station and it still fulfill the FBI requirements?
Hi Helen,
It will a digital scan, and it fulfills the FBI requirement. I heard that other police stations also offer this service, but I’m not sure about the detail.
Cheers,
Winny
Hi Winny,
Thank you for the positive response. As long as it fulfills the FBI requirement it should be fine. I’ll do it this weekend.
Thank you again Winny!
My fingerprints were taken in August and came back early december so about 4 months. My case officer had been chasing me for them as this is all that I was waiting on but I was lucky enough to get my visa granted without it. I had provided background checks for other countries I had lived in but there was no requirement for other documentation so all in all it was a relatively painless process other than waiting about 10 months
Thomas
I checked on FBI website, it says that the current processing time is 13-15 weeks not including mailing time. I guess 4-month waiting time is expected.
Thanks for sharing and congrats on getting the visa, Thomas.
Hi Thomas, I need your advise please. do you see that it is better to apply for the citizenship and do the possess of getting my FBI check at the same time? or I wait until I get the FBI check then submit my citizenship application including all the required documents. Thanks in advance. Cherry
Hi Cherry
That will depend on the application process for citizenship and the length of time it takes, if the fingerprint check is only valid for a specified time then it may be an issue if they expire before they are required. You will need to find out the timescale and at what stage you will need the prints
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
Did you organise the background check only after the case officer requested it or did you do them before a case officer was assigned to you?
You said in your post you were lucky enough to get the visa granted without it, does that mean the case officer no longer waited for the result of the FBI check before granting the visa?
Thanks,
Dominique
Does anyone have a particularly good channeler that you used for your fingerprints? Mine need to have an apostile on them — so one that deals with that would be great! Any help on how that process goes? How do they send the fingerprints to the channeler?
Hello all,
I had my fingerprints taken in Queanbeyan police station . Fingerprints were taken on FD-258 with black inks where FD-258 form was printed on a normal white A4 page.The police state posted this on 5/5/0216 . FBI has not charged my card yet .
I read in a blog that FD-258 form has to be printed on relatively thicker page so that the fingerprints quality would be good. What is the possibility of positive outcome ?
The cost now is $44 for their fingerprint service and they will accept cash if it is the exact amount only. Very helpful and friendly personnel at the Day St. Police station especially the civilian Sr. woman that assists in the entire process! Thank you for this site, I don’t know what I would have done otherwise. I’ll keep track on the duration it takes for me to receive my results and post. Best of luck to all!
Thanks for the update, Samir.
My pleasure mate!
Cheers!
Hey Samir, did they give you your fingerprints or did they post and send it on themselves? If so did you already have a self-addressed envelope?
Hi Steve,
They will post your (fingerprints) themselves. You will have to provide your own envelope to them self addressed. Also make sure you download all the required forms via the FBI’s website and filled out.
Hope this helps.
Kind regards
Samir
Can anyone say who the approved FBI channeler is that they used and were able to send live scan fingerprints from NSW police? Also if you can say what that process was?
I read in the posts that people are doing it but they never say who they are using. All of the approved channeler’s that I have researched only except live scans from authorized locations within the US.
This is a great article.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Samir thanks for replying just wanted to also know does Day St police station require you to book an appointment or is it also just a walk-in and is it better to go on the weekends also
Hi Steve,
They only process FBI fingerprinting over the weekend. I’m not 100% sure but I believe the hrs are: 9-2pm. No, you don’t need to book. Walk-in’s only.
Best of Luck to you! If I can help any further let me know.
Cheers!
Winny, has anyone commented on the best/most efficient channeller available? Also, do the “regional police stations” such as Dee Why have any trouble mailing to the channellers instead of the FBI?
And like every one of the commenters have mentioned…FANTASTIC post and extremely informative! Thank you!! Susan
does anyone know if the day street police dept does inked fingerprinting on FD-258 hardcopy versus laser scanning? If not, does anyone know where I can get this done in Sydney. Thanks
Balmain station on Darling street was still doing ink rolled prints about 3 months ago. Bonus: they won’t charge you for the service!
For anyone planning to get fingerprints, I am sharing my experience.
Wouldn’t recommend Day Street police station personally. Firstly the machine was a little bit wonky and they took my prints 4-5 times from scratch ( the officer kept saying the machine is temperamental sometimes) as the machine kept rejecting my prints – the whole process took more than hour and my fingers began to hurt a little. Finally they went ahead with a set and I gave them everything that had to be posted and guess what after 6 weeks I find out from that Australia Post claims they never lodged it!!! I called the police station but they insist they dropped it in a red posting box. They simply got very defensive and after much pleading and coaxing they vaguely mentioned exactly where they posted it. Had to get another another set as I had already lost precious time. This time got them done from Hurstville police station-I first called them and explained my concerns before hand. They were helpful and efficient, everything went super smooth, the post office received it the next day and FBI received it within a week or so. Please please make sure you use International Registered Express post so you can track it. If you use International Registered Post ( not the express one) it won’t get scanned if posted in a red posting box and like in my case, you can’t track it. Most police stations have someone who picks all the mail and posts them. Make sure you ask them about being able to call them back and follow up about your envelope ( when and where it was posted).
I am still awaiting my results, fingers crossed!!
Good luck!!
Hi everyone,
I promised to chime in once I received my FBI report. It was received today! From start to finish, it took 12 weeks. I’m sooo excited! This site was very informative. Thank you all!
Wish everyone all the best!
Samir
You can get it done at the KX station but one of the annoying things is there’s one room with the one fingerprint scanner machine and a lot of meth addicts and hooligans either being held in custody and/or interrogated. So this meant a few days of back and forth which could have solved if Australian police knew how to use an ink pad.
Hi there,
When I received the request this bit was included:
“Applicants currently living in the United States must obtain both a State-wide police clearance AND an FBI clearance in their current name and any other name they are, or have previously been known by.”
Although I’m no longer in the U.S. I’m still requested to do the FBI check. My question is I was married and went by my former married name. I don’t see in the application form where I can submit that info, and I don’t want to have to pay for a completely different form either. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!
Balmain now charges $44AUD .. and they have to post it 😦
update a little more information here: I called on Monday and went on Friday, the lady on the phone told me to choose Friday or Staurday. So be sure to call them before you go to confirm the date and time. Bring the prepaid International express mail is a must! My finger livescan took a long time, since my fingerprint is so light… The lady kept me washing my hands and tried again and again… So be prepared.
Thanks, Lucy
Should thanks for your post, save me a lot of time, 🙂
I am so glad I found your post, Winny. There was absolutely no other information online regarding this process. And I certainly would not have thought to bring along a prepaid envelope for it. Thank you for making my life so much easier!
~Lindsey
Thank you so much for your post – it has helped us tremendously! We are American expats living in Australia and about to move to NZ – the NZ visa process requires us to get FBI background checks so we need fingerprints. Queanbeyan police station will do it for us ($50 per person) in the FBI form. They also require us to bring a prepaid envelope, passports, and all the associated forms off the FBI website.
Hi, thanks for this post. I just had a question. Can fd 258 form be printed on a normal white A4 paper? I went to the Parramatta police station in Sydney, they did not have any card stock of their own. I had carried a fd 258 form in a normal A4 paper so sent it in the same. Please let me know if this will be accepted by the FBI.
Great help but! Can anyone offer some insight please. Am a US Citizen living in Australia and need an Identity History Summary (FBI Police Check). However the Channeler websites typically state that “results cannot be mailed outside USA”. How will you get the Police Report even if you can get the NSW Police to send the ink print or scan results direct to a Channeler. Another question. If fingerprints are scanned, how are they reduced to hard copy for sending to the FBI or Channeler. Is the scan printed and then mailed just like a rolled ink result would be?
Hi,
I’ve never used a channeler’s service, but FBI can mail the result to Australia if you send the application directly to them. If you still have family or friends in the US, you can address it to them and once the result is out, you can get them to scan the document for you. Most of the time, we do not need to provide a hard-copy, but I may be wrong.
The scanned fingerprints will be printed out and mailed out, just like rolled-ink results. In my experience, the Australian police handled all of this, so I just had to bring a prepaid international mail addressed to FBI.
Winny
I have chosen one of the channelers, and I mentioned my auntie’s home address in the USA. She received my result and sent it to my address in Australia by International Express Post
Thanks Cran. I thought that was how it worked. Some of the other posts seemed misleading in that all they mentioned was using a channeler and getting the result back (in Australia) in super quick time. No indication of US middle person to facilitate the process. Might I ask who your channeler was please?
My Channeler was “National Credit Reporting – http://www.myFBIreport.com“. I have called the four Channelers that mentioned in Australian Immigration website and felt very comfortable with My FBI Report. They were very helpful and patient over the phone. My fingerprints have been taken in Sydney Police Station Day St, and sent directly by the police station to the channeler. the most important thing is to give them an International Express Post Envelop to be able to track your post. it was delivered to the channeler after one week from the day of the fingerprint. Then the channeler sent me an email that they received my fingerprint, and after only one day they sent me another email that my result was sent to the US address that I mentioned in my application. it was delivered to my auntie’s home after 3 days (as I have chosen in my application, shipping by “USPS Priority Mail (2-3 Day Delivery)”. Once my auntie received the result she sent to me by FedEx to my address in Australia, and I received after 5 days. FedEx is the fastest delivery however it is the most expensive. you can choose international express or any other shipping that suits you. for my case, from taking my fingerprint to receiving the FBI report in Sydney, it took exactly 2 weeks (time will depend on the shipping that you will choose.
Thanks Cran. That was the most informative and complete post made that I have been able to locate. Easy to follow. Thanks again.
Regards
I am Slovakian Citizen and applied for PR here in Aussie Land. After 6 months of waiting IMMI says I forgot to provide police check from US even I just got to US airport and left to the ship and gone to Australia. It took 4 months to get the result and result was shocking. Finger prints are not adequate for them and need to do whole process again. This time I will look for scan machine as in Dee Why and Manly do it old school with Ink. Two different department and still not enough. It’s crazy especially if you working for a company for 7 years and you want to move on but you can’t as for PR need only this paper. Also use credit card what you normally don’t use, as my got hacked and need to cancel the card. They withdraw the money after approx 3 months. They really way behind not sure why in 21 century when is everything online they use old system with no information provided from beginning till end. They should better invest money to their FBI system and not spending money for Mexican walls etc. Basically police here in Sydney charge me for finger prints, post to US cost you money, FBI get their money to tell you not good enough do it again and pay and wait again. I am so disappointed so just if you in time delay like me be careful and make sure you do all for 100%. Now I will do 2 applications just in case with 5 sets of finger prints in each one.
Sorry to hear that, but I hope you will get the result soon.
Winny
Hi just called today, Just wanted to give an update that the price is now $45 AUD and they will only do it from Mon-Fri 10am – 4pm. Thanks for your help, we have to travel far to get there but literally none of my local police stations would do this for us. I’ve been attempting to complete this requirement for six months now! So relieving to finally be done with it!
Thanks for the update.
Hope everything will go well for you.
Hi,
Thank you for this useful information
I find my self doing all this process,
I will personally do it at Kings Cross Police Station but still need to double check if they actually do it there.
I just have a little question regarding the application form, which I’m not too related to the mailing terms.
What do I write in the C/O and ATTN Lines? I know it might be my Adress but what about ATTN. This is in the Mails results to Adress field. Just a bit confused here. I would appreciate your help and advise.
Thanks a lot 🙂
Hi Ivan,
You can skip the C/O and ATTN if you are using your home address. If you are using your company address, then you can put your name in the C/O or ATTN.
Awesome,
Thank you and one more thing, considering I lived in America for 14 Months under woking Visa, does FBI issues police checks for non-american residents? Will this application work even if I am no american? Or do I have to fill up a different one? Would you know?
Thank you sooo much really appreciate 🙂 🙂
It is the same application for those study, work and live in the US regardless their citizenships.
This post is very helpful ! Thanks very much
just one thing : I called the Balmain Station today , as per 23 Apr 2019 the police officer lady said it is not free of charge and the charge is 45 AUD per person per copy.
Hi Winny, Thank you so much for detailed post. I worked in Usa 6 years before. I am planning to apply FBI clearance, am I required to apply state clearance as well?
FBI has emailing vs mailing option, does anyone used emailing feature yet? Seems to be faster.
Please check what is required on the Australian immigration office. As far as I know, state clearance is not necessary.
Email does seem to be a good option because you can directly attach it during your online visa application. But, if you can have both, that’s probably better.
Thanks for the helpful post. I had a few queries regarding the same:
1. Did you fill in the request online https://www.edo.cjis.gov or took the hard copy of the application and then sent it via mail?
2. You mentioned you took a print out of the FD258 card but did not use it. Where did police print your fingerprints?
3. If you go with livescan fingerprints, do they print it on regular A4 sheet? Because EDO website says the fingerprints should be printed on FD258 card.
Hi Navan,
This is something new. The website mentions that you can submit the application form online and mail the hard copy. I have never seen the printed live-scan because the result was sent out directly to FBI, but I am sure it will satisfy the FBI requirement. I had the FD258 card to write down some information that might be required (i.e. social security number).
Hope this helps.
Do let me know if you have any new information when doing this so that I can update the page accordingly.
Hi there,
Since I trust this size and it’s really good, I am wondering if you know what to do after student visa expires which mine will expire in the next days and then going into Bridging! I’m wondering if you know what to do next? Do I have to fill up something or wait for answer? Should I do something with medicare?
I’m abut anxious coz I really don’t know what to do! Appreciate your time
Ivan Felix!
Hi Ivan,
I am not a visa and migration expert. You should consult with your agent (if you have one) or the Australian Home Affairs website. But from the experience, if you already lodged for a different visa, you do not need to do anything other than waiting for the decision. All the best.
Hi Guys,
I want to share my experience with acquiring FBI Identity Check. The process went really smooth. I was stressing a lot because the instructions aren’t self-explanatory. I decided to submit my request electronically. I think this is a new option and I highly recommend it.
I took the following steps: I registered on
https://www.edo.cjis.gov/#/
completed and paid ( 19 USD) for the application process. You will receive a pin which will log you in the system.
Additionally, I had to deliver fingerprints by Mail. I bought the Prepaid International Express satchel. I put the following address:
BI CJIS Division
ATTN: ELECTRONIC SUMMARY REQUEST
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, West Virginia 26306
I chose to do live scan fingerprinting at Hurstville Police Station for 40AUD. You have to leave the envelope at the station, and they will send the documents directly. Please remember to include in your envelope a confirmation e-mail (Identity History Summary Request order) of the electronic request. It will be generated once you complete and pay for the application.
I’ve submitted my request electronically and mailed live scan fingerprints on 4Feb and received my results on 12 Feb.They received my fingerprint card on 11 Feb and updated it in the system in one day. I also choose to receive a hard copy of identity check by Mail (still waiting) but what you need for immigration purposes is an electronic version (scan). If you are running out of time, I think the electronic ICH is the best and least stressful option.
I hope I helped! Good luck,
Kat
That’s for sharing this, Kat.
Awesome help Kat – THANK YOU.
Could you please advise if FBI accept the live scan electronic fingerprinting done by NSW police. I am advised by NSW Hornsby police station that they can take my electronic finger print and print on livescan format and send it to FBI
Please advise ..
Sandy
Hi Sandy,
The FBI accepts the livescan.
Yes, they do 😌 Good luck
Hi Sandy– how much did Hornsby cost? Did this work for you? My husband and I need FBI checks and live in Hornsby too. Appreciate any advice. Cheers.
Went to Hurstville Police Station today for fingerprinting. Remember to bring a prepaid envelope and fill in the address in advance coz they won’t let you bring the fingerprint copy out. For Canadian police check, they will scan and provide a digital copy of your fingerprint (Not using black ink).
Thanks for the information, Kyle!