An FBI Identity History Summary is primarily a fingerprint-supported record of information submitted to the FBI, including arrests and available dispositions. It is not a single report of everything any government agency knows about a person. The phrase “FBI background check” can also refer to different checks performed for employment, licensing, immigration, or law-enforcement purposes. [1][2]
Arrests and outcomes can appear differently
The FBI explains that criminal-history information comes from fingerprint submissions, disposition reports, and other records submitted by criminal-justice agencies. A reported arrest may appear even when the final dismissal, acquittal, or conviction has not yet been linked to it. An incomplete disposition does not establish that the charge remains pending. [2]
Noncriminal fingerprint submissions can also be connected with federal employment, naturalization, or military service. Their presence should not be mistaken for a criminal conviction. Read the report’s entries and purpose carefully before making an employment or licensing disclosure. [1]
Warrant checks are not identical to a personal summary
A personal Identity History Summary should not be treated as a guaranteed nationwide warrant search. Other systems and authorized agency checks have different functions and access rules. Likewise, a name-based search and a fingerprint-supported history do not establish identity in the same way. The FBI requires fingerprints to positively identify the person whose summary is released. [2]
Sealing and expungement need record-specific review
The FBI directs questions about sealing or expunging nonfederal arrest information to the state identification bureau for the state involved. Federal arrest data is removed at the submitting agency’s request or upon receipt of an appropriate federal expungement order. A local court action should therefore not be assumed to update every repository automatically. [2]
Obtain the signed court order and determine exactly what it requires. Whether a particular employer or agency may receive information also depends on the authority and purpose of its check; there is no universal answer based only on the word sealed.
Correct errors with documents
- Request your own summary through the FBI’s authorized process.
- Compare names, dates, charges, and dispositions with court records.
- Gather certified final dispositions and relevant sealing orders.
- Use the FBI challenge procedure and contact the submitting agency when needed.
The FBI says challenges carry no fee. [2] Compare court-martial records and criminal records during passport or border screening before assuming every background process returns the same information.
Primary sources
- FBI: Requesting FBI Records and Identity History Summaries
- Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.