[dmc]

For people coming from the US, I wanted to update anyone who had a question of the current time frame in getting your paperwork back from the FBI. I submitted mine on November 24 and received it back yesterday, slightly more than seven weeks.

If you need it by a certain date, I was advised (by the FBI) to write you deadline on the outside of the envelope. They ended up getting it to me earlier than I requested.

They also have the forms (cards) that are needed on the FBI web site for easy download. Before finding the links to the forms, getting the forms from a local police department was a major problem for me. Believe it or not... the FBI was MORE helpful than the local officials!

Dominic

[MB]

Dominic - we got our fingerprints done and sent on Nov. 1st, and got the FBI replies on Dec. 13th.
We had stated a preference for end-of-Nov. for return in the body of our covering letter, but I just put that 'cos there was no penalty for nominating a date.

By the by, for our UK ones we handed the forms in at Charing Cross police station in mid-December, and received the replies in the US yesterday (Jan 13th).

Cheers,
Matt.

[SoCal Gal]

Thanks for the info about the turnaround time, any time I hear something like this from the USA contingent, I believe there is hope that I haven't fallen through the cracks! LOL :cool

[dmc]

SoCal Gal – How long have you been waiting for the info?

[clg]

This is a bit scary. We submitted our paperwork in early Nov and we still have not gotten anything back yet. We did not talk about dates though which may have been a mistake...

Chris

[xanctus]

oh man, we sent our paper to FBI on Nov 20th, up until now have not yet received it... :wah :wah

[dmc]

I bet you'll get it any day!

[T-and-L-PDX]

A couple of things about FBI background check, one for those who haven't sent in a request, and one for those who did in November.

You _can_ use the downloaded form but we were advised by the local person (at the county police hq) who did ours that card weight paper, which she supplied, was better for both taking good prints and more importantly making it intact through the process. So skip the downloadable form if possible and get the police to give you something on card stock. Oh, not to mention you are likely sending it on to NZIS for another round through the paperwork maze.

Also -- we sent ours in to FBI in September marked with a cry-baby note that we HAD to get it back by the end of October. It worked. Returned in 5 weeks. I talked to a woman at FBI who said the later in the year you send it in, the longer it might take because of holidays. So for everyone who sent it in after November 1, could be an easy explanation.

[MB]

If this helps: we went to the police station's public counters downtown, got blank cards from them, had our prints done by a police technician, and got her kind help on whether/what sections to fill in at the top. Cost about $7 each, I think. No charge for cards, but it might encourage your police to give you a proper card if you offer to pay for the card. Could be that they just get annoyed with folks pitching up and assuming they have an endless free supply, or can't guarantee to have them in stock when you pitch up.
And try to go when you have at least a spare 30-60 minutes, so that you don't feel rushed.
:nice1
Cheers,
Matt.

[dmc]

T-and-L-PDX is right about the weight of the paper for the forms. If you have to go that route, output (print) the PDF to a heavier weight card stock. Epson makes Inkjet papers that work, and that's what I ended up using.

Also, it might be wise to print one if you can because more than once I scheduled to get prints done, and they ran out and/or wouldn't provide the cards! Very frustrating.

Dominic

[Kate]

Also, if anyone has problems with the FBI reading their fingerprints: I submitted 3 sets of fingerprints and they could not be processed...seems I have very faint fingerprints, so could not get a good set even with all the tricks the fingerprint services can try. I checked with NZIS and they accepted a local San Francisco police form letter that stated a name check found no police record. I also had to submit my fingerprint rejection notices that I received from the FBI. Each time I submitted the fingerprints it took 6-8 weeks to get the response from the FBI.

Regards,
Kate

[RoadRunner]

I just got back from the police station today. They would *NOT* give me a blank card to take home for my husband. They said it is illegal to give out blank cards. (Due to his work schedule, he can only get it done at a police station that refuses to give him a card.)

So, mine were done today on the hard card stock and I've downloaded the FBI form for my husband to use next Tuesday.

Let's hope that works! :hopeso

[dmc]

Roadrunner – this is exactly what happened to me. I would make sure that the one you print out is on stock as close as possible to the one they use (bring more than one). Also, make sure they know you're coming and get the name of the person you set the appointment up with. This might sound like overkill, but I ended up making multiple trips and leaving empty handed.

Dominic