Naturalisation continued: FBI Background check

The other day I read Michelle's post about getting the FBI background check for her naturalization file and that she didn't know how to get her fingerprints taken.

"Oh, but I blogged about that!" I thought, and started looking through my posts.

But no! I said I would save the story for another post, and I then I forgot to blog about it!

So, last September/October when I began collecting my naturalization papers, I went to the FBI's website and downloaded the form they provide in PDF to have my finger prints taken. I read through all the FAQ's I could, scoured the internet for tips on where I could have them done, and basically came to the realization that the FBI has no procedure for how fingerprints should be taken if the person is abroad.

The Consular Post here in Toulouse doesn't do them, and the idea of paying to have them done bothered me as well (since in the US it's free: just go to the local Police station).

I decided to take my own prints.

I got out my ink pad, practiced a couple times, then did my best to leave my prints on the PDF print out. I mailed it off with my American check. About a month later I got a letter back that my prints were illegible and provided a cardstock copy of the fingerprint sheet. (All my colleagues were shocked that I could finger print myself because I could potentially provide someone else's prints, but shhhh, don't let the Préfecture know that).

So I started asking around to figure out how I could have it done professionally. I asked a colleague who's husband is a police officer, but his suggestion was to go to the "Service Etrangers" at the Préfecture and that was out of the question for me. One of the problems was that France no longer does ink fingerprinting: they use scaners like US airports have for foreigners because it's way more precise and no ink to smudge.

My father in law being a retired Gendarme, he and my husband suggested I try a Gendarmerie. Gendarmes only patrol outside of cities, so directly after work one day we drove to Porter sur Garonne, which is a suburb of Toulouse, and went into the Gendarmerie.

My husband and I explained that I needed to have my finger prints taken for an FBI background check, but the Gendarme explained that he couldn't do procedures for documents from another country. BUT, he could bring out the finger printing ink, explain how to use it, go on break, and come back in 15 minutes.

I had printed out several extra copies of the PDF form, plus brought scratch paper, so I practiced several times, then took my own prints about 4 times. The special fingerprinting ink was obviously way better than my office stamp pad. I mailed all 4 copies since the FBI allows it and I figured at least one of them had to be legible.

About two months later, I got my clean background check. It would be another two months or so before I would get around to mailing it off to the State department for the Apostille. I expected a fancy embossed stamp, but the Apostille was a separate piece of paper they attached to the background report (it did have an embossed stamp though). You're supposed to include postage so they can mail it back to you so I included international reply coupons. The State department stapled them on the outside of my envelope as they obviously didn't know how to use them, and I was able to take it off and use the coupon again in France.

And that's how I got my FBI background check.