Massachusetts Criminal Background Check

Direct answer

Massachusetts criminal background check: where to start

Massachusetts DCJIS provides CORI and fingerprint-supported criminal-record checks with different matching methods and scopes. Use the Massachusetts product for the state criminal-record layer, then add another official record only when the screening purpose actually requires it.

Distinction

Massachusetts background check: choose CORI or fingerprint scope from the purpose

Record layer

Match the requested check to the Massachusetts product whose scope fits the purpose instead of treating every background check as interchangeable.

Keep separate

If a separate federal fingerprint or court record is needed, keep it as a distinct layer with its own source.

Source map

Source roles for this search

Question	Official source	What it establishes
Primary record route	Massachusetts DCJIS - Criminal Record Checks	Massachusetts DCJIS describes name-based CORI and fingerprint-supported criminal record checks and their different scopes.
Secondary record layer	FBI Identity History Summary Checks	FBI Identity History Summary personal review process and fingerprint-based identity history

Check the purpose before ordering

The personal FBI service is not a fallback for a Massachusetts employment or licensing requirement. Resolve the recipient’s required CORI or authorized fingerprint procedure before paying for a different product.

Request your own Massachusetts CORI

For your own CORI, choose an individual account and “Personal Self.” Online registration requires a valid Massachusetts driver’s license or ID; without one, use the Personal Request Form linked on the individual-request page and mail it to the address on the form. Review the iCORI terms and training before using the service. The personal request costs $25 per request; an Affidavit of Indigency is available for qualifying personal requests.

For a paper personal request, complete the required name, birth date, last six Social Security digits or no-SSN checkbox, and mailing-address fields; include former names when applicable. The current form accepts a $25 money order or bank-issued cashier’s or treasurer’s check payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or the indigency waiver. Sign the authorization and have the notary complete the signature-authentication section; an incarcerated requester instead uses the correctional-facility official section. Mail to the form’s CORI Unit address; do not send cash or a personal/business check.

An organization needs its own CORI authorization

An employer or other organization should use the organization CORI registration route. Massachusetts requires the subject’s signed acknowledgement even for online requests. Ask the requesting organization which authorized product it needs before arranging a separate fingerprint check.

Organization registration needs a designated account representative, federal tax ID, applicable license numbers and organization contact details, plus review of the iCORI terms and training. Submit through the organization’s account with the subject’s signed acknowledgement. The listed fee is $25 per request; this is separate from any mandated fingerprint-check product.

Allow up to 10 business days for a CORI request. Check the account’s results tab rather than waiting for notification. Download or print the result before its “available until” date: iCORI removes results after six months. Review identity and dispositions before relying on the report.

For an inaccurate CORI, use DCJIS’s incorrect-CORI complaint route, selecting the appropriate complaint type and providing supporting documentation and a legible government-issued ID. DCJIS screens the complaint and sends status or disposition by email. Keep the disputed report and the relevant court documentation with your request.

Massachusetts Criminal Background Check

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