Missouri Online Criminal Background Check

Choose the MACHS Name Search Portal

For a public Missouri online criminal background check, follow the Missouri State Highway Patrol criminal-record page to the MACHS Name Search Portal. It is separate from the MACHS Fingerprint Search Portal. Private individuals and organizations may use the public name product, which searches the state repository using personal identifiers. If an employer or licensing agency requires fingerprints or an authorized state-and-FBI check, obtain its instructions before buying a name search.

Prepare the person’s name and either the exact date of birth or Social Security number; the FAQ recommends both when available. The portal allows up to two maiden or alias names with the initial name in one inquiry. Enter only accurate information you are authorized to use. Check spelling, dates and aliases before payment, because a submitted search cannot be refunded or edited into a corrected inquiry: another paid request is required.

Budget for the current price and optional notarization

As checked October 2, 2026, both the MACHS FAQ and MSHP criminal-record page list $16 per person for a name-based search, plus the payment-processing charge. This replaces the older $15 price. MACHS accepts major credit cards through Missouri’s payment portal; its FAQ also refers to debit-card payments. Read the actual checkout total before submitting because the current processing-charge amount is not specified in the reviewed FAQ.

If the recipient needs notarized results, select “Yes” for Mail Notarized Results before adding the original request to the cart. This adds $5, and the notarized letter and printed results are mailed by the U.S. Postal Service. It cannot be added to that submission afterward. Notarization authenticates that response’s form; it does not expand the public records searched or turn a name comparison into fingerprint identification.

Retrieve, save and troubleshoot the paid response

After payment, open Order History and see whether the response is complete or pending. Most requests return immediately, but the current FAQ says to allow five to seven business days when research is needed. That is the published allowance, not a guaranteed completion date. If an accepted payment has no result in Order History, the FAQ directs users to Shopping Cart and its Retry button to finish processing. Check those steps before purchasing a duplicate.

Completed responses remain viewable for 90 days. Download or print the PDF during that period; an expired response requires a new request and fee. Keep the result with the order details and the time of search, since the repository is updated daily. The FAQ warns that Safari can cause response-opening problems and recommends Chrome, Firefox or Edge; MSHP supports account and inquiry issues but not a user’s firewall or browser configuration.

Know what the public name response can include

MSHP defines the public product as open-record information: convictions, arrests less than 30 days old, prosecutor-filed charges awaiting final disposition, and suspended imposition of sentence during probation. Closed Missouri records and FBI records are not available through the public name inquiry. A name search also includes information about people currently registered in Missouri’s sex-offender registry, even where the sex offense occurred elsewhere. Do not describe that added registry component as a complete nationwide criminal history.

Treat the identifiers as a possible match

The FAQ’s matching rules require at least two identifier components among first/last name, birth date and Social Security number. It uses the term “positive match” for those exact data combinations, but separately warns that common names and identity theft can cause false positives or false negatives. MSHP’s service page calls a name-based result a “possible match.” Read those statements together: a portal match is not conclusive biometric identification.

Review each charge’s outcome instead of treating an arrest or pending case as a conviction. A no-record-of-conviction response can occur because information was not submitted to the repository or the event is not reportable there. If you already have a court and case reference, retain it and obtain the actual judgment or dismissal rather than assuming the repository response resolves every local proceeding.

Challenge incorrect information and obtain the case document

For inaccurate or incomplete repository information, contact the MSHP CJIS Record Check Processing Unit at 573-526-6153, option 3, and provide supporting documentation. If the returned record is not yours, ask CJIS for the identity-challenge instructions. Save the original response and the documents proving the discrepancy so that a correction can be tied to the right entry. A bad data entry in your own paid inquiry requires a new search; a wrong repository record requires a challenge.

For court-file follow-through, locate the case through Missouri’s courts and ask the holding clerk for the necessary public order or certified copy. The courts’ remote-access guidance applies to public documents filed on or after July 1, 2023; earlier public documents may require a courthouse terminal. Online availability is not a guarantee of certification. If a commercial employer report reproduces the error, dispute it with that reporting company as well as addressing the source record.

Confirm the alternative product before booking fingerprints

A fingerprint search is a different service and can provide closed or complete records to the individual or an eligible requesting entity. MACHS links to IDEMIA/IdentoGO appointments; FBI access depends on authorization. The reviewed MSHP page lists inconsistent vendor-fee figures: it calls the service charge $12 but elsewhere illustrates a state total as $20 plus $15. Do not budget from that conflicting total. Confirm the required product and all current charges through the official booking process or CJIS before paying.