How to Fill Out and Submit PD Form 70: DC Police Clearance

To get a DC police clearance with PD Form 70, go to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Arrest and Criminal History Section at 441 4th Street NW, Room 550 South, Washington, DC 20001, fill out the form at the counter, show a valid photo ID, and pay the $7 fee. If you can’t visit in person, you can mail a notarized request to the same address. The form is not available for download; you complete it on-site or replicate its contents in a notarized letter.¹

Pick the Right Type of Clearance First

MPD issues two versions of the clearance letter, and the version you request changes what appears on the page.

Option B (general purposes). Lists only adult convictions where the sentence was completed within the last ten years, plus any forfeitures of collateral from court proceedings in that same window. This is the version used for employment, professional licensing, housing, adoption, taxicab permits, and overseas travel.
Option A (record sealing eligibility). Lists all adult arrests regardless of how the case ended or when it occurred. Request this one only if you’re determining whether you qualify to seal or expunge a record under DC law or a similar statute elsewhere. When you ask for it, use the full name — “Criminal Arrest History for Determining Record Sealing Eligibility” — so staff hand you the right document.

Both cost $7. Option B can be picked up by someone else if you give them written authorization; Option A can only be requested by the person whose record it is.¹ Legal Aid DC notes that the standard Option B clearance does not contain the complete information needed to evaluate sealing eligibility, so don’t substitute one for the other.²

What the Form Asks For

Whether you’re filling out PD Form 70 at the counter or drafting a notarized letter for a mail request, you’ll need to provide:

Your full legal name, plus any former names, maiden names, or aliases so the database search catches everything tied to your identity
Date of birth
Social Security Number
Phone number and email address, which MPD uses to reach you when the clearance is ready

Identification You’ll Need to Bring

For in-person visits, MPD requires valid government-issued photo ID. The acceptable options are a driver’s license, a non-driver ID card, or an original birth certificate paired with an original Social Security card. Photocopies of the birth certificate and Social Security card are not accepted at the counter. For mail requests, you send a photocopy of your ID rather than an original.¹

Requesting in Person

Walk into the Arrest and Criminal History Section at 441 4th Street NW, Room 550 South. Office hours are:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

At the counter you complete PD Form 70, present your ID, and pay the $7 fee. Cash and credit card are accepted at the window. Money orders and personal checks are not accepted for walk-in payment.¹

MPD also offers a drop-off option: leave your documents along with a self-addressed stamped envelope and return later to pick up the result, or have it mailed. Give the counter a callback phone number and an email address so staff can reach you when the clearance is ready.¹

Requesting by Mail

If you can’t come in, mail your request. Because staff can’t verify your identity in person, the packet requirements are stricter. Include all of the following:

A notarized letter requesting a background check. An unnotarized letter will be rejected.
Your full name, date of birth, Social Security Number, phone number, and email address written in the letter
A photocopy of your government-issued ID
A self-addressed stamped envelope for MPD to return the clearance
A $7 money order payable to the “DC Treasurer.” Personal checks are not accepted.

Send the packet to:

Metropolitan Police Department
Criminal History Section
441 4th Street, NW, Room 550 South
Washington, DC 20001

Allow six weeks for processing from the date MPD receives your package.¹

How Long It Takes

Processing time depends on how you submit:

Walk-in request: up to ten business days
Drop-off request: about two weeks
Mail-in request: up to six weeks from the date MPD receives the packet

No option produces a same-day result.¹ Build a buffer into your timeline if a job offer, license, or visa depends on the letter. The $7 fee applies per request, so if two employers each need their own copy, you’ll pay twice.

If You’re Using the Clearance Abroad

A DC police clearance letter on its own won’t satisfy most foreign governments. They typically require an apostille or authentication certificate first. Because DC isn’t a state, that step goes through the Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications (ONCA) within the DC Secretary’s office rather than a state secretary of state.

ONCA charges $15 per document. Walk-in service runs Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For mail requests, include a pre-paid self-addressed return envelope and a check or money order payable to “DC Treasurer.” Send it to:

Office of Notary Commissions and Authentications
899 North Capitol Street, NE
Suite 8100
Washington, DC 20002

If your destination country is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, ONCA issues an apostille and you can send the document directly. If the destination is not a Hague member, ONCA issues a foreign certificate, and you’ll then need a second authentication from the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications before having the document legalized at the destination country’s embassy or consulate.³

The State Department processes mailed authentication requests within about five weeks, or seven business days for walk-in drop-offs. Expedited same-day service is available by appointment only when an immediate family member abroad has died or is critically ill.⁴

Fixing Errors on the Letter

If your clearance shows arrests or convictions that aren’t yours, or is missing a disposition that should reflect a dismissal or acquittal, you correct the record at its source. Arrest-level mistakes (wrong charges, wrong date) are handled by the arresting agency, which submits a written correction to update the database. Missing or incorrect case outcomes are corrected by obtaining a certified copy of the disposition from the court that handled the case and submitting it to MPD.

1
MPDC. Police Clearances (Arrest and Criminal History Section)
2
Legal Aid DC. Record Gathering
3
Office of the Secretary, Washington DC. Authentications
4
U.S. Department of State. Office of Authentications