Massachusetts CORI Release Form: Filing, iCORI Submission, and Fee Waivers

The Massachusetts CORI release form comes in two versions, and the one you sign depends on who is running the check. If an employer, landlord, or volunteer organization is screening you, you sign the CORI Acknowledgment Form and they submit the request through the state’s iCORI system. If you want to pull your own record, you complete the Personal CORI Request Form and send it to the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) yourself, either online or by mail, with a $25 fee that can be waived for financial hardship.

Which Form Applies to You

Picking the wrong form will bounce your request back, so start here.

CORI Acknowledgment Form. Employers, landlords, and volunteer organizations use this. Your signature gives that specific organization permission to pull your criminal history through iCORI. You do not submit it — the organization does, after verifying your identity.¹
Personal CORI Request Form. Individuals use this to get a certified copy of their own record — to check for accuracy, prepare for a job search, or catch errors before someone else runs a check. You send it directly to DCJIS.²

A personal request returns more than what most employers see. It includes all adult convictions, non-convictions, pending cases, and civil offenses. Sealed and juvenile records are the exceptions.³ That makes it a useful tool for spotting mistakes before they show up on an employer’s screen.

What Goes on the Form

The Personal CORI Request Form is available to download on Mass.gov.⁴ You can also complete it electronically through the iCORI portal if you have a valid Massachusetts driver’s license or state ID. Either version asks for:

Your full legal name, including middle name and any maiden names or aliases.
Your date of birth.
The last six digits of your Social Security number.
Your current residential address.

The Social Security digits and date of birth are how DCJIS distinguishes between people with similar names, so accuracy on those fields matters more than anywhere else on the form.¹

The Acknowledgment Form asks for the same identifying information, plus your signature authorizing the organization to run the check.

How Your Identity Gets Verified

Every CORI request requires identity verification, and this is the step that most often trips people up. The method depends on how you are submitting.

For a CORI Acknowledgment Form, a representative of the requesting organization must examine your government-issued photo ID in person. Acceptable IDs include a passport, any U.S.-issued driver’s license or state ID card, a permanent residency card, or a military ID. The verifier records the type of ID and its expiration date on the form.¹

When in-person verification isn’t possible, the regulations allow two alternatives. You can have the form notarized, meaning a notary public witnesses your signature and stamps the document. Massachusetts does not cap notary fees for this act, so costs vary; expect a small fee.⁵ The other option is verification by videoconference, where the organization inspects your photo ID over a live video connection.¹

For a personal request submitted through iCORI, your Massachusetts driver’s license or state ID serves as the verification when you register your account.

How to Submit and Pay

Online Through iCORI

The iCORI web portal is the fastest route. Register at icori.chs.state.ma.us using a valid Massachusetts driver’s license or state ID and submit your personal request electronically.⁶ The $25 processing fee is payable during checkout. Results usually come back within a few minutes to a few days, though DCJIS says processing can take up to 10 business days.⁷

If you have questions about the system, DCJIS’s Constituent Assistance and Research Unit takes calls at (617) 660-4640 and emails at iCORI.INFO@state.ma.us, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.⁶

By Mail

For a paper submission, download the Personal CORI Request Form and mail it to the DCJIS office in Boston at the address printed on the form.⁴ Payment must be a money order or a bank-issued cashier’s or treasurer’s check for $25.00, made payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. DCJIS does not accept cash, personal checks, or business checks for mailed requests. Processing takes up to 10 business days after DCJIS receives the form, and results go out by first-class mail to the address on your application.²

Fee Waiver for Financial Hardship

If you can’t afford the $25, submit an Affidavit of Indigency with your request. You qualify if you meet at least one of these criteria:

You receive public assistance such as TAFDC, SSI, EAEDC, MassHealth, or Massachusetts Veterans’ Programs.
Your income is at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty threshold.
Paying the fee would deprive you or your dependents of basic necessities. You’ll need to disclose your gross monthly income.
You are currently incarcerated.

The affidavit is signed under penalty of perjury and is available for download on Mass.gov.⁸ Online applicants can upload it through iCORI during the request process.⁷

Before You Sign an Employer’s Acknowledgment Form

If the form in front of you came from a job application, Massachusetts law gives you protections that are worth understanding before you sign.

Under the state’s Ban the Box law, most employers cannot ask about your criminal history on the initial job application. The question comes later, and only after written consent. Employers are also barred from asking you to hand over your own copy of your CORI. They must pull it through iCORI.⁹

Certain records are off-limits to employers entirely: cases that didn’t end in a conviction, arrests without convictions, juvenile records, sealed or expunged records, first convictions for minor offenses like simple assault or disturbing the peace, and misdemeanor convictions older than three years where there have been no subsequent convictions.⁹

An employer who intends to reject you based on CORI results has to follow an adverse action process. That means notifying you of the potential decision, giving you a copy of the report, identifying the specific entries driving the decision, and giving you a chance to dispute their accuracy. The employer must also provide DCJIS’s information on how to correct your record.¹⁰

This is why pulling your own personal CORI first can pay off. If there’s an error on your record, you want to know about it before an employer does.

1
Cornell Law School. 803 CMR 2.11 – Requirements for Requestors to Request CORI
2
Mass.gov. Request CORI As An Individual
3
Mass.gov. Levels of Name-Based Criminal Record Check Access
4
Mass.gov. Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) Personal Request Form
5
Mass.gov. Massachusetts Law About Notaries Public
6
iCORI. iCORI System
7
Mass.gov. CORI Frequently Asked Questions
8
Mass.gov. Affidavit of Indigency
9
Mass.gov. Guide to Criminal Records in Employment and Housing
10
Cornell Law School. 803 CMR 2.20 – Adverse Employment Decision Based on CORI or Other Criminal History Information