New Mexico Criminal Records Check

Choose the authorized New Mexico product

New Mexico DPS’s state repository holds fingerprint-supported arrest information reported by New Mexico agencies for felonies, misdemeanors punishable by at least six months’ imprisonment, and DWI. Its accuracy and completeness depend on the agencies that submit records. This is not a search of every court or every state, and an arrest entry alone does not establish a conviction.

The in-state release route concerns your own arrest history, inspected personally, through counsel or through an authorized agent. If an employer or licensing body requires an applicant state/federal fingerprint check, follow that agency’s process instead. Confirm the required product, certification and result destination before choosing a service; a court document and a repository report serve different purposes.

Prepare the original release and mail it to DPS

Download the Authorization for Release of Information linked by DPS. Complete the printed name, Social Security number and birth date fields legibly. The agent field must name your authorized agent or say SELF when you are requesting your own record; supply the appropriate return address. Use sensitive identifiers only on the official submission, not in a public inquiry.

1. Read the release, then sign and date it before a notary; complete the notarial portion.
2. Send the original signed authorization. The form is valid for up to 120 days after signing.
3. Enclose $15 per record check by money order or cashier’s check payable to Department of Public Safety.
4. Mail to Department of Public Safety, PO Box 1628, Santa Fe, NM 87504-1628, attention LERB Customer Engagement Team.

Check the payee, amount and return address before mailing, and keep a copy of your packet and a mailing reference for follow-up. The listed process is mail-based; do not assume emailing a scanned signature satisfies the original-signature requirement. If you appoint another person, ensure the name in the authorization and the intended recipient agree.

Allow processing time and request the needed certification

DPS publishes a 7–15 working-day turnaround from receipt, depending on workload. A Police Certificate of Good Standing with the background check costs $33. Verify that this is the document your recipient needs instead of ordering the ordinary $15 response and assuming it has the same certification.

Keep mailing time separate from the agency’s processing estimate. If the expected response does not arrive, use the submission date, payment details and applicant or agent information when contacting DPS. Avoid sending a duplicate paid request until you have checked the original packet’s status and return destination. The published estimate does not promise delivery by a particular appointment or filing deadline.

For a required applicant check, register through the agency route

DPS links the IdentoGO/IDEMIA applicant fingerprint service. Its FAQ requires preregistration, an appointment and payment arrangements; ask your agency or employer for the correct registration instructions. Bring an accepted identity document. Nonresidents can use the designated cardscan registration process, then mail fingerprint cards to the IDEMIA address supplied during enrollment, rather than sending that applicant packet to the $15 release address.

The FAQ accepts credit cards, qualifying debit cards, electronic checks and state-agency invoice accounts for enrollment payment. Keep your appointment reference and any rejection notice. DPS directs status questions for electronic applicant checks first to the agency that received the application and fingerprints; its published electronic estimates are 24–48 hours for DPS and 48–72 hours for the FBI after electronic submission. These are a different workflow from the mailed personal release.

If you specifically need ink cards, DPS lists manual fingerprinting at 4491 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87507, weekdays 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m., telephone 505-827-9181. The charge is $9 for the first two cards and $2.50 for each additional card. This card-taking service is separate from payment for a records check; use the submission destination required by the receiving program.

Get the court disposition and resolve incomplete information

For proof of how a listed charge ended, request the judgment or disposition from the court holding the case. New Mexico Courts says it does not perform public criminal background checks and does not hold law-enforcement records. The Administrative Office of the Courts is not the custodian of individual court case files.

Use the judiciary’s case-lookup link to identify the case number and court. On its records-request form, select the judicial district containing that court, or the named Metropolitan Court option when applicable. Provide your contact information and identify the requested document specifically; inspection is available at the holding clerk and copies may carry fees. Confirm certification and delivery needs with that court.

Compare the returned history’s identifiers and arrest references with your documents. For a missing outcome, obtain the actual court order and ask DPS or the contributing agency how to reconcile that entry. Do not add an assumed acquittal, dismissal or conviction to the report yourself. Retain the repository response and court document separately so their scope and dates remain clear.