Pay the court filing fee to expunge or seal your criminal record or get a fee waiver. 

There is no fee to use eFileIL, but there is a fee to file most forms with the court and additional court costs. The amount depends on the type of case you have and the county where you are filing. The efiling system will calculate the fees depending on the type of case you have. If you do not pay the fees or include a fee waiver your e-filed document may be rejected. These fees may also include a credit card or eCheck processing fee.

In some counties, you must pay all fees at the time of filing. In other counties, the clerk’s office will send you to notice that says you must pay a fee for each court order to be processed. In this case, the Illinois State Police will not seal your record unless you pay this fee or provide proof that your court fees were waived.

Your records will also be sealed by the police agency that arrested you. You may have to pay another fee to the police agency. If your court costs were waived, then you do not have to pay the fee.

Note: In the 1st District of Cook County (i.e. Chicago), expungement and sealing cases are still filed in-person. You can file either in room 1006 of the Daley Center (50 W. Washington) or on the 5th Floor of the Leighton Criminal Courthouse (2650 S. California). The rules discussed above concerning fees and fee waivers still apply. The clerks may also charge you a copying fee, which you may be able to avoid by bringing six copies of all your filing documents with you.