How to Fill Out Form AO 442

Form AO 442 at a glance

What it is: Form AO 442 is an arrest warrant that commands any authorized law enforcement officer to arrest a person and bring that person before a United States magistrate judge without unnecessary delay.

Who signs: Enter the Date, the Issuing officer's signature, the City and state and the Printed name and title. Enter the Date, the Arresting officer's signature and the Printed name and title.

A filled-in Form AO 442 example: an arrest warrant issued after an indictment

Form AO 442 example filled out, example: an arrest warrant issued after an indictment
Officer Jane Sample completes Form AO 442 for an indictment. She issues the warrant before any arrest, so Return stays empty. The picture shows the filled warrant and none of its entries is real. Page 2, personal identifiers is left blank because it is for law-enforcement use only.

How to fill out Form AO 442, box by box

The court and the case

Form AO 442 example filled out, the court and the case

Under UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT for the, fill in the District of line.

After United States of America v., write the defendant and enter the Case No.

The person to be arrested and the document

Form AO 442 example filled out, the person to be arrested and the document

Enter the name of the person to be arrested.

Mark the document filed with the court that the offense or violation is based on: Indictment, Superseding Indictment, Information, Superseding Information, Complaint, Probation Violation Petition, Supervised Release Violation Petition, Violation Notice or Order of the Court.

The offense is briefly described.

Issuing officer's signature

Form AO 442 example filled out, issuing officer's signature

Enter the Date, the Issuing officer's signature, the City and state and the Printed name and title.

Return

Form AO 442 example filled out, return

Under Return, enter the date this warrant was received, the date the person was arrested and the city and state.

Enter the Date, the Arresting officer's signature and the Printed name and title.

Page 2, personal identifiers

Form AO 442 example filled out, page 2, personal identifiers

The second page contains personal identifiers provided for law-enforcement use only and therefore should not be filed in court with the executed warrant unless under seal (Not for Public Disclosure).

Enter the name of defendant/offender, known aliases, last known residence, prior addresses to which defendant/offender may still have ties, last known employment and last known telephone numbers.

Enter the place of birth, date of birth, Social Security number, height, weight, sex, race, hair and eyes.

Enter scars, tattoos, other distinguishing marks, the history of violence, weapons, drug use, and known family, friends, and other associates (name, relation, address, phone number).

Enter the FBI number, a complete description of auto, the investigative agency and address, the name and telephone numbers (office and cell) of the pretrial services or probation officer (if applicable), and the date of last contact with the pretrial services or probation officer (if applicable).

Sources

[1] Form AO 442 (Rev. 11/11), Arrest Warrant, United States Courts (the Official source link on this page).

Arrest Warrant Form PDF Details

The person is accused of an offense or violation based on a document filed with the court.

Filed document: Indictment, Superseding Indictment, Information, Superseding Information or Complaint.

Violation or order: Probation Violation Petition, Supervised Release Violation Petition, Violation Notice or Order of the Court.

Offense: a brief description of the offense.

Issuing officer: Date, issuing officer's signature, city and state, printed name and title.

Return: dates received and arrested, city and state, and the arresting officer's date, signature, printed name and title.

Page 2: Personal identifiers provided for law-enforcement use only and therefore should not be filed in court with the executed warrant unless under seal.

QuestionAnswer
Form NameArrest Warrant Form
Form Length2 pages
Fillable?Yes
Fillable fields52
Avg. time to fill out9 min
EditionAO 442 (Rev. 11/11)
Matches the agency's fileYes, checked October 25, 2026
Other namesAO 442, Arrest Warrant, Arrest Warrant Form, Arrest Warrant Format
Official sourceForm AO 442 (Rev. 11/11), Arrest Warrant, United States Courts