Applicant Fingerprinting Requirements

The Board requires both a Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal history background check on all applicants for licensure or registration.

There are currently two methods available for submitting fingerprints: Live Scan; or, the ten-print "hard card". Applicants should review the following information carefully to determine the appropriate method.

If you have already submitted Live Scan for registration you do not need to submit it again for licensure, unless your registration has been cancelled or has expired. If you are unsure if you should submit the Live Scan, please contact the Board. The Board recommends completing Live Scan no more than thirty days prior to submitting your application. Live Scan results without corresponding applications on file are destroyed after six months. If Live Scan results have been destroyed, you will be required to re-print.

Applicant Live Scan

Applicant Live Scan is a system for the electronic submission of fingerprints through the DOJ. If you currently reside in the State of California you must use Live Scan to submit your fingerprints.

Please check with your local police department, sheriff's department, or school district to determine if they offer Live Scan services. A complete list of the Live Scan sites may be obtained by visiting the DOJ Applicant Live Scan website. Applicants are strongly encouraged to call the Live Scan service site to determine if an appointment for fingerprinting is required.

To check the status of your Live Scan fingerprint submission, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has established an integrated voice response system that enables callers to obtain status information 24 hours a day at (916) 227-4557. The voice response system can be accessed from any touch-tone telephone. Using the telephone key pad, callers will be instructed to enter the applicant's date of birth, and the Applicant Tracking Identifier (ATI) located at the bottom of the Request for Live Scan Service form. Once the system has located the applicant's record, the caller will be provided with 1) the date the applicant's fingerprints were received by DOJ, 2) a status of in "process" or "completed," and 3) if completed, the date the applicant response was sent to the Board. The Applicant Request for Live Scan Submission Form and Instructions can also be found on our Forms and Publications page.

Ten-Print FD-258 Applicant Fingerprint "Hard Cards"

The Applicant Live Scan process is currently only available within the State of California. If you reside outside of the State of California, and do not plan to Live Scan fingerprint, you must use the "hard card" fingerprint method. The fingerprint card template can be found under Forms in Application Packages section of the Forms/Publications page. Please be advised that the DOJ processing time for hard card fingerprints is a minimum of 8 to 12 weeks, or longer. In order to avoid processing delays and additional costs that result from invalid fingerprint cards, fingerprints must be taken at a law enforcement agency in the state of residence or rolled by a qualified and trained fingerprint rolling technician.

California law authorizes the Board to conduct criminal record background checks to help determine the eligibility of a person applying for a license or registration. Fingerprints are submitted by applicants through the Department of Justice (DOJ), who then provides our authorized personnel with access to information contained in the DOJ's criminal offender record information database (CORI). Upon determination of eligibility, the records are required to be destroyed to the extent that the identity of the CORI subject can no longer be ascertained. (California Code of Regulations, Title 11, Section 708.)