I. What is Live Scan?
Live Scan Live Scan is a standardized digital method of acquiring your fingerprints and information for background checking purposes in California.
II. How does Live Scan work?
The fingerprints of an individual are acquired using an electronic fingerprint scanner and then, along with the individual personal information, submitted electronically to the California Department of Justice for processing. The results of the background check are then sent to the requesting agency (the institution, party or office who asked you to do the fingerprints) or directly to you depending on the type of Live Scan request you are doing.
III. Why do I need to do the Live Scan?
There are different purposes for the Live Scan process. In general terms there are two main reasons to do it:
1. By request of a Requesting Agency.
The requesting agency is the organization, company, institution, or office asking you to complete the Live Scan fingerprints process. These Requesting Agencies are authorized by the State of California to obtain the results of a background check performed to an individual. This is a common step for those applying for a:
-Professional license (e.g. Medical License, Dental License,Attorney License, Massage Therapist license, Contractor’s license, Certified Public Accountant, Pharmacist License, etc)
-Permit or Certification (Petition for Adoption, Teacher Credential, Custodian of Records, Permit to carry a concealed weapon, Security Guard Permit, Finance Lender License, etc.)
-Job Applications or Volunteer positions (Teaching positions, Credentialed School employees, volunteers working with children or the elderly, volunteering at a non-profit, etc)
2. For personal purposes or for obtaining your own personal background records.
A individual can request his/her own records to the California Department of Justice for his/her own personal use. This is commonly done for:
-Visa Applications: For those who intend to travel, work, or study overseas and have been asked to show proof of good conduct or good behavior. *Always check with the consulate you are applying to and see if this type of background check is acceptable for them.
-Personal review. If you want to know if there is a criminal record associated with your personal information and fingerprints. This is good for those who have been trying to clean their past records (e.g. expungement).
- Recommendation of an attorney. Some attorneys recommend their clients to do a background check in order to work on their cases.
-For Immigration Purposes or before submitting an immigration application.
IV. What do I need in orderto do the Live Scan process?
1. You will need the REQUEST FOR LIVE SCAN SUBMISSION form. This form should be given to you by the Requesting Agency or the Requesting agency will tell you how to obtain the form. This form is important since it has specific information about the Requesting Agency and who would be the recipient of the results of your background check. This form has a section with the individual's personal information that the Live Scan operator will need to transmit to the Department of Justice. *If you are doing the Live Scan for personal, visa, or immigration purposes you can download the form from the California Department of Justice website: Personal review: http://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/security , Visa/Immigration: http://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/visaimmigration .
2. Identification Document. A valid California Driver License or Identification Card. Driver Licenses from other states are also acceptable. Other type of photo ID’s (U.S. or foreign passports, etc) are also acceptable but would require a secondary form of identification. Contact your Live Scan provider for information about a secondary form of Identification.
3. Fees. There are two types of fees to take in consideration:
- The fee of the Live Scan operator (also known as rolling fees). This is the fee the operator charges for providing the Live Scan fingerprinting service.
- The fee collected by the Live Scan operator on behalf of the California Department of Justice. This fee varies depending on the level of service. Insome instances you are not responsible to pay this particular fee. Contact the Requesting Agency to know about this fee. The Live Scan operator can also tell you how much this fee would be when you show them the Request for Live Scan Submission form you were told to use.
V. Where can I get this Live Scan Service performed?
There are several different places throughout California that are authorized by the Department of Justice of the State where you can do it. The list of Live Scan operator can be found at the Department of Justice website: http://ag.ca.gov/fingerprints/publications/contact.php
Here at FNL, we are an authorized private Live Scan fingerprints provider. If you choose to get this Live Scan service done in downtown San Francisco, we would be glad to help you with it. We are above the Powell Bart/Muni Station and across the street from Westfield Galleria. Click here to visit our Home Page or to Contact Us. We also provide mobile services in the city of San Francisco and the Bay Area.
Additional Information about Live Scan process: http://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints Office of the Attorney General of the State of California.
VI. Can I use the same Live Scan fingerprints I did in the past for a different purpose?
Generally speaking, no. The results of a particular Live Scan fingerprints are sent only to one requesting party. Those results are not shared with other requesting parties. For instance, if a teacher is asked by a particular school to do the Live Scan fingerprints, then the results are only sent to that school. If later, the teacher gets another job with a different school, then the teacher will need to do a new Live Scan fingerprints for that new school.
VII. I’ve done a Live Scan fingerprints before. Why do I have to do a Live Scan fingerprints again?
Scenario 1: If a particular organization asked you to do a Live Scan in the past but then a different organization asked you to do also a Live Scan, then you have to do a Live Scan fingerprints for each organization. Why? Because the results of the background check from a Live Scan fingerprints are only sent to the organization that asked you to do it. If a second organization asks you to do a Live Scan, then the results are sent only to that second organization. See the answer for question VI for more info.
Scenario 2: If a particular organization asked you to do a Live Scan fingerprints in the past and you did it, and later, the same organization asks you to do a new Live Scan fingerprints then you’d have to do it again. Why? This happens when, for instance, a person applies for a professional license and gets fingerprinted during the application process but later the person forgets to renew the license on time, then the requesting organization may asked the person to submit a new Live Scan fingerprints in order to renew the expired professional license. This also happens when a person who does a Live Scan fingerprints for a job position but stop working for that employer but later wants to return to that job, the employer may ask the person to be fingerprinted again.
