What is Live Scan Fingerprinting?

Today it is not just government agencies or law enforcement jobs that require a thorough background check of the applicant. When someone applies for the job of a teacher, counselor, janitor, nurse, caregiver, bank official, real estate agent, notary agent, or even volunteers in a school, the law mandates a fingerprint screening. Background check is mandatory even for adoption, home purchase, driving license, overseas travel, and so on.

Earlier, fingerprints were recorded manually with ink on a paper or card. This process was messy and had a high scope for errors. Sending the fingerprints and matching them against the database files also took a long time. Therefore, the background clearance procedure could easily extend for weeks.

Latest technology has eliminated this age-old method by allowing for digital imaging of inkless fingerprints. All the applicant has to do is roll his or her finger on a glass plate. The fingerprints are digitally captured on the computer and can be directly transmitted to the Department of Justice, the FBI, or to other agencies. The department checks the electronic fingerprints against its criminal records before sending a response to the Live Scan centre requesting the check.

A background can be cleared very quickly—within 24 to 72 hours—if there is no criminal record. The procedure can take around 30 days in case of an existing criminal record.

How is live scan fingerprinting done?

There are registered Live Scan providers in every state of USA. The applicant needs to fill and submit a Request for Live Scan Service form along with a valid government-issued photo ID at the live scan centre. The form is usually provided by the individual or company that requires the background check.

An expert technician will carefully roll each finger of the applicant on a screen. The process takes only about 5 to 10 minutes. There is no problem of smudging or underinking as in the paper prints. The process can also be repeated easily to get the best fingerprint images possible.

The live scan centre will immediately transmit the digital fingerprints to the Department of Justice. Criminal history background check results are available within no time. Meanwhile, the applicant can always check the fingerprinting results by calling the Department of Justice’s 24-hour automated telephone service and quoting the birth date and the 10-digit Automated Transaction (ATI) number. This can be found at the bottom of the Live Scan Request Form.

To add to this, a few centers also provide mobile live scan fingerprinting services. This eliminates the burden of visiting the specific centre during the work hours. The live scan technician will arrive at any desired location—could be home, office, or even a coffee shop—with the equipment and record the fingerprints there itself. Some even extend the timings beyond the usual work hours and work on Sundays as well.

Indeed, live scan fingerprinting could not get any easier!

The author is an experienced notary signing agent and eminent writer in the field of notary. In this article, he has highlighted some facts on notary service as well as how a document is notarized.