Fingerprinting: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering fingerprinting
You capture fingerprints for background checks, licensing, employment and other official purposes, on cards or digitally. Your value is clear, correctly ordered prints delivered in the format the receiving agency requires.
What customers ask
- Which card or digital format do I need for this agency?
- Will my prints be clear enough to pass the first time?
- How long until the record is sent?
- Can you take prints for a foreign agency or a special form?
- Do I need to bring ID, and what kinds?
How to win the job
- On the first call, ask which agency is receiving the prints, the purpose, the card type or digital format and the due date, and confirm them in writing.
- Ask the client to send the agency's instructions before the appointment, so you can prepare the right card or system.
- Check the client's identification on arrival against the paperwork, and note what you checked.
- Recheck any print that is smudged or incomplete before the client leaves, and record the recapture.
- Send a written receipt with the date, the card or file number and the submission details.
- Tell the client in the quote whether a recapture is included and what it costs if it is not.
What to put on your profile
- List the types of fingerprinting you provide, such as employment, licensing or immigration prints.
- Describe your appointment process and the ID you require, in plain steps.
- State the locations and hours you serve, and whether you travel to clients.
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Confirm to the client when the record has been submitted and share the reference number.
- Offer a reminder about the agency's deadline if the client has a due date.
- Keep a copy of the record for the client's request, within the limits of your privacy policy.
Licenses and permits
Some agencies require fingerprints to be taken only by approved providers or on approved equipment, and some states regulate certain fingerprinting services. Check the requirements of the agency that receives the prints and the rules in your state before you take fingerprints for an official purpose.
Questions
Do I need a license to take fingerprints?
It depends on the purpose and the agency. Some agencies require approval rather than a license. Check with the receiving agency and your state licensing office.
What should I do when prints are unclear?
Clean the fingers if the client asks, check for injury or damage, and recapture the print. Note the recapture in your records.
How do I protect the client's information?
Store records only as long as your privacy policy and the agency's rules allow, limit access to staff who need it and never share the prints except with the receiving agency.
About this guide
This national guide is written and checked by infinibell. Rules and conditions differ by place, so local pros are credited on guides for the cities they serve, not on national ones.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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