California Live Scan Without Leaving Idaho

By Jim Allen, an Idaho Mobile Notary since 2018

A California board or employer wants your fingerprints, and you live in Idaho. Most people in that spot hear two options: fly to California, or wait weeks on a paper process. Depending on your board, there may be a third way.

I come to you here in the Treasure Valley with my own Live Scan system. I capture your fingerprints here in Idaho, and our partner company processes and submits your fingerprints to the California DOJ. No ink, no card, and nothing shipped.

$349 for one applicant, government fees up to $75 included
$299 each when two or more are done at the same stop, and that’s everyone in the group
Your home, office, or workplace in Ada or Canyon County
Each print looked over on screen while I’m still there

Call or text (208) 826-1210, or book online any time.

Who this is for

People who live in Idaho but need a California Department of Justice background check. Usually that’s for a license. Sometimes it’s a job with a California employer, a travel assignment, or a move that’s already on the calendar.

If a California agency handed you a Request for Live Scan Service form, you’re in the right place. Read the section below on where your prints are taken first. It decides whether I’m the right fit. Want the full picture first? Here’s my guide on how to get a California background check if you live in Idaho.

Which license are you applying for?

Each board handles out-of-state applicants a little differently, so I’ve written a page for each one. Pick yours:

California nursing license (RN or LVN) fingerprinting: the Board of Registered Nursing or the BVNPT
California CNA certification fingerprinting: the California Department of Public Health
California pharmacy license fingerprinting: pharmacists, interns, and pharmacy techs through the Board of Pharmacy
California therapist license fingerprinting: LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, and associate registrations through the BBS
California teaching credential fingerprinting: credentials and the Certificate of Clearance through the CTC
California guard card fingerprinting: security guard registration through BSIS
California contractor license fingerprinting: owners, qualifiers, and officers through the CSLB
California real estate license fingerprinting: salesperson and broker applicants through the DRE
California insurance license fingerprinting: the CDI. Many Idaho resident producers are exempt, so read this one before you book

Not on the list? If the agency gave you a Live Scan form with its ORI number on it, call or text me and we’ll talk it through.

Where your prints are taken

Here’s the honest version. Your prints are taken in Idaho, not in California. I don’t submit anything to the DOJ myself. Our California partner company does that, from California. I’m not a California Live Scan site, and no board has signed off on this route for you.

Some boards want the Live Scan done inside California. The Board of Registered Nursing, for one, says it “cannot receive results from Live Scan vendors outside California.” If your board tells you the prints have to be taken in California, this isn’t the right option for you. Ask your board first. I’d much rather you find out before you pay me than after.

How it works

You book by call, text, or online.
I come to you, check your photo ID, and enter your details from the agency’s form.
I capture your prints on Live Scan and look at each one on screen before I go.
Our California partner company processes your prints and submits them to the California DOJ.
Results go to the agency named on your form. They don’t come to me, and in most cases they don’t come to you either.

What to bring

A valid, unexpired government photo ID
The Request for Live Scan Service form (BCIA 8016) from the agency asking for your prints. Many boards send their own version with the ORI already filled in. Bring that one, not a blank copy.
Clean, dry hands. Skip the heavy lotion that morning.
Payment: credit or debit card, cash, or a company check. I don’t take personal checks.

What it costs

$349 for one person. That covers my drive to you, the capture, the data entry, getting your prints submitted, and government fees up to $75.

Two or more people at the same stop pay $299 each. That’s everyone, not just the second person, which is why couples, coworkers, and small offices tend to book together. Each person needs their own form and photo ID ready when I get there.

If an agency’s fees run past $75, you pay only the difference, and I confirm it with you before anything is submitted. Your board’s own application fee is separate and goes to them.

Need an FBI check instead?

An FBI background check is a different service from this one, with its own steps and its own price. That’s on my FBI background check page. For everything else I fingerprint for, see all my mobile fingerprinting services.

What clients say

Questions about California Live Scan from Idaho

Can I do a California Live Scan if I live out of state?

The capture, yes. I take your prints here on my own Live Scan system, and our California partner company processes and submits them to the California DOJ. Whether your board accepts prints taken outside California is its decision, not mine, so check with your board first.

My licensing board said Live Scan has to be done in California. Now what?

Take them at their word. If your board says the prints themselves must be taken in California, this isn’t the right option for you. If the wording is vague, ask the board directly whether prints captured in another state and submitted by a California company will work for your application.

What does a California background check cost?

$349 for one applicant, including government fees up to $75. Two or more at the same stop pay $299 each, and that rate covers everyone in the group. If agency fees top $75, you pay only the difference, and I confirm it before submission.

How long does a California background check take?

The California DOJ usually returns results in under five business days, and it can run as long as 10. That count starts when your prints are submitted, not when you book. Your board’s review of the rest of your application is on its own schedule.

What if my fingerprints get rejected?

That happens for two different reasons. If it’s my capture, like a rushed roll, a smudge, or bad positioning, I’ll re-capture your prints at no charge. Looking at every print on screen before I leave catches most of that at the table.

The other reason is ridge quality. Years of manual work, age, certain medications, and dry skin can all wear ridges down. I’ll work the capture as hard as it can be worked, but I can’t guarantee the state accepts prints from fingers without much ridge left.

How do I check the status of my background check?

Use the California DOJ’s Applicant Background Check Status page. You’ll need your date of birth and the ATI number on your Live Scan form.

Can I talk to someone about what’s in my results?

Not through me. Results go to the agency that asked for them, and I never see them. If you want to see your own record, the California DOJ has a separate record review process for that.

All my mobile fingerprinting services
FBI background checks, a different service from the California check
Service area: Boise and the rest of the Treasure Valley

Check with your board, then text me

If your board is fine with prints taken here, text me where you are and when you’re free. I’ll come to you and get your prints on their way to California.