California Teaching Credential Fingerprinting in Idaho

By Jim Allen, an Idaho Mobile Notary since 2018

You’ve got a California teaching job or a prep program lined up, and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing won’t move until it has your fingerprints. Then you read what it tells out-of-state candidates: ink fingerprint cards, and a wait the CTC itself puts at 10 to 12 weeks.

I do it differently. I come to you here in the Treasure Valley, capture your prints on my own Live Scan system, and send them electronically to our California partner company. Our partner company processes and submits them to the California Department of Justice. No card to ship, and no trip to Sacramento.

$349 for one applicant, government fees up to $75 included
$299 each when two or more of you are done at the same stop
I come to your home, school, or office in Ada or Canyon County
I check every print on screen before I pack up

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

What the CTC tells teachers outside California

The CTC is blunt about it. Candidates whose home address is outside California are pointed to ink fingerprint cards rather than Live Scan, ordered through the Commission, and told to wait about 75 days before calling to check on them. Live Scan, in the CTC’s words, is for prints completed through a California Live Scan site.

I’m not a California Live Scan site, and I won’t pretend to be. I capture your prints here, and our California partner company does the submitting in California. That’s a different route from what the CTC describes, not something the Commission has signed off on.

For more on how the whole process works, see my page on California Live Scan from Idaho.

Where your prints are taken

I capture your fingerprints here in Idaho, and our partner company processes and submits your fingerprints to the California DOJ. The DOJ and FBI send the results to the CTC. I never see them.

So 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. But the capture still happens here. If the CTC tells you your prints have to be taken inside California, this isn’t the right option for you, and I’d rather you find that out before you pay me. Ask the CTC first.

Who calls me for CTC prints

Teachers moving to California who need a credential before the school year starts
Candidates in a California prep program, including online programs, who need a Certificate of Clearance before working with TK-12 students
Teachers adding a California credential to the one they already hold here

How the appointment works

You book. Call, text, or book online, and tell me it’s for the CTC.
I come to you. I check your ID and enter your details from your CTC form.
I capture your prints on my Live Scan system and look over every one on screen before I leave.
Our California partner company submits them to the California DOJ. Your results go to the CTC, not to me and not to you.

What to have ready

A valid, unexpired government photo ID
CTC Form 41-LS, Request for Live Scan Service. It’s the Commission’s own version, with its agency code and details already filled in. Use it instead of a blank form.
Clean, dry hands. Skip the lotion that morning.

What it costs

One applicant: $349. That covers my travel to you, the capture, data entry, submission handling, and government fees up to $75.

Two or more at the same stop: $299 each, and that’s everyone in the group, not just the extra people. Two teachers from the same school qualify.

If your agency’s fees ever come to more than $75, you pay only the difference, and I confirm that with you before anything is submitted. Your CTC application fee is separate and goes to the Commission.

What clients say

“Jim was great. He was on time and very professional. He even met with me on a day off. I would highly recommend Jim to family and friends”

— Matt Mishler, 5-star Google review

“JIM ALLEN was efficient, painless , and quick. He came on request after I finished work at 6pm and we were done quickly so we could then have our dinner on schedule. He is very informed and well prepared for notary work!”

— Heather Urban, 5-star Google review

“So nice to have someone come to your door when you have a busy schedule.”

— Tamara Simon, 5-star Google review

Read all 250+ reviews on Google

Questions teachers ask

Can I get CTC fingerprints done in Idaho?

Yes, with me. I capture your prints here and our California partner company submits them electronically. Just know the CTC’s own instructions for out-of-state candidates describe ink fingerprint cards. What I offer is a different route.

Will the CTC accept prints done this way?

That’s the Commission’s call, not mine. Our partner company has had results go through to the CTC for Idaho applicants before. That’s history, not a promise, and the CTC still reviews every file on its own terms.

Do I need a Certificate of Clearance?

If you’re in a California prep program and you’ll be working with TK-12 students, the CTC generally requires one first, and it needs fingerprint clearance. Your program sponsor can tell you exactly which document you need.

How long do results take?

Results from the California DOJ usually come back in under five business days, and they can take up to 10. That clock starts when your prints are submitted, not the day you book. The CTC’s own review runs on its own schedule after that.

What if my prints get rejected?

It depends why. If it’s my capture, like a rushed roll, a smudge, or a finger off-center, I re-capture it at no charge. That’s also why I check every print on screen before I leave. If it’s ridge quality, from age, years of hands-on work, certain medications, or dry skin, I’ll work the capture as hard as it can be worked. But I can’t guarantee the state accepts prints from fingers that don’t have the ridges to give.

California Live Scan from Idaho: how the California background check works, start to finish
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All my mobile fingerprinting services
Service area: Boise and the rest of the Treasure Valley

Get your fingerprints off the to-do list

Tell me where you are and when you’re free. I’ll come to you, and your prints go to our California partner company the same day.