California Guard Card Fingerprinting in Idaho

By Jim Allen, an Idaho Mobile Notary since 2018

Maybe there’s a security job waiting for you in California. Maybe your company posts you across the state line for events. Either way, the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services won’t register you for a guard card until your background check clears, and that starts with your fingerprints.

From here, BSIS points you to ink fingerprint cards and a processing time it calls 8 to 12 weeks, minimum. I offer another route, right here in the Treasure Valley.

$349 per guard, government fees up to $75 included
$299 each for two or more at the same stop
Prints captured at your home, office, or post in Ada or Canyon County
Every print checked on screen before I leave

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

Why a guard card is slow from out of state

BSIS describes Live Scan as the route for applicants who live in California. Everyone else gets two ink fingerprint cards, one for the DOJ and one for the FBI, and the long wait that comes with them.

Here’s what I do instead. I capture your prints in Idaho on my own Live Scan system and send them electronically to our California partner company, who submits them in California. The capture happens here and the submitting happens there. I’m not a California Live Scan site, and BSIS doesn’t list this option, so I won’t tell you it’s their recommended route.

The full process is on my California Live Scan from Idaho page.

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 BSIS. 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 BSIS 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 BSIS first.

Who this is for

Idaho residents getting a California guard card before a move
Guards who work California posts or events while living here
Security companies with several guards to register at once. Same stop, $299 each.

How it goes

You call, text, or book online and tell me it’s a BSIS guard card.
I meet you where you are, check your ID, and enter your details from the BSIS form.
I capture your prints on my Live Scan system and look at each one before I pack up.
Our California partner company processes and submits them to the California DOJ, and the results go to BSIS.

What to bring

A valid, unexpired government photo ID
The BSIS Request for Live Scan Service form for security guards. BSIS supplies its own version with the Bureau’s details filled in. Bring that one, not a blank form.
If you’re applying for a firearms permit too, BSIS uses separate forms for it. Tell me when you book so I can quote it before I come out.

Price

$349 for one guard. That’s travel to you, the capture, data entry, submission handling, and government fees up to $75, all in one number.

Two or more guards at the same stop pay $299 each, and that rate applies to every person in the group. If your agency’s fees ever run past $75, you pay only the difference, and I confirm it with you before I submit anything.

What people say about working with me

“Same day service? Practically unheard of. And he was early. 6 stars”

— Bart Rayne, 5-star Google review

“Jim was punctual, professional, fast, and provided excellent customer service.”

— Troy Hansen, 5-star Google review

“Jim called ahead, arrived on time, and it was a pleasant meeting. Very professional.”

— RICK OLSON, 5-star Google review

Read all 250+ reviews on Google

Guard card questions

Can I get a California guard card while living in Idaho?

Whether you get the registration is up to BSIS. The fingerprints are the part I handle. I capture them here and our California partner company submits them in California, so you don’t have to travel for that step.

Does BSIS accept prints done this way?

BSIS makes that decision, and its site talks about ink fingerprint cards for out-of-state applicants, not this. Our partner company has had results go through to BSIS for Idaho applicants. That’s a track record, not a promise.

How long until BSIS has my results?

The California DOJ usually returns results in under five business days, and some take up to 10. The clock starts at submission, not at booking. BSIS still has to process your application after that.

What happens if a print is rejected?

If the problem was my capture, whether a smudge, a hurried roll, or bad positioning, I re-capture it for free. I check every print on screen before I leave to catch that at the appointment. Worn ridges are a different story. Manual work, age, some medications, and dry skin all wear them down, and while I’ll work the capture as hard as it can be worked, I can’t guarantee the state accepts prints with little ridge left to read.

Can you do a whole crew at once?

Yes. Everyone needs their own ID and their own BSIS form ready, and then it’s $299 each.

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

Ready to get your guard card moving?

Send me a text with where you are and when you’re free. I’ll bring the Live Scan to you.