If a Los Angeles employer, licensing board or foreign consulate has told you to get FBI fingerprinting, they are asking for one of two things. Either a California agency needs your fingerprints sent through Live Scan to the California Department of Justice (DOJ), which forwards them to the FBI, or you need your own FBI background check, officially called an Identity History Summary, mailed or emailed back to you. The fingerprinting itself takes about 15 minutes either way. Choosing the wrong route is what costs people weeks.
This guide explains how Live Scan fingerprinting in Los Angeles works in 2026: how to tell which check you need, what the DOJ and FBI fees are, what to bring, how long results take, and what to do when prints get rejected or a report has to be apostilled for use abroad.
Last checked in September 2026 against FBI and California Department of Justice guidance. Government fees change, so confirm them with the agency that requested your fingerprints.
The short answer:
- California job, license, credential or volunteer role: take the Request for Live Scan Service form (BCIA 8016) your agency gave you to a certified Live Scan site. The results go to the agency, not to you.
- Visa, residency, immigration or adoption abroad: request your own FBI Identity History Summary online with the FBI, through an FBI-approved channeler, or by mailing a fingerprint card.
- Typical cost in LA: $32 DOJ fee plus $17 FBI fee plus the site’s rolling fee for agency Live Scan; an $18 FBI fee plus fingerprint capture costs for a personal FBI check.
Table of contents
- Live Scan vs FBI Background Check: Which One Do You Need?
- How to Get FBI Fingerprinting or Live Scan in Los Angeles, Step by Step
- How Live Scan Works for a California Job or License
- How to Get Your Own FBI Background Check in Los Angeles
- Live Scan Cost in Los Angeles: DOJ, FBI and Rolling Fees
- What to Bring to Your Live Scan Appointment
- How to Choose a Live Scan Provider in Los Angeles
- FBI Background Check for Visas, Immigration and Moving Abroad
- Rejected Fingerprints and Delays: What to Do
- Live Scan Results, Fees and Walk-Ins in LA: Quick Answers
- Before You Book Your Live Scan Appointment
Live Scan vs FBI Background Check: Which One Do You Need?
Live Scan is not a background check. It is the method: a certified operator scans your fingers on a glass plate and sends the images electronically. The background check is what the DOJ or the FBI does with those images afterward. That is why two people can both get a Live Scan in Los Angeles on the same morning and walk away with completely different results.
The quickest way to sort it out is to ask one question: who needs to receive the result?
| Your situation | What to ask for | Who gets the result | Typical government fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| California job, license, credential or volunteer role | Live Scan with the agency’s BCIA 8016 form (DOJ only, or DOJ plus FBI) | The requesting agency | $32 DOJ, plus $17 if FBI is checked (varies by application type) |
| Visa, residency, work permit or adoption abroad | Your own FBI Identity History Summary | You | $18 FBI fee, plus capture or channeler fees |
| A California record for a visa or immigration case | California DOJ Visa/Immigration Live Scan (BCIA 8016 VISA) | You, by mail | $32, plus the rolling fee |
| Reviewing or correcting your own record | FBI Identity History Summary and, for California, a record review (BCIA 8016RR) | You | Varies |
One rule trips up a lot of applicants. The FBI’s Identity History Summary page states that a personal FBI report is not to be used for employment or licensing, and that FBI-approved channelers cannot process employment or licensing requests. If a California board asked for your prints, a fast channeler report will not satisfy it. You need the Live Scan submission tied to that agency’s form.
How to Get FBI Fingerprinting or Live Scan in Los Angeles, Step by Step
- Find out who needs the result. An employer, licensing board, school or volunteer program means Live Scan with that agency’s form. A visa, residency application or personal review means your own FBI Identity History Summary.
- Get the right paperwork first. For agency Live Scan, ask the agency for its BCIA 8016 with the ORI code, mail code and level of service filled in. For a personal FBI check, start the request with the FBI or an FBI-approved channeler before you book.
- Book a certified Live Scan site or a participating post office. Ask for the rolling fee, whether walk-ins are accepted and which payment methods the site takes.
- Bring your form and a valid photo ID. The name on the ID has to match the form exactly.
- Get fingerprinted and keep your receipt. The scan takes about 10 to 15 minutes. For agency Live Scan, make sure the ATI number is written on your copy of the form.
- Track the result. Agency checks can be followed with the DOJ’s Applicant Background Check Status tool. Personal FBI results arrive by email or mail from the FBI or the channeler.
How Live Scan Works for a California Job or License
For employment, licensing and certification, the process always starts with the agency. It gives you a Request for Live Scan Service form (BCIA 8016) that already carries its ORI code, its mail code, the license type or working title, and the level of service: DOJ only, or DOJ and FBI. You add your personal details and take the form to a Live Scan site. The California Department of Justice requires these fingerprints to be taken by a certified fingerprint roller or qualified law enforcement personnel.
Live Scan only works inside California, but you do not need to be a California resident to use it. If you live in another state and cannot travel, the agency will usually send you ink fingerprint cards instead.
What happens at the appointment
The operator checks your photo ID, types your details from the form into the Live Scan terminal, scans all ten fingers and transmits the record to the DOJ. Before you leave, you should receive an ATI number (Applicant Transaction Identifier) written on your copy of the form. Keep that copy. The ATI number is how you track the check, and it is what a provider will ask for if your prints need to be resubmitted.
A detail most guides skip: the DOJ notes that getting an ATI number does not prove your prints have already been sent. Operators are supposed to transmit within 24 hours, but the timing is in their hands. This is one of the practical reasons to use an established provider.
How long Live Scan results take
If your fingerprints do not match anything in the state database, the DOJ generally processes the request electronically within 48 to 72 hours. If there is a match, a technician reviews the record by hand and must make a genuine effort to find the outcome of any arrest that has no recorded disposition. That review has no fixed timeline and can take weeks. When the FBI level of service is checked, the prints are also searched against the national database, and missing out-of-state dispositions go through the same research.
You can follow progress with the DOJ’s Applicant Background Check Status tool using your ATI number and date of birth. The status tells you where the background check stands, not whether you got the job or license. The results themselves go to the agency, although California law requires the agency to give you a copy if it makes an adverse decision based on them.
How to Get Your Own FBI Background Check in Los Angeles
An FBI Identity History Summary, often called a rap sheet, lists arrests reported to the FBI through fingerprint submissions, or confirms that no record exists. The FBI fee is $18 per person, and there are three ways to get one from Los Angeles.
Option 1: FBI online request plus a participating post office
Start the request on the FBI’s Electronic Departmental Order site (edo.cjis.gov), pay the $18 fee, then visit a participating U.S. Post Office to have your fingerprints captured electronically. USPS charges its own capture fee, $50 per person at the time of writing. The FBI says online results arrive within about 48 hours of the post office visit. Not every Los Angeles post office offers this, and you cannot simply walk in without the confirmation email, so check the participating locations inside the FBI portal first.
Option 2: An FBI-approved channeler
Channelers are private companies contracted with the FBI to submit requests and deliver results electronically. Many Live Scan offices in Los Angeles partner with one, capture your prints on site and send them through the channeler, and results often arrive within a day or two. You pay the channeler’s package price on top of the FBI fee. Two limits apply: channelers can only process requests for U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents located in the United States, and they cannot process employment or licensing requests.
Option 3: Mail a fingerprint card
You can still have ink or printed fingerprints taken on a card and mail it to the FBI’s CJIS Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia, with the applicant form and payment. The FBI’s mail instructions now reference form FD-1164, although many agencies and providers still use the FD-258 applicant card. Mailed requests take up to 15 days after receipt, plus postage time. If your prints are taken on a Live Scan device, ask the provider for a printed hard card so it can be mailed. The FBI does not accept personal checks or cash for this fee.
If you are not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, the channeler route is closed to you, so request your report directly from the FBI online or by mail.
Live Scan Cost in Los Angeles: DOJ, FBI and Rolling Fees
Every Live Scan price has two parts: government fees, which are fixed, and the rolling fee, which each Live Scan site sets for itself. California licensing boards such as the Contractors State License Board list $49 in processing fees for a standard DOJ plus FBI check ($32 DOJ and $17 FBI), plus the site’s rolling fee. Some application types add charges, for example child abuse index checks or firearms eligibility.
| Fee | Amount in 2026 | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| California DOJ processing fee (most employment and licensing) | $32 | California DOJ |
| FBI processing fee (when FBI is checked on the BCIA 8016) | $17 | FBI, collected through the DOJ |
| Live Scan rolling fee | Commonly $20 to $50 in Los Angeles | Each Live Scan site |
| Mobile Live Scan travel fee | Quoted by the provider | Each provider |
| FBI Identity History Summary (personal check) | $18 | FBI |
| USPS fingerprint capture for an FBI request | $50 | USPS |
| FBI-approved channeler package | Varies, usually includes the $18 FBI fee | Each channeler |
Check your form before you pay. If the BCIA 8016 shows a billing number, your employer or agency has an account with the DOJ and covers the government fees, so you normally pay only the rolling fee. Paying the $49 again is a common and avoidable mistake.
What to Bring to Your Live Scan Appointment
- The completed BCIA 8016 from your agency, or your FBI or channeler confirmation for a personal check.
- A valid, unexpired government photo ID, such as a driver’s license, state ID card or passport. The name has to match the form exactly.
- A payment method the site accepts. Some smaller offices do not take cards, so ask when you book.
- Your agency’s contact details, in case the operator needs to confirm the license type or working title.
Fingerprint quality matters more than most people expect. Dry or worn ridges are common among nurses, construction workers, older adults and anyone who washes their hands many times a day. Moisturize well the evening before, skip heavy lotion on the day, drink water, and wash and warm your hands before the scan.
How to Choose a Live Scan Provider in Los Angeles
For Live Scan or FBI fingerprinting in Los Angeles, you can choose from a long list of sites across the county, from sheriff’s stations and police departments to notary offices, dedicated fingerprint studios and mobile technicians who come to your home or office. The California DOJ publishes a public list of Live Scan sites with their fees. Before you book, ask:
- Are your operators certified fingerprint rollers?
- What is your rolling fee, and does the quoted price include the DOJ and FBI fees?
- Is it walk-in or appointment only, and do you open on weekends?
- For a personal FBI check, do you submit through an FBI-approved channeler or print a fingerprint card?
- Do you offer mobile Live Scan for groups, offices or people who cannot travel?
- Can someone help me in my language if I need it?
As one example, A to Z Documents, a document services company based in Encino, offers DOJ Live Scan by appointment at its Encino Town Center office and mobile Live Scan across the San Fernando Valley and the rest of Los Angeles. In September 2026 it listed a $49 service fee plus government fees. You can check its current hours and pricing through this link Аtozdocuments.com/services/live-scan-fbi-fingerprinting/. Put the same questions to any provider, this one included, before you book.
Red flags to avoid
Fingerprints for a Live Scan or FBI request are always captured in person, on a scanner or an ink card. No website can run your Live Scan from a photo of your ID. Some California jobs and most licenses do expect you to pay for your own Live Scan, but you pay a certified Live Scan site directly, using the form the agency gave you, never a recruiter or a payment link sent by text or chat. Be careful with any hiring manager who asks you to pay a third party for a background check before you are hired, a pattern we cover in our guide to spotting job and rental scams on online classifieds. Keep the receipt, and make sure the ATI number is on your copy of the form.
FBI Background Check for Visas, Immigration and Moving Abroad
Foreign governments usually want the FBI Identity History Summary rather than a California check, often with an apostille and often issued within the last three to six months. The exact window depends on the country, so confirm it with the consulate before you order the report.
How to apostille an FBI background check
An FBI report is a federal document, so the apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. (Form DS-4194, $20 per document at the time of writing), not from the California Secretary of State. Which formats the Department of State accepts for electronically delivered or channeler-issued results has changed over time, so confirm the current rule before you choose a route. Countries outside the Hague Apostille Convention also require embassy legalization after the federal step.
When a California record is also required
Some consulates ask for a state check as well. The California DOJ offers a Visa/Immigration Live Scan using form BCIA 8016 VISA, for $32 plus the rolling fee, and mails the response to you only. The DOJ is clear that its response is not itself an apostille; you request the certification from the DOJ after the response arrives, and the state apostille follows from there.
Timing is the part people get wrong. Order the FBI report close to your visa appointment, not months ahead. Americans applying for Portugal’s D7 visa, for example, are asked for a criminal record certificate from their country of residence, which for most U.S. residents means an apostilled FBI report. If you are weighing a move like that, our guide to buying property in Portugal as an American explains why residency routes such as the D7, not real estate, are now the usual path.
U.S. founders setting up a business abroad run into the same paper trail. Company formation in Malta, for instance, adds shareholder identification and KYC verification for non-EU founders, and banks or regulators handling licensed activities may also ask directors for a recent police certificate, which for a U.S. resident means an FBI report.
Rejected Fingerprints and Delays: What to Do
Prints can be rejected by the DOJ, by the FBI, or by both. The FBI applies a stricter matching threshold, so prints the DOJ accepts can still fail at the federal level. When that happens you will be asked to reprint, usually under the same ATI number, which is why keeping your copy of the form matters.
- Rejected twice by the DOJ: the DOJ runs your check by name against state records instead.
- Rejected twice by the FBI: the requesting agency can submit form BCIA 8020 for an FBI name check. The DOJ must receive it within 75 calendar days of the second rejection. After 90 days the FBI deletes the transaction and you start over.
- Wrong or missing data: if the license type or working title does not match what the FBI expects, the FBI rejects the transaction and you must be fingerprinted again. A wrong mail code sends your results to the wrong agency.
Before you leave the appointment, glance at what the operator entered and compare it with your form. Thirty seconds of checking can save a second visit.
Live Scan Results, Fees and Walk-Ins in LA: Quick Answers
Yes, in two ways. If your agency’s BCIA 8016 form has FBI checked as the level of service, your Live Scan prints are forwarded to the FBI as part of that request. If you need your own FBI Identity History Summary, many Los Angeles Live Scan offices capture your prints electronically and submit them through an FBI-approved channeler.
Not for a job or license. Agency Live Scan results go to the agency that requested them, and the agency must give you a copy only if it makes an adverse decision based on them. For a personal FBI Identity History Summary or a California Visa/Immigration check, the results come to you.
The appointment takes about 10 to 15 minutes. If there is no match in the database, the DOJ usually processes the request within 48 to 72 hours. A match triggers a manual review with no fixed timeline, which can take several weeks.
For a standard employment or licensing check, expect $32 for the DOJ and $17 for the FBI, plus a rolling fee that each site sets, commonly $20 to $50. If your form shows a billing number, the agency covers the government fees and you usually pay only the rolling fee.
Some sites accept walk-ins, others work by appointment only, and mobile Live Scan always needs booking. Call ahead or book online, especially if you need a Saturday slot.
Usually not. Live Scan results go only to the agency named on the form, so a new employer or licensing board normally needs its own submission. Some programs, such as California community care licensing, let a clearance be transferred between facilities, so ask the new agency before you pay again.
Yes, but not through a channeler unless they are lawful permanent residents. Other non-citizens should request the Identity History Summary directly from the FBI, online with post office fingerprinting or by mailing a fingerprint card.
You will be asked to reprint, usually under your original ATI number. If the FBI rejects your prints twice for quality, your agency can request an FBI name check with form BCIA 8020 within 75 days of the second rejection.
The FBI report has no expiration date of its own. The receiving country decides, and many ask for a report issued within the last three to six months, so check with the consulate before you order it.
Not directly. FBI reports are federal documents, so only the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. can apostille them. Many Los Angeles document services companies handle the submission for you.
Before You Book Your Live Scan Appointment
- Confirm who needs the result: an agency (Live Scan with its form) or you (personal FBI check).
- Check the form for a billing number and the correct level of service.
- Bring a valid photo ID whose name matches the form exactly.
- Keep your copy of the form with the ATI number until the process is complete.
- For use abroad, confirm the apostille and date requirements before you order the report.
Editor’s note: This guide was originally contributed by A to Z Documents, a Live Scan and document services company in Encino, with no payment or commercial arrangement behind it. The sites.gallery team rewrote and fact-checked it in September 2026 against guidance from the FBI’s CJIS Division and the California Department of Justice. Fees and processing times change, so confirm current figures with the agency that requested your fingerprints. This article is general information, not legal advice; for questions about how a record affects a license or an immigration case, speak with a licensed attorney.
