San Jose · Fingerprinting
You were told to get fingerprinted, but not which kind — and the two are not interchangeable. Pick wrong and your result goes to the wrong place, costing you a redo. The good news: one question sorts it out. Does the result go to a California agency, or does it need to come back to you?
The short answer
A Live Scan sends your fingerprints to the California Department of Justice for a local job or license, with the result going to the requesting agency. A standalone FBI background check returns your own nationwide record to you — the version immigration, visas, and overseas employers ask for. Who receives the result is the deciding factor.
Live Scan vs. FBI check, side by side
California DOJ submission
- State jobs, licensing, volunteering
- Result goes to the requesting agency
- Often bundled with a federal check
- Needs a state Request for Live Scan form
Your nationwide record
- Immigration, visas, overseas jobs
- Result comes back to you
- Can be apostilled for foreign use
- Same-day through a channeler
If your paperwork asks for your personal FBI record, you want the standalone FBI background check. If a California board handed you that form, that is the state route instead.
One question that settles it
Who asked for it?
A California employer, licensing board, or volunteer agency points to Live Scan. An immigration office, foreign employer, or consulate points to the standalone FBI report.
Where does the result go?
To the agency directly, or back into your hands? If you need the document yourself — especially to send abroad — you need the federal report.
Is it going overseas?
Anything used in another country is almost always the FBI report, and it usually needs an apostille on top. The state route does not serve that purpose.
Why the distinction matters
It is not bureaucratic hair-splitting. The two results are built for different jobs. A state submission clears you with a California agency that already knows where to look for the answer. A federal report is a portable document you hold and hand to whoever asked — an embassy, a foreign HR office, an immigration examiner. Handing an agency the wrong one does not just slow you down; it usually means starting the whole request over, ID appointment and all.
Getting it done in San Jose
Bring your ID and any form
A valid photo ID, plus the state form if you were given one. Walk-ins are welcome on weekdays.
Prints captured once
A certified technician captures your fingerprints and routes them to the right destination — state, federal, or both if your case needs it.
Add an apostille if needed
If your FBI report is going abroad, we start the federal apostille the same visit so nothing waits on a second trip.
State route or FBI check: quick answers
What is the difference?
The state route submits prints to the California DOJ for jobs and licensing. A standalone FBI background check returns your own nationwide record — the version immigration and overseas uses require it for.
How do I know which I need?
Read the requesting form. A California board that hands you a state fingerprinting form needs that route. An immigration agency or consulate asking for your FBI record needs the standalone report.
Can a state submission be used for immigration?
Usually not. Immigration and overseas uses need your own copy of the FBI record, often apostilled. That state result goes to the agency, not to you.
How long does each take?
A state visit takes about ten minutes, with results often back in a few days. A standalone federal report through a channeler typically returns the same day.
Can I get both at once?
Yes. If your case needs both a state submission and a federal report, both are captured in one visit to our San Jose office.
Bring the form. We’ll confirm the right one.
Live Scan, standalone FBI background check, and apostille under one roof in San Jose. A certified technician sorts it out and captures your prints the same visit.