How Long Does a Fingerprint Background Check Take?
Evelyn Sanderson - September 19, 2025
Employers often use fingerprint background checks to screen candidates during the hiring process. These checks are required for positions that demand high levels of trust, security, and regulatory compliance.
These checks allow employers to confirm identities, review criminal records, and maintain a safe workplace. How long does a fingerprint background check take, though?
While the exact timing varies, understanding the usual timeframe helps candidates manage expectations. This also allows employers to keep hiring on schedule. Let’s review the timeline, factors affecting fingerprint background check duration, and ways to speed up results.
How Long Does a Fingerprint Background Check Take?
A fingerprint background check usually takes one to seven business days when submitted electronically via Live Scan. However, traditional ink fingerprinting and more complex state or federal checks can take several weeks to over a month.
The exact duration depends on factors such as the fingerprinting method, the processing agency, the volume of requests, and the quality of the fingerprints submitted.
Fingerprint Background Check Time Frame
Fingerprint background check timeframes vary depending on the method used. Time frames given below reflect common national practice in the US. However, your experience may differ by state, lab load, or the specifics of your background.
State or Local Checks Sent Electronically: You’ll see results in one to seven business days. Many checks with no records are returned within 24 to 72 hours.
National Checks That Involve Central Criminal Databases: After the prints reach the lab, expect a basic report to be available in approximately three to five business days. Some cases move faster, while others take longer if staff have to do manual reviews.
Ink-Card Submissions: Mailing and manual entry can take two to four weeks for results. During busy periods, this may extend beyond a month.
Professional Licensing Checks: These can take one to four weeks. Licensing boards often request both local and national searches. Boards may also ask for extra documentation, which lengthens the time.
Financial-Industry Checks Required by Regulators: Labs or vendors often process these faster once they receive prints. Results can come back in about 24 to 36 business hours after processing begins. The total time still depends on how fast the prints reach the lab.
Volunteer and Background-Screening for Non-Paid Roles: Many organizations see results in one to three weeks. Volunteer checks sometimes include both state and national searches and may require extra paperwork.
What a Fingerprint Background Check Looks For
A fingerprint background check looks for matches between your prints and stored records. The system checks identity details. It looks for criminal history and can flag financial or licensing holds when needed. It also searches for other records that match your name, birth date, or other information.
How the System Reads Your Prints
Technicians capture an image of your fingers, which a computer then converts into a fingerprint template. This template records points and patterns that the system can compare against databases.
The computer runs a match search, and if it finds a possible match, a person reviews it manually. This human step adds caution but can also slow the process.
Live Scan vs Ink Card: How Your Prints Reach the Database
The way fingerprints are collected has a direct impact on how long the background check takes. Today, two main methods are used:
1. Electronic Fingerprinting (Live Scan or Similar Systems)
This method uses a digital scanner to capture your fingerprints. Once taken, the prints are transmitted instantly to the relevant databases. Since the information travels electronically, results can return very quickly, often within 24 to 72 hours. It usually takes no more than a week if no complications appear.
Electronic systems also detect poor-quality prints on the spot, so they can be retaken right away instead of being rejected later.
2. Ink-And-Card Fingerprinting (Traditional Method)
This older method requires rolling your fingers in ink and pressing them onto a paper card. The card must then be mailed or delivered to a processing center, where it’s manually scanned into a database.
Mailing delays, human handling, and the possibility of smudged or unclear prints often make this process much slower. Results commonly take two to four weeks, and sometimes longer during high-demand periods or if prints need to be resubmitted.
Both electronic and ink-and-card fingerprinting have their pros and cons. For anyone needing quick results, electronic fingerprinting is faster, while ink-and-card checks are generally used only when digital systems aren’t available or specific agencies require them.
Why Some Fingerprint Background Checks Take Longer Than Others
Many different factors can add time to a check. Some occur frequently, while others are rare but can significantly slow the process. Here are the factors that affect the duration of a fingerprint background check:
- High Demand: Slower processing during peak seasons and agency backlogs
- Bad Prints: Smudges, scars, dry skin, or oily fingers can produce poor images. If the prints fail, someone has to retake them, which means extra visits and extra time.
- Name or Identity Matches: When the system finds multiple potential matches, staff has to review them manually, which can extend processing time.
- Out-Of-Area Records: Public records in other states or countries may require extra steps. Those steps add days or weeks.
- Complex Histories: If a file shows multiple incidents, investigators review each entry, which can take a lot of time.
- Missing or Wrong Form Details: If the paperwork does not match your ID, staff may need to contact the requester to clear the mismatch.
- Mail and Shipping: Physical cards are sent by mail, and delays or lost packages can slow the process.
- Legal Holds and Sealed Records: Court orders and sealing requests require special handling, which can slow the check.
As you can tell, the exact duration for a fingerprint background check can vary a lot. For example, if you apply for a local job and use an electronic scan, you might get results in a few days.
If you need a state license and the board uses paper cards, expect the process to take several weeks. Boards often wait for both state and national reports before proceeding. If your record shows a potential match, staff will review it manually, which can take much longer than the automated search. You may also need to provide documents or wait for court records.
How to Track Your Fingerprint Background Check Submission
When you go for an electronic capture, you often receive a transaction or receipt number. Use that number to check the status on the requester’s portal or on the processing site. Not every process offers online tracking.
If you can’t track online, you can call the agency that requested the check. Having your receipt and any case or reference numbers helps staff assist you more quickly if there’s a delay.
How to Speed Up a Fingerprint Background Check
You can help prevent delays in your fingerprint background check by following these two steps:
1. Choose electronic capture whenever possible. It eliminates mailing and manual entry and allows the technician to check print quality on the spot, reducing the chance of needing a second appointment.
2. Bring the correct ID and clean hands. Use the ID requested by the agency, and wash and dry your hands before the appointment. Clean, dry fingers produce clearer prints, and make sure your name, birth date, and address on the form match the ID exactly.
Note: While these steps can’t prevent agency backlogs or complex record reviews, they can help speed up the process.
What to Do if a Fingerprint Background Check Is Delayed or Shows a Record?
If the system flags a possible match, the lab or agency will contact the requester, who may ask you for additional paperwork. You can follow these steps:
- Ask for a copy of the report or the reason for the hold.
- Review the record carefully. Sometimes systems match similar names or old entries.
- Gather documents that show your side of the story. This could be court documents, proof of identity, or letters.
- Submit corrections or appeals through the proper channel. Most agencies allow you to dispute errors and send proof.
- If a reprint is needed, book a reprint quickly and tell the requester you did so.
Keep records of every call and email. Being organized helps speed up the fix.
When Should You Book Your Fingerprint Appointment?
If an employer or board gives you a deadline, do not leave fingerprinting to the last minute. For simple job hires, book at least two weeks before your start date. For licensing or positions that need national checks or adjudication, start a month or more ahead.
If the role is time-sensitive or the requester needs multiple checks, plan for six weeks. Planning early gives you time to fix problems if they appear. You can quickly run a background check using tools like Information.com yourself to see what might appear before an official check. This helps avoid surprises and delays.
So, How Long Does a Fingerprint Background Check Take?
As you can see, the answer isn’t a simple yes or no. Electronic captures can be completed in a day or two, while paper cards and complex reviews may take weeks. You can control some aspects of the fingerprint background check process.
You can’t control agency backlogs or legal procedures, but you can book early, use electronic capture when available, and bring the correct documents. If a record appears, respond as quickly as you can and gather any necessary proof to maximize your chances of a timely, clear result.
