Most countries ask for an FBI background check, because governments deal with each other at the federal level. Some also want your California record, the “police certificate” many checklists ask for, for example Italy, if you’ve lived in California for a certain number of years, or Canada, which asks for one from each state you’ve lived in when you apply for criminal rehabilitation.
The Right Form: BCIA 8016VISA (AE709)
The California Department of Justice has a separate Live Scan form for this: the Request for Live Scan Service (Visa/Immigration), BCIA 8016VISA. The agency section is already filled in, with the ORI code AE709 and the applicant type Visa/Immigration. You fill in only your own information in the middle section.
A few things to know about it:
- It’s a California check only. The DOJ searches California records, not FBI ones. If your country also wants the FBI background check, that’s a separate submission, and we can do both at the same appointment.
- The DOJ mails the results to you, at the home address on the form. Make sure that address is current.
- It’s not the same as a record review. The record review form is for seeing your own California record. When the results are going to a foreign government for a visa, residency or immigration application, use the Visa/Immigration form.
How It Works With Us
- Bring the form, or fill it out with us. Complete your section ahead of time, or we’ll go through it together at your appointment.
- We take your fingerprints by Live Scan at our Los Angeles office, or we come to you.
- We submit them to the DOJ right away. You leave with your copy of the form and a receipt showing your ATI number.
- The DOJ mails your letter to the address on your form. It usually arrives in 1 to 2 weeks.
Cost: $62. That’s our $30 fee plus the $32 DOJ fee. If you’d like us to come to you, we add a travel fee based on your location.
Does Your Country Need an Apostille?
The answer decides whether there’s one extra step.
If it needs an apostille or a certification (Italy, for example): the letter the DOJ mails you isn’t the apostille. Unless you ask for it, the DOJ only sends a printout that can’t be apostilled. So 3 to 5 days after your Live Scan, email the DOJ at visa-immigration@doj.ca.gov and ask for a “wet signature for apostille purposes.” Include:
- your full name
- your date of birth
- the ATI number from your Live Scan receipt
The DOJ then mails you the letter with an original signature. Get it to us and we’ll take care of the apostille.
If it doesn’t need an apostille (Canada, usually): you don’t need the wet signature. The letter the DOJ mails you is what you submit.
If you’re not sure which applies to you, check your checklist or ask the authority you’re applying to. We’ll also go over it with you at your appointment.
Get Started
Call or text us at 310-526-0200, and we’ll make sure you have the right form for where your results are going.
