If you’re a nurse or another healthcare professional applying for a license in another state, you’ll almost certainly need ink fingerprint cards. We fingerprint nurses for out-of-state licenses regularly, and the same few things come up every time.
Why Not a Live Scan?
Live Scan here in California only sends your prints to the California DOJ, so another state’s nursing board can’t use them. That board will want ink cards instead, which you mail in with your application.
The cards cover both background checks. The board sends them through its own state’s law enforcement agency, which checks its state records and the FBI’s. You don’t need to order a separate FBI check.
Every Card Needs Your Signature and the Date
This is the part people miss. Each card has to be filled in completely, then signed and dated by you. One blank box or a missing signature and the board sends it back, and you’re getting fingerprinted again. Our FD-258 guide goes field by field, and our list of common fingerprint card mistakes shows what gets cards rejected.
How to fill out your part of the card
Use black ink and print in block letters, the same way on every card.
- Name: last, first, middle, exactly as it appears on your ID.
- Your signature and the date: sign and date every card yourself.
- Your details: sex, race, height, weight, eye and hair color (short codes such as BRO or BLK), date of birth, place of birth, and country of citizenship spelled out in full.
- Residence: your home address.
- Employer and address: the name and address of the board or agency requesting the check, if your instructions ask for it.
- ORI and reason fingerprinted: exactly what your board tells you. If the board’s cards come with these already printed, leave them as they are.
The section for the person taking your prints is ours. We fill it in, sign and date it, and check every card with you before you leave. Don’t fold or cut the cards. For an example of every field, see the step-by-step chart in our FD-258 guide.
Check Your Packet for an ID Form
Some boards include a form for whoever takes your prints to sign, confirming they checked your ID. Bring it to the appointment and we’ll fill in our part.
Licensing in More Than One State
If you’re applying in several states, for travel nursing or telehealth for example, each board needs its own cards and its own package. Keep the packages separate and check each one against that board’s list before it goes out. If an agency is handling your applications, ask them which boards want cards.
Statements You Have to Swear To
Nursing boards often ask you to sign sworn statements as part of the application. We’re notaries, so we can notarize those at the same appointment.
Sending It Off
Your application package goes from you to the board. If you’d like us to mail it, we can, for an extra fee.
We’ll Come to You
We fingerprint nurses at hospitals, clinics, offices and at home, around shift schedules. You can see more about our ink fingerprinting service. If you’re a doctor, our guide for doctors licensing outside California covers the same ground for medical boards.
Call or text (310) 526-0200.
