How Employers Can Coordinate FBI Fingerprinting Logistics for Employees

This article is based on situations Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan encounters when an employer wants to make an employee’s FBI fingerprinting appointment easier by handling payment and logistics.

An employer recently contacted us because an employee needed FBI fingerprinting. The employer was not asking to receive the employee’s report from us or to manage the employee’s personal information. It simply wanted to remove the administrative obstacles.

This article is not describing an employer demanding that an employee surrender a personal FBI Identity History Summary as a quid pro quo or condition of employment. It is about the employer voluntarily supporting the logistics—such as paying the cost, coordinating timing, and arranging mobile service—after the appropriate fingerprinting process has been identified.

The company wanted to know:

• How can we pay for the service?
• Can the employee schedule directly?
• Can the fingerprinting come to the employee?
• What information does the employee need before the appointment?
• How do we keep HR from coordinating every small detail?

That is the useful role an employer can play: arranging and paying for the logistics while the employee communicates directly with the fingerprinting provider, supplies their own information, and receives their own FBI result.

Begin by Confirming Which FBI Process Is Actually Required

Employers and employees frequently use the phrase “FBI background check” to describe several different processes.

An FBI Identity History Summary is a copy of information associated with an individual’s fingerprints in the FBI’s records. A personal Identity History Summary request is made by the individual and the result is delivered to that individual through the applicable FBI or FBI-approved channeler process.

For employment or licensing within the United States, the requesting organization should first confirm whether a federal law, state law, licensing body, government agency, or other authorized program requires a different submission channel. A personal Identity History Summary should not be casually substituted for an authorized employment or licensing background-check process.

Before arranging the appointment, the employer and employee should identify:

• who is requesting the check;
• why it is required;
• whether the individual is requesting a personal FBI Identity History Summary;
• whether an authorized domestic employment or licensing channel applies;
• whether the report is needed for an overseas job, visa, residency, licensing, or another international purpose; and
• what deadline governs the project.

This review prevents everyone from efficiently completing the wrong fingerprinting process.

What an Employer Can Arrange

Once the correct fingerprinting route has been identified, the employer can make the appointment much easier without handling the employee’s FBI report.

The employer can:

• approve the expense;
• pay the fingerprinting provider remotely;
• request an invoice or receipt;
• provide the employee with our contact information;
• communicate the applicable deadline;
• arrange an onsite or mobile appointment;
• coordinate appointment blocks when several people need fingerprinting; and
• allow the provider to communicate directly with each employee about scheduling and appointment preparation.

The employer does not need to become the middleman for identification questions, appointment availability, parking instructions, mobile-service locations, or fingerprint-card preparation.

The Employer Can Pay Without Attending the Appointment

One of the easiest ways to support an employee is to handle payment in advance.

The employer does not need to attend the fingerprinting appointment or hand the employee a company credit card. Remote payment can be arranged, and the company can receive an invoice or payment receipt for its records.

This is useful when:

• the employee works at another location;
• the company’s accounting department must approve the expense;
• the employee should not have to pay personally and request reimbursement;
• several employees need appointments;
• the employer wants one centralized billing arrangement; or
• the fingerprinting must be completed quickly.

Payment and report delivery are separate issues. A company may pay for the service while the employee remains the person who supplies the personal information and receives the personal FBI Identity History Summary.

Why Direct Communication With the Employee Works Better

After the employer provides our contact information, the employee can call or text us directly.

This is usually more efficient because the employee knows their own schedule and can answer questions about the purpose of the request, their identification, and the delivery method they selected.

We can explain:

• available appointment times;
• whether an office or mobile appointment is more practical;
• what identification to bring;
• what personal information is required;
• whether fingerprint cards or electronic capture are involved;
• how the applicable submission process works; and
• how the individual will access or receive their result.

This keeps personal details between the employee and the fingerprinting process while allowing the employer to solve the administrative problem.

A Practical Employer-Supported Workflow

A typical arrangement works like this:

1. The employer tells the employee that it will cover the cost of the required fingerprinting service.
2. The employer or employee confirms which FBI or authorized background-check process applies.
3. The employer contacts us to arrange payment and provide any relevant deadline or scheduling information.
4. The employee contacts us directly to choose an appointment time.
5. We explain the identification, fingerprinting, and submission requirements to the employee.
6. The employee appears in person and provides their own identifying information.
7. We capture the fingerprints and complete the appropriate submission or fingerprint-card service.
8. The result follows the delivery rules of the applicable process. For a personal FBI Identity History Summary, the individual receives the result.

The employer has successfully removed the cost and scheduling obstacles without becoming the recipient of a personal report through the fingerprinting provider.

The Employee Must Personally Participate

An employer can arrange payment and logistics, but it cannot attend the appointment in place of the employee.

The employee must personally appear because:

• the fingerprints must be captured from that individual;
• the individual’s identity must be reviewed;
• the individual supplies and confirms their personal information; and
• the fingerprint quality must be evaluated during capture.

The employer generally does not need to be present. Once the appointment is funded and the employee has the correct instructions, the provider can handle the fingerprinting interaction directly.

Electronic Capture and Fingerprint Cards Are Not the Same Workflow

The appointment may involve electronic fingerprint capture or ink fingerprints on a card, depending on the required submission route.

Some individuals use an electronic FBI-approved channeler process. Other requests require a fingerprint card that will be mailed with an application or submitted to another authorized recipient. International and foreign-employment projects may also have instructions that differ from domestic employment or licensing checks.

The employer does not need to select equipment or card specifications without guidance. It should provide any written instructions to the employee and fingerprint provider so the correct service can be identified before the appointment.

When Several Employees Need FBI Fingerprinting

The same logistics model can be used for a group.

The employer can establish a centralized payment arrangement and provide the general deadline. Employees can then schedule individually, or the organization can arrange coordinated appointment blocks or mobile fingerprinting at the workplace.

For a group project, we usually want to know:

• how many people need fingerprinting;
• whether everyone is following the same process;
• whether fingerprint cards or electronic submission are required;
• where the employees are located;
• whether they work different shifts;
• who will serve as the scheduling contact;
• who is responsible for payment; and
• the date by which fingerprinting must be completed.

Where several employees are in one place, mobile fingerprinting may reduce travel and employee downtime. Where employees are dispersed, individual appointments with centralized billing may be more practical.

Information the Employer Should Provide—and Information the Employee Provides

Separating the information reduces confusion.

The employer can provide:

• confirmation that it will pay;
• billing contact information;
• the operational deadline;
• the number of employees;
• the preferred location or appointment structure; and
• any written instructions from the requesting authority.

The employee provides:

• their own identification;
• their personal biographical information;
• their fingerprints;
• their delivery information;
• their consent and certifications required by the applicable process; and
• any personal follow-up concerning their result.

This division allows the employer to organize the project without unnecessarily collecting information that belongs in the employee’s individual request.

Do Not Confuse a Personal FBI Summary With an Authorized Employment Check

This distinction should be resolved before the appointment.

A personal FBI Identity History Summary is requested by the individual for personal review, correction, updating, or another purpose for which that individual report is appropriate. For employment or licensing within the United States, an applicable law or agency may require fingerprints to be submitted through a state identification bureau, requesting federal agency, or another authorized channel.

Therefore, an employer should not simply select a personal Identity History Summary because it sounds like a comprehensive “FBI background check.” It should confirm the required channel with the agency, regulator, attorney, compliance professional, or other authority responsible for the requirement.

Our role is to help identify and perform the correct fingerprinting service—not to decide whether an employer is legally authorized to use a particular report.

A Simple Logistics Checklist for Employers

Before arranging payment or sending employees to an appointment, confirm:

• Who requires the fingerprinting?
• Is this a personal FBI Identity History Summary or an authorized employment or licensing process?
• Has the requesting authority provided instructions?
• Who will pay?
• How many employees need fingerprinting?
• Will appointments be individual, blocked together, or performed onsite?
• What is the fingerprinting deadline?
• Does the process require electronic capture or fingerprint cards?
• Who receives the result under the applicable process?

Once those questions are answered, Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan can coordinate the FBI fingerprinting appointment, remote payment, onsite logistics, and communication with the employee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can an employer pay for an employee’s FBI fingerprinting?

Yes. The employer can arrange remote payment or centralized billing so the employee does not have to pay personally and request reimbursement.

Can the fingerprinting provider send a personal FBI Identity History Summary to the employer?

A personal FBI Identity History Summary is delivered to the individual through the applicable FBI or FBI-approved channeler process. The fingerprint provider should not redirect the employee’s personal result to the employer. A separate authorized employment or licensing process may have different delivery rules.

Can the employer schedule the appointment?

The employer can initiate the project and arrange payment, but direct communication between the employee and fingerprint provider is usually best for selecting the appointment time and confirming personal requirements.

Does the employer need to attend?

No. The employee must personally appear for fingerprinting, but the employer generally does not need to attend.

Can several employees be fingerprinted onsite?

Yes. Coordinated appointment blocks or mobile service may be practical when several employees need the same fingerprinting service. The provider should confirm the process, equipment, scheduling, and payment arrangement before the event.

Is a personal FBI Identity History Summary always the correct employment background check?

No. For domestic employment or licensing, state or federal law may require submission through a state identification bureau, requesting federal agency, or another authorized channel. The employer should verify the required process before scheduling.

Who receives the personal FBI result?

The individual receives a personal FBI Identity History Summary through the delivery method associated with the request. An authorized employment, licensing, or agency process may route its result differently.

Employers Can Make the Logistics Easy

An employer does not need to manage every fingerprinting detail to support an employee.

It can identify the operational need, confirm the appropriate process, approve the expense, pay remotely, provide the deadline, and allow the employee and fingerprinting provider to coordinate directly.

That was the purpose of the original conversation: not to make a personal FBI report a quid pro quo or condition of employment, and not to make the employer the recipient of that personal report through the fingerprinting provider. The point is that an employer can remove the scheduling, payment, travel, and administrative barriers that make an otherwise appropriate fingerprinting process harder than it needs to be.