Our office is not able to provide applicants with copies of the background check their board has performed on them. If you would like to request a copy of the Minnesota portion only, you may inquire with your board directly, but it may only be available for a limited time after your background check is completed. mn.gov/boards/
The federal portion of the Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) resulting from the CBC is not accessible to applicants through the Board. Applicants may only request access to the federal portion by making a request to the FBI. This process takes approximately 10–12 weeks.
Visit the FBI’s website for information about how to obtain the FBI portion of the report: https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks
No. The licensure CBC report we receive is a single purpose document. That means that it can’t be used for any other purpose.
Our office is only able to provide services for licensure with one of the Minnesota Health Related Licensing Boards.
The CBC required for licensure with one of the Minnesota Health Related Licensing Boards must be completed for that purpose; a new CBC, run based on a new set of fingerprints, must be completed. You cannot use a prior CBC, nor can you use the CBC completed for Minnesota licensure for any other purpose.
Each board has their own processes and requirements. Please check with the Board to determine what is required. mn.gov/boards/
Mailing and Drop Off Instructions
If you haven't received the introductory email from our office (sent from the address criminal.background.check@state.mn.us), there are two likely possible reasons.
First, your application may not yet be active with your board. If your fees are not fully paid, or if there is another issue with your application, your board would not have sent the CBC request to our office yet.
Second, your application may be active but with an incorrect email address on file. Please contact your board directly and inquire whether your application is complete, and if so double-check with them that your email address on file is spelled correctly and is an address to which you have access. Our office cannot update your email address on file with your board for you. Once an email address has been updated, introductory emails are typically resent to the new address within two business days. If the request has been made and the email address was correct, and your application was submitted within the last month, you should check your spam or junk folder for the email address on file. If you still cannot locate your introductory email, please contact our office by email with your name, date of birth, and the board to which you're applying; we should be able to locate your request and resend the email.
Contact your board: mn.gov/boards/
Yes. If you know your fingerprints have often been rejected by the FBI in the past, or you are having ink fingerprints taken and you are in a location where it is difficult to send or receive mail, you may want to submit two sets of fingerprints. You only need to submit one copy of Form 3 and all other forms.
In most cases, this is a good idea, where possible. In particular, if your first set of fingerprints were taken with ink, and you are able to go to a location offering digital ("LiveScan") fingerprinting instead, in many cases the higher-quality fingerprinting technique can result in sufficient prints. We also strongly recommend you follow our Tips for Improving Fingerprint Quality guidelines (pdf, video). If your first set of fingerprints were taken digitally, or you do not have access to a different fingerprint location, the best recommendation may be just to submit your second set as quickly as possible. Minnesota statute requires we attempt with two separate sets of fingerprints, but if those are both rejected by the FBI we can typically proceed with an alternative criminal history search.
Fingerprinting can be completed in any state or country, so long as the appropriate identity verification paperwork (provided at the time of application) is completed at the time of fingerprinting, and the appropriate type of card is used (available from our office by mail if the local office does not have them on hand).
If you submitted prints to the CBCP but there was a problem relating to the compliance with the forms or the card, you will be asked to send another set of fingerprints. If there continue to be issues, this may happen repeatedly, as we will not be able to transmit your fingerprints until we receive a set with no compliance issues.
If the FBI rejects the fingerprints provided as being unclassifiable or too light to classify, the law requires you send in at least one set of additional prints. According to Minn. Stat. §214.075, you must have two sets of prints rejected before the CBC can be completed using an alternative to fingerprints.
The longest part of the process occurs after the initial email is sent to the applicant and before the applicant has submitted their fingerprints and forms. The average turnaround time from the day the fingerprint card and forms are received in our office until the report is delivered to the Board is four business days, with 90% being delivered within two weeks.
If there is a problem with fingerprint quality, the process may need to be repeated. This can increase the entire CBC process time (including submissions to CBCP) to two or three months.
Finally, when we receive paperwork that is incomplete or incorrect, there may be delays while we wait for the corrected documents. When we receive corrected documents, it adds additional steps to the process that can take an additional two or three days.
90% of all CBC reports are delivered to the board within two weeks of receiving the fingerprints in our office. This means one person’s might be delivered in three days while someone else’s may take an additional week.
Completing a CBC isn’t like placing an online order for an identical item. Several variables impact the CBC process. First, low quality fingerprints can add additional steps and significantly slow the process. Second, the delivery method impacts how long it takes for fingerprints to reach the CBCP office. After fingerprints are transmitted, BCA or the FBI process each set of fingerprints at a different pace. Finally, a report can be delayed due to error.
If a report is not returned to the CBCP within two weeks, we will follow up with the BCA and will continue to send you email updates periodically.
As long as the card used is equivalent to the FD258 card, it will be accepted. Keep in mind these three things: 1) All required demographic data fields must be on the card; 2) Fingerprint layout must be the same as the FD258 (same fingerprint order and in roughly the same position); and 3) The PAS Certification Form must be completed, signed, and submitted with the rest of the required forms.
If the card does not meet these three requirements, you can contact our office and request a card be mailed to you.
You can find the ORI numbers on the CBC website. The ORI number for your board is not needed to transmit your fingerprints, so that field can be left blank.
Cross out the printed ORI and write the correct one in that space. The ORI number for your board is not needed to transmit your fingerprints, so that field can also just be left as is.
When we send fingerprint cards, some of them contain the Board name and address in the ORI field. However, this isn’t a requirement. If you are adding the ORI, you don’t have to include anything else identifying the Board.
Employer information is not required. You may leave these fields blank.
If you have had your prints taken by LiveScan, sending more than one card containing the same set of fingerprints is redundant. However, if your prints were taken with ink, you can send two cards with your forms and we will transmit the better of the two for your CBC. Sending two spearate sets is a good idea if you know your prints have been rejected due to quality in the past.
If all of the information is legible—just messy—then we can use the card. If we are unable to discern the information we may need to request the information from you by email.
Add a post-it note to the card explaining the error and including the correct information.
We generally put requested cards in the mail drop within one business day. During our really busy season (April to June), sometimes it can take a few days for us to even get to the email or voicemail request. We send the email confirming the card is sent when the label is printed. At that point, it will definitely be in the mail drop within one business day. However, how long it takes to be processed through the mail drop and then the USPS is outside of our control. We ask that you allow up to two weeks to receive the card before you make a second request.
All outgoing mail from our office, including fingerprint cards, is sent through standard USPS mail, which does not have any tracking information. If you require tracking information, or if standard governmental mail does not reliably deliver to your address, you may wish to use a courier service. If you wish to have a courier service pick up an envelope with cards, just let our office know which service and when they will arrive to pick up the envelope.
Use the address you would put on your tax forms if you were filling those out today. The address on Form 2 is optional, so you may also leave it blank.
If you will complete the citizenship process before we receive your fingerprint card, you can enter US. If not, you should enter either the current country of citizenship or leave that field blank.
All forms are available online using the link provided in the initial CBC email. If you are unable to locate the email, please contact our office and request the email be resent. All emails are sent to the email address provided to the board on your license application. If you receive the forms from a friend and have your prints taken before you should, your prints might be deemed unusable by the CBCP and you would then have to have them taken again. For example, if you submit forms that are no longer the current version (based on the date of the CBC email sent to you), they will be unusable. If you submit the prints before the Board has requested a CBC for you, they will be unusable.
You should not get fingerprinted until you have received the forms by email. You should receive the CBC email within one to five business days after paying your fees. If you paid your fees to the board more than a week ago and still have not received the CBC email, you should take the following steps: check the Spam or Junk folder for the email address you have on file with your board; if you still don’t see the email, contact the Board to confirm that the fees have been applied to your application and that the board has your correct email address. If the Board indicates that the fees were applied more than one business day prior and the email address is correct, let them know that you have not received the CBC email and ask the Board to contact us to be sure a CBC request was created for you.
Please note: it usually takes at least one business day for the CBC request to be received from the Board.
No. Our office can only accept original forms signed in ink. While you can keep a copy for your own records, the form sent to our office must be physically mailed and be the original signed form, not a copy.
Yes. Form 3 is the Identity Verification Form; it's how we provide documentation to the FBI that the location you visited verified that you used an appropriate form of photo ID, and also serves as a record of the location visited and the technician involved. If there are any issues with that form, we can't use the fingerprints. A new set must be taken and set in along with the new Form 3 completed, dated, and signed at the time of fingerprinting by both you and the person taking your fingerprints, so the date on the fingerprint card and both dates on the Form 3 are the same. Even if the location you visit say they can reprint the fingerprints previously taken, the issue lies in the ID not having been verified when the fingerprints were taken, so a reprint will not correct the issue even if Form 3 is filled in correctly the second time; fingerprints received that are the same as those previously sent in but with a different date on the card and/or paperwork, suggesting that they are a reprint of an earlier set, cannot be used.
Before you contact our office to request that we review your materials a second time, we recommend you read through the specific email you received. Fingerprints can only be used if the accompanying Form 3 is fully completed (including the ID number for the photo ID provided at your appointment), signed, and dated, all done at the time of the fingerprinting (i.e., the dates on Form 3 must both be the same as the date on the card, and the fingerprints must have been taken on that date and not reprints of fingerprints taken and mailed to our office previously), with signatures by both you and the person taking your fingerprints (i.e., the same person must sign and date both the card and Form 3). If you've reviewed the possible issues described in the email and still would like us to double-check your submitted materials, you can call or email us. Please be aware that as this process requires physically pulling your record it may take slightly longer for our office to complete the review, depending on staff availability.
Yes. Our office is subject to routine audits by the FBI, as we submit a large volume of federal background checks, and the Identity Verification Forms (Form 3) being kept to a consistent standard of accuracy is a central part of how our office provides the service of performing background checks even for applicants from other states and countries who are not able to visit Minneapolis to have their fingerprints completed.
"Service numbers," "fingerprinting codes," etc. may be requested by private vendors if they are transmitting your fingerprints for a background check themselves, which is not an acceptable alternative to the process outlined in the fingerprint packet. Some fingerprinting locations are only able to take fingerprints for people whose companies or agencies perform the background check through their location; you will not be able to complete this fingerprinting requirement at a location like that. If the location you were planning on visiting is not able to take your fingerprints, without a separate service code, and print them out onto a hardcopy card for you to take and mail to us, that location will not work for this requirement. Typically your local sheriff’s office or police department will be able to refer you to a location that can take general-purpose civil fingerprints.
Any legitimate company that engages in fingerprinting service as a matter of their usual course of business is considered a qualified vendor.
No. The requirements outlined by the Minnesota statute do not vary based on your current residence; only the Minnesota and US federal background checks are required, even if you have never lived in Minnesota or the US. You will not need to provide any background checks yourself; you just need to submit the fingerprints and required paperwork to our office and we will complete the statutorily required checks for you.
If you have completed a different type of background check (for instance, a background study with DHS), you should be aware that the CBC for licensure is a completely separate process. If you submitted your fingerprints and forms to our office, please provide any information you have, including date of delivery, tracking number, and the address to which the documents were delivered.
Please note: all materials must be sent directly to the Criminal Background Check Program rather than to the licensing board. It can take up to seven business days for your materials to be reviewed in our office, so if you sent in your materials recently they may be in our processing queue but not yet reviewed. In addition, we cannot maintain any unsolicited documents. If you submitted fingerprints and forms prior to receipt of our initial fingerprint packet email, those materials would be considered “unsolicited” and an email explaining the situation and instructions on how to proceed would have been sent to the email address provided on Form 3. In this circumstance, failure to follow the instructions would result in the secure destruction of the documents after seven days.
We are aware and sensitive to the fact that many applicants have special circumstances. In fact, it is the nature of our business that a majority of our clients would like to expedite their CBC. We are simply not able to do this. Please see our Tips to Expedite Your CBC.
