Tips for Improving FP Quality                 View the Tips for Improving FP Quality video

Unfortunately, there isn't anything the CBCP can do to expedite your CBC. We have a two-week turnaround time on receiving your background check report after we have transmitted it to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). However, we receive about 90% of them in under two weeks and about 60% in less than one week.

So, what can you do to expedite your CBC? You can plan ahead. Don't put off completing your CBC until the last minute. The average time for a CBC to be completed from the time the fingerprint packet email is sent until the report is delivered to the board is 31 days. This average is for all completed CBCs. The actual CBC turnaround time depends on several variables. Please consider each scenario below:

• All forms and the fingerprint card are completed correctly (approximately 93% of all submissions fall into this group). The average turnaround time from the date the initial CBC email is sent until the CBC report is delivered to the board is approximately one month. However, the average time for a report to be delivered to the board after the fingerprints/forms are received in the CBCP office is four business days.
• Approximately 3.3% of all applicants submit at least one set of fingerprints or forms that are non-compliant. For these applicants, the turnaround time between the initial CBC email and delivery to the board is two or three months. Here are some things to keep in mind regarding CBCs that fall into this category:
  • Some applicants repeatedly submit erroneous forms/fingerprints. To avoid this, be sure to follow all instructions provided.
  • The longest delay is the time it takes for corrected documents to be received. The average turnaround time between the date of notification of the error until the corrected items are received by CBCP is approximately one month.
  • On average, corrected forms received in the CBCP office will take approximately one week to process.
• Even if the paperwork is submitted without any errors, another 3.3% of all submissions are rejected by the FBI due to low fingerprint quality. When prints are deemed by the FBI to be “not classifiable,” the applicant must submit a second set of fingerprints. In these cases, the average time between the initial CBC email and the report being delivered to the board is approximately two months.

These are averages only. Some way to shorten these times:

• Don't put off completing your application and paying the fees to the board until the very last minute. In most cases, the CBC fingerprint packet email will be sent to you the next business day after the fees have been paid. You cannot complete your CBC until you have received the email as it is the indication that we have received a CBC request from the board. Any fingerprints submitted before we have a CBC request from the board are considered "unsolicited" and will be destroyed.
• Submit your fingerprints as quickly as possible after you receive the fingerprint packet email.
• Follow the directions provided. The time it takes to correct an error may include having to be fingerprinted again and/or mailing in a new form. If you get it right the first time, you'll avoid these delays.
• Watch the video or read the Tips for Improving Fingerprint Quality. Simply preparing before your appointment can help avoid delays caused when the FBI rejects your fingerprints.