You usually won’t get a direct pass-or-fail notice, so the honest answer to “how do I know if I passed my Live Scan” is that you read it from what happens next. Results are sent to the agency that requested the check, not to you. If the job offer firms up, the license moves to the next step, or the volunteer coordinator gives you a start date, you cleared. If things go quiet or the requester asks for more information, something in the process may be holding it up.
Why the Results Don’t Come to You
When the operator captures your fingerprints, they’re transmitted electronically to the state identification bureau and, if requested, to the FBI for a search of the national criminal history database. The response goes back to whoever ordered the check: an employer, a licensing board, or a volunteer organization. You’re not copied on it.
That means the requester knows before you do. Silence from them isn’t automatically bad news. Electronic processing is often quick when nothing matches, but a possible match sends the file to a technician for manual review, and manual review has no guaranteed timeline.
What “Cleared” Actually Means
A “cleared” or “no record” result means the fingerprint search did not turn up a criminal history matching your prints in the databases searched for the specific role you applied for. It does not certify that you have zero criminal history anywhere, and it does not mean the same result would come back for a different position.
What counts as disqualifying depends on the role. A felony conviction might bar you from one professional license and have no effect on a different job. The requesting agency applies its own standards, usually set by state law or industry regulation, to whatever comes back. Two people with identical records can get different outcomes depending on what they applied for.
FBI fingerprint checks search the Next Generation Identification system, which holds records of arrests, convictions, outstanding warrants, and certain court orders from federal, state, and local law enforcement. Not every brush with the justice system is in there. Minor infractions that never resulted in an arrest and booking generally won’t appear, because no prints were taken to match against.
Reading the Signals
Because you won’t get a certificate, watch the process itself. Movement is the signal. A written offer, an onboarding email, a license number, an approval to begin volunteering: those are what “passed” looks like in practice.
Delay isn’t proof of a problem. Peak periods, high volume at the state or FBI level, and manual review of a possible hit can each add days or weeks with nothing wrong on your end. What should get your attention is a request from the agency for additional information, or a letter enclosing a copy of a background report. That second one has its own legal meaning, covered below.
Common Reasons for a Delay
When prints don’t match anything, processing is mostly electronic and fairly quick. When a potential match turns up, a technician has to review the record by hand to decide whether the match is genuine before a response goes out. That takes longer.
- Poor fingerprint quality. Worn, dry, or scarred fingertips can produce images the system can’t read, and a small share of submissions are rejected for image quality alone. You’ll need to be re-fingerprinted.
- Data entry errors. If the operator entered your name, date of birth, or the requesting agency’s identifying code incorrectly, the submission can be misdirected or rejected. A new submission with a new fee is usually required.
- High volume. State bureaus and the FBI process millions of checks. Start-of-school-year rushes and licensing deadlines can add time.
How to Check the Status
Your options are limited on purpose. Most states give the requesting agency a tracking number at submission. In many states, the receipt from your Live Scan appointment shows an Automated Transaction Identifier (ATI) or Transaction Control Number (TCN). Some states run automated phone systems where the requesting agency can use that number and your date of birth to see whether results have been sent back.
Once a submission is in manual review, status inquiries often go nowhere. Many processing agencies simply can’t provide updates while a technician is working. The next thing the requester hears is the completed response. If you’ve been waiting longer than expected, contact the agency that asked for the Live Scan. They’re the ones who receive the results and can tell you whether anything has come back.
If the Results Are Used Against You
If an employer decides not to hire you based on a background check, federal law gives you specific protections. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, before taking what the statute calls an “adverse action” based on a background check, the employer must give you a copy of the report they relied on and a written summary of your rights.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – Section 1681b The point is to let you see what the report says and flag any errors before the decision is final.2Federal Trade Commission. Using Consumer Reports: What Employers Need to Know
This is often the moment people first learn what actually showed up on their Live Scan. If something is wrong, outdated, or belongs to someone else, you have a right to dispute it. The consumer reporting agency that put the report together must investigate free of charge and resolve the dispute within 30 days, a window that can be extended by up to 15 additional days if you provide new information during the investigation.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 – Section 1681i
These FCRA protections apply when the employer used a third-party consumer reporting agency, which most large employers do. Licensing boards and government agencies may follow different procedures, but many states build similar notification requirements into their licensing statutes.
Requesting agencies are not always required to deny you outright when something appears. Many licensing boards and employers have to weigh factors like how long ago the offense occurred, whether it relates to the duties of the position, and evidence of rehabilitation.
Seeing Your Own Record
If you want to know what will show up before you sit for a Live Scan, or you want to verify what was on it afterward, you can request your own Identity History Summary from the FBI. Sometimes called a “rap sheet,” it lists information from fingerprint submissions the FBI has retained in connection with arrests, federal employment, naturalization, and military service.4Federal Bureau of Investigation. Requesting FBI Records
The cost is $18, whether you submit by mail or electronically. Electronic submissions are available at participating U.S. Post Office locations, though those sites may charge additional service fees. The FBI does not accept personal checks, business checks, or cash.5Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
Correcting Errors on Your Record
If your Identity History Summary contains inaccurate or incomplete information, you can challenge it. Federal regulations let you contact either the law enforcement agency that originally submitted the disputed entry or the FBI directly. The FBI will forward your challenge to the contributing agency and ask them to verify or correct the record, then update its files based on the official response.6eCFR. Title 28 CFR Section 16.34
This takes time, so starting early matters. Corrections to your FBI record carry through to future fingerprint-based checks, so fixing an error now prevents it from tripping up every Live Scan you submit going forward.
Expunged or Sealed Records That Still Appear
Expunged or sealed records can still show up on an FBI background check if the state that handled the case never notified the FBI to remove the entry. State expungement and sealing laws vary, and the duty to update federal databases falls on the state agency or court that granted the relief. Federal arrest data is removed from the FBI’s criminal file only at the request of the submitting agency or upon a federal court order specifically directing expungement.5Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
If you had a record expunged or sealed and want to be sure it won’t surface on a Live Scan, request your own Identity History Summary first. If the record still appears, contact the state identification bureau where the offense occurred to confirm the expungement was communicated to the FBI. Assuming the system worked can cost you a job offer.