What to Expect at Your USCIS Biometrics Appointment

At a USCIS biometrics appointment, a technician at an Application Support Center (ASC) takes your fingerprints, photograph, and digital signature so USCIS can confirm your identity and the FBI can run a criminal background check. USCIS schedules the appointment after you file certain applications, including a green card, work permit, asylum, or citizenship request. The visit itself usually takes under 30 minutes once you’re called, though wait times vary by location. Getting this step right matters: showing up unprepared can delay your case, and skipping it can get your application denied outright.

What to Bring

Two documents get you through the door: your appointment notice and a valid photo ID.

The appointment notice is Form I-797C, which USCIS mails with your date, time, and ASC location.¹ Bring the original. ASC staff stamp it after your appointment, and that stamped copy is your only physical proof you showed up. If you received multiple biometrics notices for different applications, bring all of them. Lost your notice or never received it? Contact USCIS before your scheduled date to request a replacement.

For ID, USCIS accepts documents like a green card, passport, or driver’s license, so long as it’s unexpired and has your photo.² If the name on your ID doesn’t match the name on your application, bring supporting documents like a marriage certificate or court-ordered name change to explain the difference.

Have your Alien Registration Number (A-Number) accessible too if you have one. It’s the letter “A” followed by up to nine digits and appears on most USCIS correspondence.³ Not every applicant has one at this stage, but it speeds up intake if you do.

What Happens Inside the ASC

Expect security screening at the entrance similar to a federal courthouse. Cell phones and cameras are generally not permitted inside, so leave them in your car or with someone waiting outside. Electronics are subject to screening and possible confiscation at the door, and once you start the screening process you can’t back out; refusing to complete it can result in detention.⁴

Past security, a staff member checks your I-797C and photo ID against each other and against the record in the system. You’ll get a numbered ticket and wait until a technician calls you.

At the workstation, the technician scans all ten fingerprints on a digital glass surface. No ink. The scanner shows the technician instant feedback on image quality, and if your prints are faint they may apply a moisturizing lotion to improve the scan. Next comes a digital photo. USCIS embeds this photo on secure documents like your Permanent Resident Card or Employment Authorization Document, and for applications like the N-400 (naturalization), I-485 (adjustment of status), and I-90 (green card renewal), USCIS always collects a fresh photograph rather than reusing an old one.⁵ Finally, you provide a digital signature on an electronic pad.

The technician stamps your I-797C when everything is done. Keep that stamped notice somewhere safe for the rest of your case. You’re free to leave right after.

Can You Walk In Early?

Yes, USCIS policy allows early walk-ins, and agency guidance references the option of appearing before your scheduled date.⁵ Whether you’re actually seen depends on how busy the ASC is that day. Walk-ins get accommodated on a space-available basis, and some locations are more receptive than others. You still need to bring your appointment notice and ID.

Children, Seniors, and Applicants With Disabilities

Children under 14 are generally exempt. If a child does need to appear in specific circumstances, a parent or legal guardian signs on the child’s behalf.² Once a child turns 14, they must attend on their own and provide their own signature.

Adults over 79 have historically been exempt from fingerprinting for most benefit types. A proposed federal rule published in late 2025 would remove all age-based exemptions if finalized, but until it takes effect the current 14-to-79 age range for routine biometrics collection remains in place.

If a medical condition makes it physically impossible to provide fingerprints, whether because of a disability, a skin condition, or missing fingers, you can request a fingerprint waiver. USCIS won’t grant a waiver simply because you have fewer than ten fingers or because the condition is temporary. Permanent conditions affecting print quality can qualify.⁵ Note that Form N-648, which waives the English and civics testing requirements for naturalization, does not exempt you from the biometrics appointment itself.⁶

What Happens After

Once the ASC collects your biometrics, USCIS sends the records to the FBI. The FBI runs your fingerprints against its databases and separately conducts a name check.⁷

Biometric-based background check results are valid for 15 months from the date of collection.⁸ If your case isn’t decided within that window, USCIS will schedule a second appointment to refresh your records. This is routine for cases stuck in long processing backlogs and doesn’t signal a problem with your application.

Don’t expect a letter saying the background check passed. USCIS doesn’t send one. Your case simply moves forward to the next step, usually an interview or a request for additional evidence. If initial results are inconclusive, USCIS can require you to submit additional biometrics.⁹

Rescheduling

If you can’t make your scheduled date, request a reschedule before the appointment time. USCIS accepts these requests through your myUSCIS online account or by calling the USCIS Contact Center, but not by mail or in person at a USCIS office.⁵ An attorney with a filed Form G-28 can submit the request on your behalf through either channel.

You need to show “good cause” for the change: a reason substantial enough that the agency considers it fair, like a serious illness, a death in the family, or an unavoidable travel conflict. A minor scheduling inconvenience probably won’t cut it. Provide specific details about why you can’t attend.²

The online self-service tool won’t work if you’ve already rescheduled twice. After that, you’d need to call the Contact Center directly.¹⁰ If you miss the appointment entirely without requesting a reschedule beforehand, you can still contact the Contact Center, but USCIS treats those untimely requests differently and won’t process them through the online tool.⁵

What Happens If You Miss It

This is where cases die. Under federal regulations, if USCIS requires you to appear for biometrics and you don’t show up, your benefit request “shall be considered abandoned and denied” unless USCIS received a rescheduling request or change of address by the appointment time.⁹ That language gives the agency very little discretion. It’s not a warning.

Abandonment means your entire application is denied. You’d have to refile from scratch and pay all filing fees again. Because most immigration filing fees now bundle the cost of biometrics into the main fee, there’s no separating out a biometrics-only portion for a refund.

Biometric Services Fees

As of April 1, 2024, USCIS eliminated the separate $85 biometric services fee for most immigration applications. The cost is now folded into the main filing fee you pay when you submit your application, so you won’t see a separate biometrics line item on most receipts.¹¹

Two exceptions still carry a standalone biometric fee: Temporary Protected Status applications and filings processed through the Executive Office for Immigration Review. For those, the separate biometric services fee is $30.¹¹

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Immigrant Fee Payment: Tips on Finding Your A-Number and DOS Case ID
4
Department of Homeland Security. FAQ Regarding Items Prohibited from Federal Property
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1, Part C, Chapter 2 – Biometrics Collection
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12, Part B, Chapter 2 – Background and Security Checks
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 5, Part B, Chapter 3 – Eligibility, Documentation, and Evidence (Hague Process)
9
eCFR. 8 CFR 103.2 – Submission and Adjudication of Benefit Requests
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Launches Online Rescheduling of Biometrics Appointments
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule