Fingerprinting

Who is required complete a fingerprint check?

Fingerprint-based background checks must be completed for the following individuals before a license or permit can be issued or before allowing an individual present at the operation:

  • The director, owner, and/or operator of the operation (including a sole proprietor, a partner in a partnership, or a chief executive officer (CEO) of an operation).
  • Each employee of the operation that works at the operation's location.
  • Each prospective employee of the operation.
  • Each person, at least 14 year of age who is not a client in care who:
    • Is counted in child-to-caregiver ratios.
    • Resides or will reside in the operation.
    • Has unsupervised access to children in care at the operation.
  • Each current or prospective foster parent providing foster care through a child-placing agency;
  • Each prospective adoptive parent seeking to adopt through a child-placing agency;
  • Each person 14 years of age or older, including a contract employee, self-employed person, or volunteer who:
    • Is counted in the child/caregiver ratio in accordance with the relevant minimum standards, unless the person is a parent or volunteer only supplements the child-caregiver ratio for a field trip or water activity;
    • Has unsupervised access to children in care; or
    • Provides direct care or supervision to children in care.
  • Each person 14 years of age or older who:
    • Resides in the operation; or
    • Will reside in a prospective adoptive home if the adoption is through a child-placing agency

Anyone requiring background checks but not listed above must also have a fingerprint-based background check completed if the person has lived in another state in the last five years or there is a reason to believe the person has a criminal history in another state.

Do volunteers and frequent visitors need fingerprint checks?

CCL does not require fingerprint checks; however, Texas name-based background checks are required for all volunteers and visitors that are regularly or frequently present at the child-care operation. Volunteers, including, but not limited to, parent volunteers in Head Start centers do not require fingerprint checks as long as they:

  • Are not counted in the child/caregiver ratio
  • Do not have unsupervised access to children in care
  • Do not provide direct care or supervision to children in care, or
  • Have not lived in another state at any time during the five-year period prior to the date you submit a background check.

Please note that if you have reason to believe criminal history exists in another state, the person must complete a FBI fingerprint-based check regardless of whether the above criteria are met. If the individual has only lived in Texas during the five-year period prior to the date you submit a background check, but you suspect criminal history exists in another state, contact CBCU for assistance with initiating the fingerprint check.

What does a fingerprint check include?

A fingerprint-based criminal history check is a search between a person's fingerprints and the DPS database of arrests for alleged crimes committed in Texas and dispositions, FBI database of arrests for alleged crimes committed anywhere in the United States and Territories and dispositions, DPS database of the Texas sex offender registry, and FBI database of the national sex offender registry.

What is a UEID number?

UEID stands for Universal Enrollment Identification.

IdentoGO assigns a unique UEID number to each applicant when a background check is requested. This number may be used to schedule a fingerprint appointment and also to check on the status of a completed fingerprint appointment to determine whether the prints are being processed or rejected. For more information see using the UEID to schedule a fingerprint appointment.

Can I schedule a fingerprinting appointment online for a person who does not have a valid Texas driver license or Social Security Number?

Yes. The person can schedule a fingerprint appointment on the IdentoGO scheduler, but is required to provide valid identification at the time of the appointment. See ID Requirements for Fingerprinting on the Fingerprinting page for more information.

How and when do I pay the fingerprinting fee?

The fingerprinting fee is paid directly to the fingerprinting vendor. The fee must be paid at the time of the fingerprint appointment, unless the applicant has been provided a payment coupon by a licensed operation. The person may use the coupon to pay the fingerprinting fee when scheduling the appointment with IdentoGO or at the fingerprint appointment.

The fingerprinting vendor does not accept personal checks. Payment can be made by credit card, business check, money order, or using a credit-card backed account set up with IdentoGo.

When a child care operation chooses to use a credit-card backed account, the operation must email IdentoGO's billing department to set up an account. The instructions for creating an account and the required paperwork can be found in the Forms and Links section at the bottom of the IdentoGO website.

Why does HHSC use IdentoGO to submit fingerprints electronically?

HHSC requires using an online system to automate and speed-up the processing of fingerprint checks. IdentoGO, the DPS fingerprint vendor, is the sole company the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) contracts with to accept electronic fingerprints for the purpose of criminal history checks.

Electronic fingerprinting allows HHSC to:

  • Receive electronic results which can be automatically processed very quickly; and
  • Receive notification from DPS and the FBI if a person has additional criminal activity in the future, based on retained electronic fingerprints.

The list of the current locations is available on the fingerprinting vendor's website. You must enter your service code in order to search for enrollment centers. See “How To Find Your Service Code” on the Fingerprinting page.

IdentoGO can provide onsite fingerprinting services for groups of 30 or more. Please note that these sessions are generally scheduled a minimum of five to six weeks in advance, and the fingerprinting vendor charges an additional $10.00 fee per applicant. To schedule an onsite session, please contact Erica Scott at 217-547-2226 or by email at Erica.Scott@us.idemia.com.

Why am I receiving an incorrect service code when I submit a background check?

The service code is determined based on the type of operation submitting the background check request and role of the person.

For more information regarding specific service codes, see the "How to Determine Your Service Code" section on the Fingerprinting page.

Note: If you believe you received the incorrect service code, please contact your HHSC CBCU representative, who can be located on the CBCU Contacts page.

How are rejected fingerprints handled, and how will I know if my fingerprints were rejected?

Sometimes DPS or the FBI rejects fingerprints. If this happens, an email will be sent by HHSC notifying you a rejected fingerprint was received. You will also be contacted by phone or email by the fingerprinting vendor, based on the preferred method of contact entered when the background check was requested, to schedule a reprint. You should not be charged a second time for fingerprinting. You may go online or schedule by phone with the fingerprint vendor for a reprint.

The reprint must be completed within one year of the initial appointment. If the second set of fingerprints is also rejected and was completed within one year of the initial appointment, HHSC can request a name-based search from the FBI. This search must be requested within 90 days of the second set of rejected fingerprints. If HHSC is not notified of the second rejection within the 90-day timeframe, the name-based search cannot be initiated. The person will require a new set of fingerprints, and will be required to pay a new fingerprinting fee.

If I previously completed a fingerprint check for another state agency in Texas do I have to be fingerprinted again?

If you were fingerprinted for another state agency, you may not have to complete fingerprinting again if:

  • CCL is able to locate and access your fingerprint results completed for another state agency,
  • You were fingerprinted on or after 6/1/15, and
  • Your fingerprints are eligible for subscription to the FBI national rap back service.

If you were fingerprinted for the Texas Education Agency (TEA) or another state agency, contact CBCU to determine if your fingerprint results can be transferred and used by CCL. Please send an email to CCLFBIRESULTS@hhsc.state.tx.us and include a copy of your driver license and Social Security card. You may contact the CBCU Support Line at 800-645-7549 for further assistance, but copies of your driver’s license and Social Security card must be received before this issue can be resolved.

How does fingerprinting work for someone who can't access a DPS approved fingerprinting center or needs special assistance because of a disability or special condition?

If a person is unable to access a DPS fingerprinting vendor in Texas because he or she lives outside of Texas or is unable to leave his/her place of residence due to a physical disability (see "Homebound Applicants" on the Fingerprinting page), he or she may be eligible to submit fingerprints on a hard card. Note: fingerprints collected on a hard card take longer to process and may result in a higher rejection rate from the FBI due to the quality of the fingerprints, which can cause a delay in receiving the results.

The background check must first be requested through the Public Provider website or by submitting a background check request form (see "How to Request an FBI Background Check" ). The person must then register to Submit A Fingerprint Card by Mail and pay the fingerprinting fee on the fingerprinting vendor's website. After the person's fingerprints have been collected, they must be sent to IdentoGO for processing. For more information, see the instructions for Out-of-State Applicants.

The results of the fingerprint check will be sent electronically to HHSC for review and processing. If the person wants to verify that the prints have been received and processed, he or she may check the status on the fingerprinting vendor's website at https://uenroll.identogo.com/ or by calling 217-793-2080. The person will be prompted for his or her Service Code and either the person's UEID and Date of Birth, or the person's Name, Date of Birth, and the Method of Contact that was entered when the background check was entered.

If an individual has a disability or condition that may affect the fingerprinting process, and the person is not considered "homebound" (see Homebound Applicants on the Fingerprinting page):

  • The background check must first be requested through the Child Care Licensing Account or by submitting a background check request form (see "How to Request an FBI Background Check").
  • Schedule a fingerprint appointment online or by calling toll-free at 888-467-2080 (8 a.m.-5 p.m. CST).
  • After a fingerprinting appointment has been scheduled, send an email to the CBCU mailbox with the Subject Line of "Fingerprinting Assistance Requested"
  • Include the person's disability or condition, any accommodations that may be needed, and the date, time, and location of the fingerprinting appointment.

CBCU will notify DPS and the fingerprint vendor in advance of the person's scheduled appointment of any accommodations or special consideration that may be needed due to the person's disability or condition.

When will fingerprint results be received?

Notification of individual background check results will no longer be provided as of January 13, 2019. A notification of eligibility will be sent when all required background check type results have been received for a person and processed.

For more information regarding background check result notifications, please see General Licensing Frequently Asked Question page.

How often do I have to complete fingerprinting?

New fingerprints are not required as long as CCL has an active subscription or can reactivate a subscription to the FBI's national rap back service for the person.

I am unable to schedule an appointment online because my name submitted does not match my identification documents, what do I do?

If the name shown on the notification received from HHSC containing the information needed to complete fingerprinting is accurate, however your identification documents show a different version of your name, complete the online scheduling process. When you arrive for your appointment, the fingerprinting vendor will make updates as needed. Be sure to bring additional documentation verifying the name submitted is accurate in addition to the required identification documents.

If the name shown on the notification received from HHSC is not accurate, contact the CBCU Support Line at 800-645-7549 for assistance.