International Law and Immigration
All California Bar Members Must be Re-Fingerprinted by April 30, 2019
Per the California Supreme Court’s issuance of California Rule of Court 9.9.5, all active attorneys in California must be re-fingerprinted by April 30, 2019. Instructions for this process can be found at on the State Bar’s website here.
- Is the State Bar requiring an FBI background check? Yes. Per the published instructions on the State Bar website, all active attorneys in California must have a fingerprint background (Live Scan) check.
- How much does it cost? The cost of the background check is $49. The breakdown of that fee is $32 for the DOJ and $17 for the FBI. There is an additional service fee charged by the Live Scan vendors, which will vary by vendor. According to the State Bar website “The costs for the Live Scan vendor to physically take your fingerprints differ by vendor and can range from $5 to $75, with an average cost of $33”.
- How can I be fingerprinted if I don’t live in California? Fingerprinting must be completed by an authorized facility in California, however, per the State Bar website, “attorneys who live out-of-state can request hard copy fingerprint cards from the State Bar to be mailed to their preferred location. The cards can be completed at any fingerprint processing location within the jurisdiction in which they are located.”
To locate a fingerprinting location in California, click here.