About this site: LosAngelesFingerprint.com is an educational resource operated by Anshin Mobile Notary and Live Scan. We created this site to answer the fingerprint questions applicants ask every day and to explain how fingerprinting actually works through practical experience. If you need professional fingerprinting services, please visit our Live Scan Fingerprinting page.
We hear this question almost every week.
Someone walks into our office and says, “I need a background check.”
Our first question is usually:
“What kind of background check?”
Many applicants are surprised by that question. They assume there’s only one type of background check and that it somehow examines every aspect of their lives.
It doesn’t.
The type of background check performed through fingerprinting is much narrower than most people realize. It is a fingerprint-based criminal history background check.
Why People Get Confused
Employers, licensing agencies, volunteer organizations, and government agencies often give applicants a checklist of things they must complete before starting work or receiving a license.
That checklist might include:
- Fingerprinting
- A criminal history background check
- A drug test
- A tuberculosis (TB) test
- Employment verification
- Reference checks
Because all of these requirements are presented together, many people assume they’re all part of one large background investigation.
They’re not.
Each requirement serves a different purpose.
What a Fingerprint-Based Criminal History Background Check Does NOT Look For
One of the biggest misconceptions we encounter is that fingerprinting somehow reveals everything about a person’s life.
It doesn’t.
A fingerprint-based criminal history background check is generally not looking for:
- Your credit score
- Missed credit card payments
- A bankruptcy filing
- A home foreclosure
- A divorce
- A civil lawsuit
- A failed drug test
- A tuberculosis (TB) screening
- Your employment history
- Most routine traffic or parking tickets
These are different records maintained by different organizations for entirely different purposes.
So What Is It Looking For?
A fingerprint-based criminal history background check is designed to determine whether there is reportable criminal history information associated with your fingerprints.
That’s why fingerprints are collected.
Names can be shared by many people. Dates of birth can be entered incorrectly. Fingerprints provide a much more reliable way to associate criminal history records with the correct individual.
This is why many employers, licensing agencies, and government organizations require fingerprinting instead of relying only on your name and date of birth.
Questions We Hear Every Week
After fingerprinting thousands of applicants, we’ve noticed many people worry about things that simply aren’t part of the fingerprinting process.
We’ve had applicants ask whether we’ll be:
- Checking their credit.
- Looking up unpaid bills.
- Reviewing a bankruptcy.
- Checking whether they were divorced.
- Performing a drug test.
- Giving a TB test.
These are understandable questions because fingerprinting is often only one item on a larger employment or licensing checklist.
But fingerprinting serves a very specific purpose.
It helps identify whether criminal history records, if they exist, are associated with the correct person.
Understanding the Difference Helps Eliminate Anxiety
Many applicants become nervous simply because they don’t understand what is actually being checked.
Once they realize that a fingerprint-based criminal history background check is focused on criminal history—not their finances, medical history, or other personal matters—they often feel much more comfortable about the process.
Understanding what fingerprinting is designed to accomplish removes much of the mystery surrounding the appointment.
Final Thoughts
If there’s one thing we hope applicants take away from this article, it’s this:
A fingerprint-based criminal history background check is not a “life background check.”
It’s a criminal history background check.
Knowing that distinction makes it much easier to understand why fingerprinting is required and what the process is actually designed to accomplish.
If you’ve been instructed to complete fingerprinting for employment, licensing, volunteering, or another official purpose, you can learn more about the process on our Live Scan Fingerprinting page or our guide to FBI Background Checks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a fingerprint background check show my credit score?
No. Credit information is maintained separately and is not part of a fingerprint-based criminal history background check.
Will a fingerprint background check show that I filed bankruptcy?
Generally, no. Bankruptcy filings are not what fingerprint-based criminal history background checks are designed to search.
Will my divorce appear on a fingerprint background check?
No. Divorce records are separate from criminal history records.
Will I be drug tested during my fingerprint appointment?
No. Drug testing and fingerprinting are separate employment or licensing requirements. Fingerprinting providers generally do not perform drug testing unless they specifically offer that as a separate service.
Why are fingerprints used instead of just my name?
Fingerprints, along with other information, provide a much more reliable way to associate criminal history records with the correct individual, especially when multiple people share the same or similar names.
This article is part of What Your Background Check Actually Does, where we follow the submission after it leaves the scanner.
Also in this section: What an ORI Code Actually Does, Why Your Employer Cannot Send You a Copy of Your Results and I Was Told I Need Fingerprints and a Background Check. What Do I Actually Need?.