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Criminal Background Check
Make this priority!
The results take 6-8 weeks for the Board to receive, often making this the last thing the Board needs to issue your license. California will not issue your medical license before they receive the results of your criminal background check
Do I have to get fingerprinted?
Yes. In California, the process is completed using Live Scan, which is an electronic fingerprinting process. Your prints will be sent to both the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to search for any criminal history. Out-of-state applicants may submit the traditional paper fingerprint cards approved to be used in California or come to California to use Live Scan.
I don’t live in California; how can I get paper fingerprint cards?
If you live out of state, once you have submitted your application and fees, the Board will automatically send fingerprint cards to you. If you have already submitted your fees and application but have not yet received the fingerprint cards, you may contact the Board’s Consumer Information Unit at 1-800-633-2322 to request that they be mailed to you. You may have your fingerprints taken by a local law enforcement agency or any other business approved for fingerprinting.
I already have been fingerprinted previously; can the Medical Board access those prints?
No. Federal law allows a Criminal Records Report to be released only to the requesting agency. You will need to undergo the fingerprinting and criminal history check process again specifically for the Medical Board.
DO NOT fingerprint yourself. Yes, there have been those who have tried, but these fingerprints are ALWAYS rejected.
