Both Livescan and FD-258 cards capture your fingerprints for a background check. The difference is how they travel to the agency, and that decides which one you need.
Livescan: electronic, for Florida
With Livescan, your fingerprints are scanned digitally and sent straight to FDLE and the Florida agency that requested them. There's nothing to mail, and most Florida results come back in 24–72 hours.
Choose Livescan if:
- A Florida agency, board or employer asked for your fingerprints
- You were given a Florida ORI number
- Your instructions mention FDLE, AHCA, DOH, DOE, DCF, DBPR or another Florida agency
FD-258 cards: ink, for everywhere else
The FD-258 is the standard FBI fingerprint card. We roll your prints in ink, and you mail the cards to the agency yourself. A single card is $45 and a two-card set is $65. See ink fingerprint cards.
Choose ink cards if:
- You're applying for a license or job in another state that doesn't accept Florida Livescan
- Your instructions include blank FD-258 cards or ask you to mail fingerprints
- You're applying for immigration, an expungement, an IRS role or as a CMS / Medicare high-risk provider
The reverse case: out of state, applying to Florida
If you live outside Florida but need to submit to a Florida agency, you can't come in for Livescan, and Florida agencies don't take ink cards by mail. Our card-to-Livescan conversion solves that: get FD-258 cards rolled where you live, mail them to us, and we submit them to FDLE electronically. Read how it works.
Still not sure? Check your agency's instructions for the words "Livescan," "ORI" or "FD-258," or call us and we'll tell you which one you need.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements change, and the agency requesting your background check has the final say. Results and decisions come from FDLE, the FBI and the requesting agency.