Alaska Fingerprinting Background Check: $35 Fee, FD-258, and Process

An Alaska fingerprint background check costs $35 at the state level and runs through the Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Records and Identification Bureau in Anchorage. You have a certified technician roll your prints onto a standard FD-258 card, then mail or hand-deliver the card, a letter of explanation, your mailing address, and a check or money order for $35 payable to the State of Alaska to the R&I Bureau at 5700 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99507.¹ Results go to the licensing board, employer, or other agency that requested the check, not to you.²

What the $35 Pays For

The $35 state fee covers only the R&I Bureau’s search of Alaska criminal justice records.¹ If your licensing board or employer also needs a federal check, the DPS forwards prints to the FBI, which searches its nationwide database. The FBI charges $18 for an Identity History Summary when submitted directly,³ but the combined cost through an Alaska requesting agency depends on how that agency structures the submission and whether a third-party vendor handles the federal portion.

On top of state and federal fees, the fingerprinting location will charge its own service fee for taking the prints. That amount varies by provider. Plan for at least two separate charges: the technician and the state.

Pay the state fee by check or money order made payable to the State of Alaska.⁴

What to Bring to the Appointment

Before you sit down with a technician, collect everything from the agency that asked for the check. Your employer or licensing board should give you authorization forms and instructions, often including a pre-filled authorization number or a letter citing the statutory authority for the check. Some agencies hand you the actual fingerprint card; others expect the fingerprinting location to supply a blank one.

Bring government-issued photo identification, such as a driver’s license or passport. A secondary form of ID, like a Social Security card or birth certificate, is commonly requested for identity verification. Fill out every required form accurately before you arrive. Incomplete or incorrect submissions get rejected and returned unprocessed, which means starting over and possibly paying again.⁵

Where to Get Fingerprinted in Alaska

Alaska has a network of approved fingerprinting providers. Private vendors operate in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Wasilla, Palmer, Kenai, Kodiak, Ketchikan, and other communities. If your community has no listed private provider, the DPS directs you to your local Alaska State Trooper office.

Check with your requesting agency before booking. Some boards and employers require a specific provider or location. The DPS publishes approved-fingerprinter lists on its website, and the list varies by program. The concealed handgun permit program has its own approved list, and professional licensing programs through the Department of Commerce may point you to a different set of providers.⁶

If you live outside Alaska but need an Alaska check, take your fingerprint card, the requesting agency’s instructions, and photo ID to a local law enforcement agency or authorized fingerprinting provider in your area. Use the correct card: either the Alaska-provided card (printed in pale blue ink) or a standard FBI FD-258 form. Then mail the completed card to whichever Alaska agency requested it.⁷

The FD-258 Card and Why Cards Get Rejected

Alaska requires fingerprints on the standard FD-258 FBI card. The DPS is explicit: prints submitted in any other format will be rejected, including prints on the standard form but printed in different sizes or on different paper stocks.¹ Alaska has not moved to electronic Live Scan submission for most background checks. This is a physical card process.

A certified technician takes ten-print impressions using ink or a digital scanner that prints images onto the FD-258. The card has strict handling rules:

All written information and signatures must be in black ink only.
All ten fingers must be rolled from nail to nail, including the first flexion crease. Fingers should be clean and dry before inking.
No staples, staple holes, tape, tears, or folds on the card.

Poor-quality prints are one of the most common reasons for rejection. A rejected card means submitting a second set, and you may be charged a re-examination fee.⁵

Submitting the Card

Once the card is completed and signed by both you and the technician, the package goes to the R&I Bureau. For a state-only check submitted directly, include:

The completed FD-258 card, signed, legible, and undamaged.
A letter of explanation describing the purpose of the request.
Your current mailing address for return correspondence.
A check or money order for $35 payable to the State of Alaska.

Mail or hand-deliver to: Criminal Records and Identification Bureau, 5700 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99507.¹

Many applicants never mail the card themselves. Licensing boards and employers often collect the card and handle submission on your behalf. Follow whatever instructions your requesting agency gives you, because their process may differ from a direct individual submission.

How Long It Takes and Who Sees the Results

The DPS does not publish a guaranteed turnaround. Expect several weeks for a state-only check, and longer when a federal FBI search is also required. Anything that forces resubmission (smudged prints, missing signatures, wrong card format) adds weeks because you are effectively starting over.

Results go to the requesting agency, not to you. Alaska law under AS 12.62.160 treats criminal justice information as confidential and restricts release to authorized recipients.² If your requesting agency’s policy permits, it may share a copy of your FBI record with you for review. If not, you can request your own Identity History Summary directly from the FBI by submitting fingerprints and the $18 fee.³

Fixing a Record That Is Wrong

If your check turns up information you believe is wrong or incomplete, you can challenge it. The path depends on whether the error sits in your Alaska record or your FBI record.

For Alaska records, the DPS provides a “Correct Criminal Justice Information” form on its website. Contact the R&I Bureau at (907) 269-5767 or email dps.criminal.records@alaska.gov to start the correction.¹

For FBI records, federal regulations give you two options. You can apply directly to the agency that originally contributed the disputed information, or you can send your challenge to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, West Virginia. If you go through the FBI, it forwards the challenge to the contributing agency for verification, and once that agency responds, the FBI updates the record accordingly.⁸ If a licensing decision or job offer is pending, start the challenge immediately and tell the requesting agency that a correction is in progress.

Your Rights When an Employer Runs the Check

Fingerprint checks through the R&I Bureau are one channel. When an employer instead runs a background check through a consumer reporting agency, the Fair Credit Reporting Act adds separate protections. The employer must get your written authorization first. If it decides to take adverse action based on the results, whether that means denying you the job, rescinding an offer, or firing you, it must first give you a copy of the report and a written summary of your rights.⁹ That pre-adverse action notice gives you the chance to review the report and dispute errors before the decision becomes final.

1
Alaska Department of Public Safety. Background Check Requests
2
Justia. Alaska Code 12.62.160 – Release and Use of Criminal Justice Information; Fees
3
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
4
Alaska Department of Public Safety. FAQ – Background – Records and Information
5
Alaska Department of Public Safety. Fingerprint Card Instructions
6
Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. Professional Licensing – Fingerprint Information
7
Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development. Fingerprint Requirements
8
eCFR. 28 CFR 16.34 – Procedure to Obtain Change, Correction or Updating of Identification Records
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681b – Permissible Purposes of Consumer Reports