If you are applying for a nursing license or certification in Arizona, the Arizona Board of Nursing fingerprinting requirements are straightforward on paper and strict in practice: you must submit a full set of fingerprints to the Arizona Board of Nursing (AZBN) so it can run a state and FBI criminal history check, and no permanent license or certificate will issue until those results clear. Depending on where you work, you may also need a separate Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) Fingerprint Clearance Card, which is its own credential with its own fee.
What the Law Requires
A.R.S. 32-1606(B)(16) directs the AZBN to require every applicant for initial licensure or certification to submit fingerprints for both a state and FBI criminal records check.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1606 – Powers and Duties of Board This applies to registered nurses, practical nurses, and advanced practice certifications. The prints go to DPS, which shares them with the FBI under Public Law 92-544. The requirement cannot be waived, even if you already hold an active license in another state.
How to Submit Fingerprints to the Board
The AZBN runs its fingerprint submission separately from the DPS Clearance Card process. A copy of a DPS card will not substitute for it. When you start your application in the Nurse Portal, the AZBN posts a Fingerprint Code to your Message Center. You use that code to register on the DPS Public Services Portal for the Board’s fingerprinting.2Arizona State Board of Nursing. Fingerprints
Electronic Fingerprinting
If you are in Arizona, the AZBN strongly prefers electronic submission. After entering your Fingerprint Code on the DPS portal and creating an account, go to the “My Order” page and choose “Submit and Pay.” Do not choose “Request Employer/Agency Pay”; that option delays processing. You will receive a reference number to schedule an appointment with an authorized electronic fingerprint vendor, which charges its own service fee on top of the DPS processing fee.2Arizona State Board of Nursing. Fingerprints
Paper FD-258 Card
If electronic prints are not an option, the Board accepts the standard FD-258 blue-and-white applicant card. If you first chose electronic and need to switch, complete the Supplemental/Physical Paper form and pay the associated fees before mailing anything. Send the completed card flat, unfolded, to the Board rather than DPS:
Arizona State Board of Nursing
1740 W Adams Street, Suite 2000
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Completion rules are strict. Use black ink, keep every impression inside the printed blocks, and make sure the name on the card matches your application exactly. No more than one correction tab per fingerprint block is allowed, and self-taken fingerprints are rejected outright.2Arizona State Board of Nursing. Fingerprints
Processing Times
Paper FD-258 submissions take roughly 8 to 12 weeks for the Board to process.2Arizona State Board of Nursing. Fingerprints Electronic submissions are faster, though the Board does not publish a guaranteed turnaround. No permanent license or certificate issues until both the state and federal clearances come back. If you paid the AZBN fingerprint fee within the past two years, you do not need to resubmit.
The Separate DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card
The Board’s fingerprint submission is what gets your license issued. The DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card (FCC) is a different credential, required by Arizona law for people working with vulnerable populations in nursing care facilities, residential care institutions, and home health agencies.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 36-411 and 36-425.03 It is valid for six years and is often an employment condition.4Arizona Department of Public Safety. Fingerprint Clearance Card
A.R.S. 36-411 contains a useful carve-out: a health professional who has already complied with fingerprinting requirements through a regulatory board as a condition of licensure is not required to submit an additional set of prints to DPS under that section.3Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 36-411 and 36-425.03 Your employer, however, may still require you to hold an active FCC as a separate condition of the job. Confirm the policy with your facility before assuming the carve-out covers you.
If you do need an FCC, apply through the DPS Public Services Portal. The fee is $67 for employees and $65 for volunteers, and it is non-refundable regardless of the outcome. Electronic applicants pay online and receive a reference number to schedule prints with an authorized vendor, which adds its own service fee. DPS does not take fingerprints itself. If you submit a paper fingerprint card, DPS will not accept it without the correct affidavit, properly completed by the technician and sealed in the envelope, with your reference number in the “Miscellaneous No” box or on the affidavit.4Arizona Department of Public Safety. Fingerprint Clearance Card
Criminal History That Can Block a License or Card
A criminal record does not automatically disqualify you, but some offenses will. The Board must deny or revoke a license for any applicant with one or more felony convictions unless the applicant received an absolute discharge from all felony sentences at least three years before filing the application. The only exception is a felony formally redesignated as a misdemeanor under A.R.S. 13-604.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1606 – Powers and Duties of Board
On the clearance card side, A.R.S. 41-1758.07 lists specific offenses that preclude a Level I FCC, including homicide, sexual assault, child abuse, exploitation of minors, sex trafficking, and certain domestic violence felonies.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 41-1758.07 – Level I Fingerprint Clearance Cards If your record shows a precluding offense but the disposition is missing, DPS has 30 business days to research it; if the outcome cannot be determined in that window, the card is not issued.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 41-1758.03 – Fingerprint Clearance Cards Issuance Immunity
Misdemeanors are evaluated case by case. The Board’s published guidelines flag aggravating factors including crimes against patients or children, sexual offenses, drug-related convictions, and multiple misdemeanors within a five-year period.7Arizona State Board of Nursing. Guidelines for Criminal Conduct The Board interviews applicants, explains possible outcomes, and provides the right to a hearing before a final determination.
Good Cause Exception if Your Card Is Denied
If DPS denies your FCC because of a precluding offense, you can request a good cause exception from Arizona’s Board of Fingerprinting. The application must be notarized and include two reference letters on the board’s forms, proof that you completed all sentencing requirements, and police reports for any arrest within five years of the denial.8Board of Fingerprinting. Applying for a Good Cause Exception The board runs an expedited review within 20 days of a complete application. If it does not approve at that stage, a formal administrative hearing follows, with a final decision issued within 80 days of the hearing. If the exception is granted, DPS issues the card.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 41-1758.03 – Fingerprint Clearance Cards Issuance Immunity
Compact License Applicants
Arizona participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact. One of the uniform requirements for a compact multistate license is state and federal fingerprint-based background checks. Completing the Board’s fingerprint process for your Arizona license satisfies that compact requirement. If you are applying for an Arizona multistate license from another compact state, confirm with the AZBN whether additional fingerprinting is needed beyond what your home state collected.
Keeping Your Clearance Card Current
The DPS Fingerprint Clearance Card expires after six years. DPS recommends starting the renewal about three months before expiration to allow processing time and surface any issues early. If the front of your current card shows an IVP number, DPS already has your prints stored electronically and you may not need to be reprinted, though the FBI can reject stored prints for quality reasons. When renewing electronically, pick an IVP Renewal option on the “Reasons” page and enter your IVP number. You can update your sponsoring agency at any time through the Public Services Portal or by emailing DPS.4Arizona Department of Public Safety. Fingerprint Clearance Card Most employers treat an expired card the same as no card at all, so put the six-year date on your calendar well before you need to act on it.