Delaware fingerprinting requirements run through the State Bureau of Identification (SBI), part of the Delaware State Police, which operates nine LiveScan locations across the state. Appointments are booked online through IdentoGO; walk-ins are not accepted. A certified state criminal history check costs $72, and a combined state and federal check costs $85 when federal law requires one.1Delaware State Police. Obtaining a Certified Delaware Criminal History
When You’ll Be Asked to Get Fingerprinted
Most people hit this requirement for one of four reasons: a job or volunteer role, a professional license, a firearms permit, or an expungement.
Jobs and Volunteer Roles
Anyone working or volunteering with a child-serving entity in Delaware must complete a fingerprint-based check through both SBI and the FBI, along with a Child Protection Registry check. The definition is broad: public and private schools, child care providers, residential facilities, youth camps, early intervention providers, and Department of Education employees all fall inside it.2Justia. Delaware Code Title 31-309 – Background Checks for Child-Serving Entities and Other Organizations Child care licensing rules separately require adult volunteers to be fingerprinted by Delaware State Police before they begin.3Legal Information Institute. Delaware Administrative Code 14 Del Admin Code 938-III-28.0 – Volunteers
Healthcare, education, and financial services employers routinely require prints as well, often driven by federal and state banking rules or by facility-level requirements before you can be near patients.
Professional Licenses
Many Delaware professional licenses include a fingerprint step. Registered nurse applicants, for example, must submit prints at their own expense to obtain both a state criminal history report from SBI and a federal report through the FBI.4Justia. Delaware Code Title 24-1928 – Criminal Background Checks of Registered Nurses Similar requirements apply to private security, real estate, and law enforcement.
Firearms Permits
Delaware requires fingerprinting for both a concealed carry license and the newer handgun qualified purchaser permit. For concealed carry, prints must be taken by SBI within 45 days before you file, and you have to use the county-specific service code when scheduling through IdentoGO.5Delaware State Courts. Instructions for New Applications for a License to Carry a Concealed Deadly Weapon
The Permit to Purchase law, effective November 16, 2025, added its own fingerprinting step for the handgun qualified purchaser permit. It uses service code 27S8N2, and the wrong code means paying again. SBI must issue a decision within 30 days of receiving a complete application.6Delaware State Police. Permit to Purchase
Expungements
If you’re applying for an expungement, scheduling fingerprints at an SBI location is your first step toward getting a certified criminal history report. The initial expungement application fee is $72. After SBI reviews your application, you’ll receive documentation showing whether you qualify for a mandatory or discretionary expungement. For a mandatory expungement, you have 30 days to return signed paperwork with a $75 money order payable to the Delaware State Police.1Delaware State Police. Obtaining a Certified Delaware Criminal History Expungement appointments use service code 27S23V.7Delaware Courts. Adult Expungement Instruction Packet
How to Book Through IdentoGO
SBI does not accept walk-ins. Schedule through IdentoGO’s online enrollment portal at uenroll.identogo.com.7Delaware Courts. Adult Expungement Instruction Packet
The service code is the piece people get wrong. Each purpose has its own code: concealed carry uses county-specific codes, Permit to Purchase uses 27S8N2, and expungement uses 27S23V.6Delaware State Police. Permit to Purchase Your employer, licensing board, or the court should give you the correct code along with any authorization forms. Pick the wrong one and you may need to pay and come back.
Arrive on time. Late arrivals typically have to reschedule, and the next available slot can be days or weeks out. Cancel or reschedule through the IdentoGO portal as early as possible.
What to Bring
Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID. A Delaware driver’s license, state ID card, U.S. passport, or military ID all work. Expired IDs are rejected, and showing up without proper identification means rescheduling. SBI’s registration page lists the full set of accepted documents.1Delaware State Police. Obtaining a Certified Delaware Criminal History
Bring every authorization or referral form from your employer, licensing board, or the court. These forms usually carry an ORI (Originating Agency Identifier) number that routes your results to the correct agency. Without the right ORI, your prints get processed but the results may never reach the people waiting for them.
Immigration-related fingerprinting, such as for visa applications or naturalization, may require specific USCIS forms. Check your USCIS appointment notice for details.
Fees and Payment
SBI charges $72 for a certified state criminal history check. A combined state and federal check costs $85, and the federal portion is available only when mandated by law.1Delaware State Police. Obtaining a Certified Delaware Criminal History
IdentoGO accepts credit cards, money orders, and agency checks. The credit cardholder must be present at the appointment. Cash and personal checks are not accepted. Agency checks must be made out to Idemia for the exact service amount.8Delaware State Police. DE IdentoGO Fee Payments
Private vendors authorized by SBI charge the same state and federal processing fees but add their own service fees, which generally run from roughly $10 to $50. If your employer or licensing board is covering the cost, they may issue an authorization code that IdentoGO accepts in place of payment.
Where Fingerprinting Happens
SBI runs nine fingerprinting sites: Wilmington, two in Newark, Middletown, two in Dover, Milford, Georgetown, and Seaford.1Delaware State Police. Obtaining a Certified Delaware Criminal History All of them use LiveScan, which captures high-resolution electronic prints and transmits them directly to state and federal databases. It’s faster and more accurate than the old ink-and-card method.
Some local police departments can point you to SBI. The Dover Police Department, for example, directs people to the SBI office at 600 S. Bay Road in Dover for employment-related prints. Authorized private vendors can offer more flexible scheduling for a convenience fee.
If Something on Your Record Is Wrong
Errors in criminal history records happen more often than you’d expect. Charges may have been dismissed or expunged without the court notifying law enforcement, or a data entry mistake can attach someone else’s record to your prints.
Delaware law requires criminal justice agencies to maintain accurate records and to correct inaccuracies when they’re found. When an agency identifies materially inaccurate information, it must notify every agency and party known to have received the information, and the originating agency has to take steps to fix the error.9Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 11 Chapter 85 – State Bureau of Identification
Start by requesting a copy of your criminal history report from SBI for $72 and reading every entry. If you find an error, file a formal challenge with SBI identifying the specific inaccuracy. SBI will investigate and, if it confirms the error, update state records and notify the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division when federal records are affected.
If dismissed or expunged charges are still showing up, contact the court that issued the expungement order to confirm it was properly transmitted to law enforcement. That notification step sometimes falls through the cracks. When contacting the court and SBI doesn’t resolve the problem, an attorney who handles criminal record corrections can usually move things along faster.