How to Complete and Submit the California Notary Live Scan Form (BCIA-8016)

To get fingerprinted for a California notary commission, download the California notary Live Scan form (SOS/BCIA 8016) from the Secretary of State’s notary page, fill in the applicant section, and bring it to a certified Live Scan site with photo ID and payment. The Secretary of State publishes a pre-filled version of the form with the notary-specific routing codes already entered, and that is the version you want.¹

Download the Right Version of the Form

The form is called the Request for Live Scan Service, designated SOS/BCIA 8016. The California Department of Justice publishes a generic version used for many kinds of background checks. Notary applicants should not use that one. Download the Secretary of State’s customized version from sos.ca.gov/notary/checklist/fingerprints.¹

The pre-filled version matters because it already contains the codes that tell the Department of Justice to send your results to the Secretary of State. Using the generic DOJ form with hand-entered codes risks your results going to the wrong agency or being rejected.

Fields Already Pre-Printed (Leave Them Alone)

Several fields on the Secretary of State’s version come filled in. Do not write over or alter them:²

ORI code A0084, the Originating Agency Identifier that routes results to the correct office.
Type of Application: LICENSE CERT OR PERMIT.
Job Title: NOTARY PUBLIC 8201.1 GC, referencing the Government Code section requiring the fingerprinting.
Contributing Agency: the Secretary of State’s Sacramento office address and agency code.
Billing Number: a note that you pay at the Live Scan site rather than through the agency.

If you accidentally downloaded the generic DOJ form, the ORI code and contributing agency fields are the ones most likely to be blank or wrong. Compare the two and start over with the correct version if needed.

Fields You Fill In Yourself

Complete the applicant section at home before heading to the Live Scan site. Arriving with a blank form slows the appointment and raises the chance of a transcription error.

You are responsible for the following fields:²

Full legal name — last, first, middle initial, exactly as on your government-issued ID.
Aliases, including any maiden names or other names you have used.
Date of birth.
Sex.
Driver’s license number. If you don’t have a California license, use another state’s license number or your California ID card number.
Physical descriptors: height, weight, eye color, and hair color, using standard DOJ abbreviations (BLK for black, BRO for brown, BLU for blue, and so on).
Place of birth (state or country).
Social Security number.
Home address: street, city, state, ZIP.
OCA number — enter your driver’s license number or date of birth.
Level of Service: check both the DOJ and FBI boxes. Notary applicants need both state and federal background checks.

Double-check your Social Security number before you leave the house. A transposed digit can cause the whole submission to fail, and you would pay all fees again for a new scan.

Where to Go, What to Bring, What It Costs

Take the completed form to any certified Live Scan location. The Department of Justice maintains a searchable directory at oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/locations, and common sites include local police departments, sheriff’s offices, UPS stores, and private fingerprinting vendors.³ Some accept walk-ins; others require appointments. Call ahead.

Bring three things: the completed SOS/BCIA 8016 form, a valid government-issued photo ID (a California driver’s license or U.S. passport works, as do current military IDs and photo ID cards from any state), and payment.

You will pay three separate charges on the spot:

DOJ processing fee: $32.
FBI processing fee: $17, required because notary applicants undergo a federal background check as well.
Rolling fee: typically $20 to $40, set by each Live Scan operator for capturing the prints.

The DOJ and FBI fees are standardized statewide.⁴ The rolling fee varies, so shopping around can save a few dollars. Expect roughly $70 to $90 in total.

At the Appointment

The technician verifies your ID, reviews the form, enters your information into the Live Scan system, and electronically captures your fingerprints. The whole process usually takes under 15 minutes. The operator transmits your fingerprint data directly to the Department of Justice.⁵

You will receive a copy of the completed form with an Automated Transaction Identifier (ATI) number printed on it. Keep it. The ATI number is how you track your results and how you reference the submission if anything needs to be redone.

Tracking Your Results

Check status at applicantstatus.doj.ca.gov using your ATI number.⁶ Most results come back within a few business days; some take up to two weeks when a record needs additional review. Results go electronically to the Secretary of State, which will not issue a notary commission until both DOJ and FBI reports confirm either no criminal history or a history reviewed and found non-disqualifying.¹ You do not receive a copy of the criminal history report yourself.

If Your Fingerprints Are Rejected

Poor-quality prints are the most common reason for rejection. Dry skin, scars, or worn ridges can produce images the automated system cannot read. If the DOJ accepts your scan but the FBI rejects it on quality, you return to a Live Scan site and get reprinted using your original ATI number.

A second FBI rejection generally means the requesting agency must request an FBI name-based check instead of relying on fingerprints. Contact the Secretary of State’s notary division if this happens, because switching to a name check runs through the requesting agency rather than through you directly.

To improve your odds of a clean scan, keep your hands moisturized in the days before your appointment. Dry fingers produce faint prints. Skip hand sanitizer immediately before being scanned, since residue on the glass can distort the image.

One Note on Disclosure

If you have any arrests or convictions, disclose them on your notary application. The Secretary of State will deny an application for failure to disclose, and an undisclosed conviction that surfaces in the background check is treated as a separate ground for denial on top of whatever the underlying record shows.⁷ Not every record disqualifies you; a hidden one almost always does.

1
California Secretary of State. Submit Fingerprints via Live Scan
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Secretary of State. Request for Live Scan Service
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State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Live Scan Locations
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State of California Department of Justice. Applicant Fingerprint Processing Fees
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State of California – Department of Justice – Office of the Attorney General. Fingerprint Background Checks
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State of California – Department of Justice. DOJ LiveScan Status
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California Secretary of State. Become a Notary Public