How to Get a Fingerprint Clearance Card in Arizona: Steps and Costs

To get a fingerprint clearance card in Arizona, apply through the Department of Public Safety’s Public Services Portal at psp.azdps.gov, get your fingerprints taken by an approved vendor, and pay the $67 fee ($65 for volunteers). If your background check comes back clean, DPS mails you a card that stays valid for six years. Plan on 8 to 12 weeks from the day DPS receives your prints.

Who Needs One

Arizona requires a fingerprint clearance card for jobs and volunteer roles that involve contact with children, elderly people, or other vulnerable populations. That includes teachers, childcare workers, foster and adoptive parents, healthcare and behavioral health staff, Department of Child Safety employees, and many state agency contractors. If your employer or licensing board asked you for one, you need one. People under 18 and those 99 or older are exempt.¹

Step 1: Apply Through the DPS Public Services Portal

Every application starts at psp.azdps.gov. Create a secure account, select the Fingerprint Clearance Card tile, and click Apply for a Card. The portal walks you through each required field and won’t let you submit until it’s complete.²

You’ll enter your full legal name, date of birth, and current address. A Social Security number isn’t required, but DPS recommends including it. Some employers, especially the Arizona Department of Education, use it to verify your card electronically, and skipping it can make that verification harder.³

If your employer gave you an agency code, enter it at checkout so the employer is billed. You can also select Request Employer Pay to route the application to your employer’s PSP account, or just pay by credit card yourself.³

Step 2: Get Your Fingerprints Taken

DPS does not take fingerprints. After you submit your application, you’ll get a reference number and a message in your PSP inbox explaining your two options: electronic fingerprinting through Fieldprint, or a paper fingerprint card.²

Electronic Fingerprinting

Electronic (live scan) fingerprinting captures digital images of your prints. It tends to produce fewer errors and processes faster than paper. Use the instructions in your PSP message center to schedule an appointment at a Fieldprint location, and bring a valid government-issued photo ID.

Paper Fingerprint Cards

If live scan isn’t practical, you can have your prints rolled onto a paper card by a private fingerprinting service or a local law enforcement office. DPS does not maintain a vendor list. The card must include the correct fingerprint affidavit and arrive properly sealed. Do not fold it. Folded cards can’t be processed.²

What It Costs

The DPS application fee is $67, or $65 for volunteers. It’s non-refundable whether your card is approved or denied. DPS can change the fee at any time under ARS 41-1750(J). The fingerprinting vendor usually charges a separate service fee on top of that for taking the prints.²

Arizona law lets employers or contract providers cover the cost, but they can also pass it to you. Ask before you pay.¹

How Long It Takes

Expect 8 to 12 weeks from the date DPS receives your fingerprints. Volume shifts throughout the year, and paper submissions generally take longer than electronic ones. Apply well before any job start date or licensing deadline.

You can check status anytime by logging into your PSP account. DPS also posts messages in your portal inbox if it needs more information. Once approved, the card is mailed to the address on your application.

What Can Block Your Card

Arizona sorts disqualifying offenses into two tiers. Some are absolute bars. Others block the card but leave you a path to appeal.

Absolute bars include murder, sexual assault, sexual exploitation of a minor or vulnerable adult, child abuse, sex trafficking, molestation of a child, and registered sex offender status in any jurisdiction. A conviction, or even a pending charge, for one of these in Arizona or any other state means an automatic denial with no exception available.¹

A second, much broader list also triggers denial but allows a good cause exception. This tier covers manslaughter, endangerment, assault, theft, forgery, drug offenses, DUI-related felonies, identity theft, kidnapping, robbery, and dozens of other categories. If your denial letter cites an offense on this list, you can petition the Board of Fingerprinting.¹

If Your Card Is Denied

A denial letter identifies the offense or missing disposition behind the decision. Sometimes the denial isn’t based on a conviction at all. If DPS can’t determine the final outcome of an arrest within 30 business days, it denies the card by default.¹

For denials tied to second-tier offenses, apply for a good cause exception with the Arizona Board of Fingerprinting. A complete application includes a signed and notarized application form, two letters of reference on the Board’s official forms, proof you’ve completed all sentencing requirements, and, for any arrest within five years of your denial, police reports for each. If your denial says DPS couldn’t find a disposition, submit court documentation of the outcome.⁴

The Board runs an expedited review within 20 days of receiving your complete packet. If that doesn’t resolve things in your favor, the case goes to an administrative hearing. An administrative law judge issues a recommendation, and the Board makes the final call. If it grants the exception, DPS issues the card.⁴⁵

Renewing Your Card

The card is valid for six years from the date of issuance. You can change or add a sponsoring agency during that period without a new card. DPS recommends starting renewal about three months before your expiration date to avoid a coverage gap.²

Renewal runs through the same PSP application or by paper. One useful shortcut: if the front of your card shows an IVP number, you don’t have to be reprinted. DPS has your prints on file, and you just enter the IVP number on the renewal form. The FBI occasionally rejects stored prints for quality reasons, and if that happens you’ll be asked to get reprinted.²

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 41-1758.07 – Level I Fingerprint Clearance Cards; Definitions
2
Arizona Department of Public Safety. Fingerprint Clearance Card
3
Arizona Department of Public Safety. How Do I Apply for a New Fingerprint Clearance Card
4
Arizona Board of Fingerprinting. Applying for a Good Cause Exception
5
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 41-619.55 – Good Cause Exceptions; Expedited Review; Hearing; Revocation