An OCA number for Live Scan in California is an internal tracking code — the “Originating Case Agency” number — that the agency requesting your background check assigns to your application so it can match your fingerprint results to the right file once the California Department of Justice (DOJ) returns them. The requesting agency generates the number and in most cases pre-fills it on your Live Scan form before you ever see it.
What the OCA Number Is For
The OCA number exists for the requesting agency’s recordkeeping, not yours. When a licensing board, employer, or volunteer organization runs dozens or hundreds of applicants through Live Scan, the OCA number lets them tie each set of returned results back to the correct person in their own system. It functions like an internal case or file reference.
You’ll find it on the BCIA 8016 form (the official “Request for Live Scan Service” form) in the contributing agency section, sometimes labeled “Your Number” or “Agency Identifying Number.”1State of California Department of Justice. BCIA 8016 – Request for Live Scan Service
How It Differs From the ORI and Mail Code
The OCA number is easy to mix up with two other codes on the same form, but they do different jobs. The ORI (Originating Agency Identifier) and the Mail Code are both assigned by the DOJ, and together they tell the system where to send your background check results. Without the correct ORI and Mail Code, your results won’t reach the right agency.2State of California Department of Justice. Fingerprint Background Checks The OCA number, by contrast, carries no routing function. It’s purely an identifier the requesting agency uses on its own end.
Short version: ORI and Mail Code get your results to the agency; the OCA number helps the agency figure out whose results they are once they arrive.
How to Get Your OCA Number
You do not create, look up, or choose your own OCA number. The requesting agency generates it and either prints it on the BCIA 8016 form before giving it to you or sends it along with your Live Scan instructions.
If you’ve received your form and the OCA field is blank, contact the requesting agency before your fingerprinting appointment and ask whether a number should be there. The form’s instructions state that all requested information must be provided, and that missing information can delay or cause rejection of your submission.1State of California Department of Justice. BCIA 8016 – Request for Live Scan Service If the agency uses an OCA number and you leave it off, you can hold up your own background check.
When the OCA Field Is Supposed To Be Blank
Not every requesting agency uses an OCA number. Some simply don’t assign one, and in that case the field stays empty by design. That’s why the right move with a blank field is to confirm with the requesting agency rather than guess, invent a number, or assume something is missing. A blank that the agency intended is fine; a blank you were supposed to fill in is a problem.
Where the OCA Number Sits on the BCIA 8016 Form
The BCIA 8016 has two main sections. The top portion holds the agency’s information, which the requesting organization typically fills in before handing you the form. That section covers the agency name and address, the ORI code, the Mail Code, the type of application (the reason for the background check, such as a job title or license type), and the OCA number if one is used.
Your part is the bottom portion: personal identifying information. You’ll provide your full legal name, any aliases or former names, date of birth, sex, height, weight, eye color, hair color, and place of birth.1State of California Department of Justice. BCIA 8016 – Request for Live Scan Service The form also asks for your Social Security number and driver’s license number. Including both reduces the chance of processing delays caused by name mismatches in the DOJ’s database.
When you arrive for your appointment, the Live Scan operator uses the information in the top portion, including the OCA number if present, to tag your submission so that your results come back labeled correctly on the requesting agency’s end. That tag is the whole point of the OCA number. Once your fingerprints are transmitted and the DOJ returns the results, the agency uses it to pull up your file and move your application forward.