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State of California Department of Justice
Rob Bonta
Attorney General
Attorney General
California law allows you to request a record clearance from the DOJ for Visa/Immigration purposes. The following are the basic steps to complete your request for a background check. Failure to follow these procedures may result in a delay or the rejection of your application for a DOJ response under Penal Code Section 11105(c)(9). If you currently reside in California, with limited exceptions, you must submit your fingerprints electronically from a Live Scan site. If you reside outside of California, you will need to submit a manual fingerprint card or “hard card.”
An "Apostille" or a "Certification" is frequently required by foreign governments before the background check will be accepted. The document you will receive from the California DOJ is NOT the actual Apostille. As such, if you need this additional service, you will need to contact the DOJ at visa-immigration@doj.ca.gov after you receive the DOJ response in the mail.
Print out a copy of the Request Form:
Request Visa/Immigration - Form BCIA 8016 VISA (Live Scan), pdf
Follow the instructions for completing your Request Form:
Instructions for Visa/Immigration Request Form, pdf
Instrucciones en Español, pdf
Get fingerprinted. Fingerprint services are usually available from your local police or sheriff’s department, or from private vendors engaged in the fingerprinting business. To find the site nearest to you and a listing of fees, see Public Live Scan Sites. Your total costs will be $32 plus the fingerprint rolling fee charged by the Live-Scan agency. Since the fingerprint-rolling fee varies widely among locations, you will want to review the cost along with the accepted methods of payment before going to the fingerprinting site.
Print out and follow the:
Instructions - Visa/Immigration, pdf (Manual)
Instrucciones en Español, pdf
Obtain an original FBI Applicant Fingerprint Card (FD 258) from your local law enforcement agency and fill it out according to the instructions. If you are having difficulty in obtaining an original FD 258 fingerprint card, please contact the Applicant Services Program at visa-immigration@doj.ca.gov.
Get fingerprinted. Fingerprint services are usually available from your local police or sheriff’s department or from private vendors engaged in the fingerprinting business. To find the site nearest you and a listing of fees, see Public Live Scan Sites. Your total costs will be $32 plus the fingerprint rolling fee charged by the Live Scan Agency. Since the fingerprint-rolling fee varies widely among locations, you will want to review the cost along with the accepted methods of payment before going to the fingerprinting site.
Mail the FD 258 fingerprint card.
Submissions must be accompanied by either a personal check drawn on a U.S. bank, money order, or certified check. The check or money order must be in the amount of $32 and made payable to the California Department of Justice. Mail your FD 258 fingerprint card and processing fee to:
Department of Justice
Applicant Services Program
ATTN: Visa-Immigration
P.O. Box 160207
Sacramento, CA 95816-0207
Once the submission is received and processed, the DOJ will mail the response via U.S. mail to the applicant only. It is the applicant’s responsibility to forward the information to their legal counsel or assistance agency.
NOTE: An “Apostille” or a “Certification” is frequently required by foreign governments before the background check will be accepted. The document you receive from the DOJ is not the actual Apostille. As such, if you need this additional service, you will need to contact the DOJ at visa-immigration@doj.ca.gov AFTER you receive the DOJ response in the mail.