How can I complete my live scan requirement for the California State Bar if I am outside of California?

If you live outside of California you must obtain prepopulated fingerprint cards issued by the State Bar.

To request fingerprint cards:

  1. Request fingerprint cards online from the State Bar for out-of-state residents only (you must be logged into My State Bar Profile). You cannot use a blank fingerprint card issued from another source. Using a non-State-Bar issued fingerprint card will impact your ability to satisfy the fingerprinting requirement.
  2. Pay a one-time fee of $49 to the State Bar for the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) processing fees. (Payment methods are explained at My State Bar Profile.)
  3. Retain a copy of the payment for your records.
  4. Submit your preferred mailing address. You can request a fingerprint card as many as three times via My State Bar Profile.

The State Bar will mail you two prepopulated fingerprint cards once the payment has been received. You should receive fingerprint cards within 60 business days from the date of initial payment.

Out-of-state and out-of-country attorneys have two options in order to comply with the fingerprinting requirements. They can obtain a fingerprint card and proceed with the steps outlined above, or they can use a Live Scan vendor in California if they visit the state.

However, in the event an attorney’s Live Scan fingerprints are rejected by the DOJ and/or FBI, the attorney must return to a Live Scan vendor in California to resubmit their fingerprints without new processing charges. If the attorney chooses not to return to a California Live Scan vendor, they must be fingerprinted using a fingerprint card, which will result in additional costs.

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Last updated on January 16, 2020