Job applicants, including those seeking direct access to employment through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) National Background Check Program (NBCP), have their fingerprints used to track records of criminal actions like arrests and dispositions and to compile criminal history reports.

Traditional fingerprinting relies on a straightforward principle. The palmar surface of the hands and feet develops ridges, known as papillary ridges, in patterns that are specific to each person and do not alter with time. Despite sharing the same DNA, fingerprints are not similar even amongst identical twins.

On average, fingerprint checks take between 24 and 72 hours to complete. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) will respond directly to the inquiring State agency.

In order to pass a Level 2 background check, an applicant’s fingerprints must be checked against databases maintained by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A certificate’s thumbprint is a hash calculated from the whole certificate, including the signed contents. Certificate thumbprints are used in programs to make trust judgments, in configuration files, and on user interfaces.

Depending on the nature of your application, a Level 2 background check in Florida will cost you either $37.25 or $61.25, and this is in addition to any rolling or service fees required by the facility providing your Live Scan fingerprinting.