Fingerprints For FBI, RCPM, and Other Governments

Yes. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the prefectural police headquarters will roll your prints on a form that a foreign agency has asked you to submit. However, the police will not sign the technician's signature block on a foreign fingerprint card. Because the FBI, RCMP and most other agencies require that signature, a police-taken card is normally not accepted on its own.

There is a way to make a police-taken card usable: a Japanese notary public attends the fingerprinting and certifies it in a notarial deed (see the next question). Where the receiving agency accepts a private technician's signature, having us take and sign the prints is simpler.

It is a procedure described by the Japan National Notaries Association. A notary public attends the fingerprinting at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department or a prefectural police headquarters, records what took place in a notarial deed, and attaches the fingerprint form to that deed. The notary does not sign the technician block; the deed certifies that the police took the prints (Japan National Notaries Association, Foreign Document Certification Q13, in Japanese).

Points to check before choosing this route:

• Confirm that the receiving agency will accept "police-taken prints plus a notarial deed of attendance." The RCMP requires the taking agency's name and the technician's name and signature, so the Canadian accredited agency must confirm acceptance first.
• Ask the notary office for "attendance at a fingerprinting and preparation of a notarial deed," not an ordinary signature certification.
• Coordinate the police appointment and the notary's visit for the same time. The deed is in Japanese; some agencies will require a translation or an apostille.

Having your own signature certified at a notary office after the fact does not substitute for the technician's signature. This route is useful when an agency insists on government-taken prints (Hong Kong, for example). For the FBI, RCMP, FINRA and most others, which accept a private technician, fingerprinting with us is the shorter path.

No. The US Embassy does not take fingerprints for FBI checks, and the Canadian Embassy does not take fingerprints or process RCMP applications. Embassies have no authority to assist with another agency's forms.

We do not offer live scan. From outside the US or Canada, prints must be mailed on a paper card in any case, because there is no direct connection to the fingerprint databases from abroad. Live scan is also no guarantee of quality; electronically captured prints are rejected too. We use ink and card, and we understand what the classifiers reject, which is why our acceptance rate is consistently high.

No. ORIs are issued by US state identification bureaus to agencies authorized under state law, and are not available to companies in Japan. We are not accredited by any foreign government. We take your prints and sign the card as the technician. Confirm with your receiving agency that it accepts cards signed by a private technician; the FBI and RCMP do.

From fingerprinting to result, about one week at the fastest and typically two weeks. Applicants outside the US must mail the original card to FBI CJIS Division; the courier cost (EMS, FedEx or DHL) is billed at cost. The result is retrieved from the FBI portal as a PDF and delivered to you.

Typically about two weeks. We send scanned prints to our partner, an RCMP accredited fingerprinting agency, then ship the originals. You receive a scanned copy (PDF) of the certificate as soon as it is issued; the paper original follows by international mail, and its shipping is included in the fee. Allow for postal time if your receiving agency needs the original by a deadline.

Yes, appointments only. Book through our online calendar. Our staff are investigators and are often in the field; in rare cases an urgent assignment may require us to reschedule. Bring a government-issued photo ID (passport, residence card, driver's license or My Number card). If your receiving agency has issued a specific card, such as FINRA, bring that too.

Yes, with a caveat. FBI and RCMP cards use rolled prints, which means rotating each finger nail-to-nail. Stiff joints, very dry skin or sweaty skin can make this take longer. If the first joint has cuts or the ridges are worn, as is common among construction workers, hairdressers who handle chemicals and healthcare workers who sanitize constantly, the automated classifier may reject the first submission no matter how carefully we roll. Rejections caused by worn ridges are normally accepted on the second submission, since agencies take the skin condition into account. Because we make two cards as standard, a resubmission card is ready immediately. Let us know when booking if this may apply to you.

Credit card, PayPal, PayPay, cash or bank transfer. Card payments are processed online: we email you an invoice with a payment link.

The service is based at our Tokyo office. Our technician is occasionally at the Osaka office, so ask about availability. Mobile service within Tokyo's 23 wards is +¥5,000; other locations and corporate group sessions are quoted on request.

Yes, in ink at our Tokyo office, with one condition: you must bring the FINRA-issued fingerprint card. FINRA accepts only its own card. The standard FD-258 we stock lacks the Org ID and CRD number fields and will be rejected. FINRA cards are sold by FINRA's fingerprint vendor (First Advantage Biometrics, formerly Sterling) to member firms only, so individuals in Japan cannot obtain them. Ask your firm's registration or compliance department for the card before booking, and bring a spare if possible, as smudged or mis-completed cards cannot be corrected and are not returned.

Electronic submission from Japan is not possible. FINRA requires prints taken outside the US to be rolled in ink on its card and mailed, and its electronic vendors cannot process overseas applicants. We roll all ten fingers, help complete the personal data fields, sign and date as the technician, and return the card to you. Your firm then mails it to FINRA Document Services. FINRA must receive the prints within 30 days of the Form U4 filing, so book as soon as the card arrives.

A few embassies take fingerprints, but only for their own country's police certificate. No embassy in Japan will fingerprint you for another country's card (FBI, RCMP, FINRA). To our knowledge:

• Philippines (NBI Clearance): residents of Japan, Filipino or not, can obtain Form No. 5 and be fingerprinted at the embassy or consulate by appointment.
• Singapore: clients report that the embassy fingerprints Singapore citizens for Singapore Police applications.
• Jamaica: clients report fingerprinting for Jamaican nationals.
• Thailand and Sri Lanka: both countries have procedures for overseas residents to be fingerprinted at a mission; confirm with the Tokyo embassy.

The US and Canadian embassies do not. The UK (ACRO) and Australian (AFP) standard certificates do not use fingerprints, so neither embassy offers the service. Embassy services change; confirm directly before relying on this list.