A completed FD-258 fingerprint card under review for ridge clarity before submission

The short answer

  • Two kinds: a quality rejection (ridges unreadable) and a data rejection (something on the submission missing or mismatched). Read the notice to see which.
  • Most quality rejections come down to dry skin, worn ridges, lotion or a smeared roll.
  • Live Scan is checked at capture and rarely bounces; mailed ink cards bounce several times more often.
  • Rejected elsewhere? Bring the notice; we re-capture with techniques for difficult prints.

First, the two kinds of fingerprint rejection

Kind one

Quality rejection

  • Ridge detail too faint, smudged or distorted for the FBI’s automated system to read
  • Fix: prepare the skin and re-capture
Kind two

Data rejection

  • Prints were fine, but a name, date of birth, reason for printing or the receiving agency’s code was missing or didn’t match
  • Fix: correct the submission details

How often do prints actually get rejected?

According to the FBI’s published civil-fingerprint guidance, rejections for Live Scan fingerprinting are uncommon because quality is checked at capture. Ink cards are rejected noticeably more often, because nothing is checked until the card is processed.

Why prints come back for quality

  • Dry or cracked skin: the single most common cause; dry ridges don’t make clean contact
  • Worn ridges: manual trades (construction, healthcare, cosmetology), frequent paper or chemical handling, age, and some medications, chemotherapy in particular
  • Too much pressure or movement during the roll, which smears the impression
  • Lotion, residue or moisture on the fingertips at capture

A client straight from a shift handling drywall or cleaning chemicals often reads poorly; the same person, prepped properly a day later, captures cleanly. Preparation matters as much as the equipment.

How to pass on the first try, printable checklist

  • Wash and dry your hands; no lotion or residue
  • Mention worn skin, medications or a past rejection
  • Let the technician control the pressure and the roll
  • Bring your ID, ORI number and reason-fingerprinted code
A technician guiding a client’s finger onto a Live Scan platen to capture a clean, full ridge impression
Clean, dry, unhurried capture is what keeps a submission from bouncing back.

What if my fingerprints get rejected anyway?

Rejected Somewhere Else? We Can Help.

Bring us your rejection notice and we re-capture your prints using proven techniques for difficult cases. If a print we capture is ever rejected for quality, we simply re-roll and resubmit it.

A few people have naturally faint ridges no method can fully fix. Agencies generally allow a second attempt, and the FBI’s guidance notes that after two quality rejections many agencies accept a name-based check instead; we document each attempt. Rejected before? Tell us when you book your appointment and we’ll take extra steps for a clean capture.

My licensing board rejected my fingerprints. What should I bring?

  • The rejection letter or notice, which usually says whether it was a quality or a data rejection
  • Your original instructions, including the ORI number and reason-fingerprinted code
  • New blank fingerprint cards, if the agency supplied them
  • A valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID
  • Any payment receipt or transaction number from the original submission

Ask the board whether it needs a new card or an electronic resubmission, and whether any state or FBI fee must be paid again. Not sure what the notice means? Send it to us and we’ll work out the correct next step before your appointment.