Keep your fingerprints on file: FBI checks without a new appointment

Last reviewed: 2026-11-09

Many people need more than one FBI background check: residency renewals, a visa that takes longer than planned, a new job or a move to another country. Normally each check means a new fingerprint appointment. With fingerprint safekeeping, we keep your fingerprints securely after the first check, so the next one is a message to us instead of another trip.

How it works

Choose "Keep my fingerprints on file" when you book (1 or 3 years), and give your consent. If you did not choose it, you can still add it from your order page or the email we send after your appointment, as long as your prints have not been deleted yet.
Your technician takes your fingerprints digitally and we submit them to the FBI as usual.
Instead of deleting them after the submission, we keep a secure digital copy for the period you chose.
When you need a new FBI check, message us. We submit the same fingerprints again: no appointment, no new prints, no reprint fee. You only pay for the new check.
A month before the period ends, and again a week before, we remind you. You can renew online, or do nothing and they are deleted automatically on the end date.

Why digital fingerprints

We keep your fingerprints as a NIST file, the electronic format the FBI accepts for a new submission. Ink fingerprint cards on paper (wet prints) are not accepted a second time, which is why safekeeping is only possible for prints we scanned digitally.

Security

Your fingerprints are stored in a private, encrypted file store in our own Google Cloud account, owned by Borderless Business LLC. They are encrypted when they are sent and while they are stored.
Nobody can open the file store directly. Every file goes through our application, which checks who is asking first.
Only authorised staff can download your prints, and only to submit them again or send them to someone you named. Each download is a one-time link that expires after 15 minutes, and every download is recorded with its reason.
Fingerprints are never sent by email or messaging apps, and they are not included in our backups.

Confidentiality and your control

We use your fingerprints only for what you agreed to: submitting them again for you, or releasing them to a person or organisation you name in writing (for example your immigration lawyer).
We keep only what is needed: your fingerprint images, your name and your date of birth.
Your order page shows how long they are kept. You can ask us to delete them at any time from that page; we do it within a week at the latest.
When the period ends, they are deleted automatically. Without safekeeping, we delete your fingerprints after the FBI submission.
Safekeeping is for adults (18 and over) and needs your separate, explicit consent. It is handled under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Why use it

No new appointment: no time off work, no travel to an office, no waiting for a free slot.
Faster: a new check can be submitted as soon as you ask, instead of after a new appointment.
Ideal for repeat checks: residency renewals, long visa or citizenship processes, and authorities that only accept a recent certificate (often issued within the last 90 days).
Useful when you move: if you are leaving Spain or Portugal, or live far from our offices, your prints stay ready.
One price for the whole period, with no reprint fee for new submissions.

Prices

1 year: $49 per person.
3 years: $119 per person.
New FBI check with your stored prints: you pay the check itself, with no fingerprint or reprint fee.
Sending your prints to someone you name (for example your lawyer): $75.

Good to know

Before relying on stored prints, check with the authority that asks for your certificate that a new certificate is what they need; most authorities look at the date the certificate was issued, not the date the fingerprints were taken.

Questions

How long can you keep my fingerprints?

For 1 year ($49) or 3 years ($119) per person, and you can renew before the end. They are deleted automatically when the period ends, or earlier if you ask.

Who can see my fingerprints?

Only authorised staff, and only to submit them again for you or to send them to someone you named in writing. Every download is recorded, and download links expire after 15 minutes.

Can I add safekeeping after my appointment?

Yes, from your order page or the email we send after the appointment, as long as your fingerprints have not been deleted yet.

Can you keep ink fingerprint cards?

No. Only digital fingerprints (NIST files) can be submitted to the FBI again, so safekeeping is only for prints we scanned digitally.

How do I delete my fingerprints?

Use the button on your order page, or write to us. We delete them within a week at the latest.

General information, not legal advice. Requirements change: always check the current list of the office handling your application.