The out-of-state fingerprint route in one minute
Get DRE's packet
Request the current FD-258 packet from DRE. Do not choose a card revision or quantity from an old checklist.
Have prints taken locally
Take the packet and valid photo ID to a local law enforcement agency that performs ink fingerprinting.
Return it to DRE
Send the completed card packet to DRE with the license filing, $49 processing fee, license fee, and notarized RE 234.
California Live Scan and an out-of-state hard card are different routes
| Question | California Live Scan | Out-of-state FD-258 packet |
|---|---|---|
| Where are prints taken? | At a participating provider physically in California | At a local law enforcement agency outside California |
| How are prints captured? | Electronically and transmitted through California DOJ | On the physical FD-258 card packet supplied for DRE |
| Where is the $49 paid? | To the California Live Scan provider | To DRE with the license materials |
| What is returned to DRE? | The completed applicant copy of RE 237 | The completed physical card packet |
Living outside California does not prevent you from using Live Scan. You may use that route if you travel to a participating California provider. California DOJ says Live Scan cannot be used for fingerprinting performed outside the state, so an electronic service in another state is not a substitute for California Live Scan.
DRE's public instructions do not agree on the card details
Do not resolve this discrepancy by guessing
As reviewed August 27, 2026, DRE pages identify several different FD-258 revisions. RE 237B and RE 435A say Rev. 5/99, the out-of-state page says Rev. 3/10, and the salesperson exam/license page says Rev. 5-15-17. A separate DRE fingerprint page says to submit two cards, while the applicant-specific pages use singular wording. The FBI's current public form shows another revision date.
The safe procedure is to request the current DRE fingerprint packet and follow the packet DRE supplies for your application. Do not download a generic FD-258, copy a card from another licensing agency, or decide that one card is enough because one web page uses the singular.
When to complete fingerprints under each application route
RE 400A examination only
The hard card is not part of the exam-only filing
RE 400A establishes examination eligibility. After passing, the fingerprint packet belongs with the original salesperson license application, RE 202. DRE also lets an applicant request a blank packet after submitting the exam application and complete fingerprints before passing, but the processing fee is not refunded if the applicant never qualifies for a license.
RE 435 combined route
The license materials are filed before the exam
A combined applicant may complete fingerprints with the exam/license application or afterward. DRE still must receive the fingerprint response before it can issue the license. Filing early may remove a post-pass task, but it does not guarantee immediate issuance or a favorable background decision.
Requesting a card early
DRE directs applicants who want out-of-state fingerprinting after applying for the exam but before passing to contact the Licensing Section at 877-373-4542. DRE's current fingerprint page also routes card requests through its Ask DRE Licensing form under Fingerprint Questions or Issues.
How to submit out-of-state fingerprints without creating a deficiency
- 01
Confirm the license-stage filing
Use RE 435 if you are submitting the combined exam/license application. If you used RE 400A, wait for the RE 202 license application or follow the current instructions in your DRE account after passing.
- 02
Request DRE's current fingerprint packet
Use Ask DRE Licensing or call 877-373-4542. Tell DRE that you reside outside California and need the applicant fingerprint card packet for an original salesperson license.
- 03
Choose a qualified fingerprint location
Start with a local police department or sheriff's office and confirm that it rolls ink fingerprints on applicant cards. Ask about appointments, accepted identification, the rolling fee, and payment method.
- 04
Bring the untouched packet and valid photo ID
Let the fingerprint technician complete the impressions and the technician or agency fields. Do not prefill a box unless DRE's packet or the technician clearly instructs you to do so.
- 05
Inspect the cards before leaving
Check names, dates, signatures, required agency details, all individual rolled prints, and the flat impressions. Ask the technician to correct an obvious omission before you leave.
- 06
Complete the separate nonresident form
Sign RE 234 before a notary. The consent form and the fingerprint packet serve different purposes, and one does not replace the other.
- 07
Assemble the complete license packet
Include every card DRE supplied, the correct license application, the $49 fingerprint processing fee, the current license fee, RE 234, and any other required license documents.
- 08
Use the current DRE filing instructions
Send the packet to the address stated in the application or DRE instructions that apply to your route. Use trackable delivery and retain copies of everything except the original fingerprint cards.
What belongs in the packet
Your combined exam/license application or, after passing an exam-only route, your original license application.
The required card or cards completed by a qualified fingerprint technician. Follow the quantity and version in the packet DRE sends you.
Pay this amount to DRE for an out-of-state hard-card submission. A local fingerprinting service may charge its own separate rolling fee.
The Consent to Service of Process required from an out-of-state resident with the original license application.
The current salesperson license fee is $350. A combined RE 435 filing also includes the $100 examination fee.
The $49 is not the full appointment price
The $49 is DRE's government fingerprint-processing charge. Your police department or fingerprint vendor may add a separate fee for taking the prints. Confirm that local charge before the appointment. Neither amount is part of the $350 salesperson license fee.
A two-minute quality check before you mail the packet
- Your legal name and biographical details match the license application and government photo ID.
- The applicant signature, fingerprint technician signature, and date fields are complete where required.
- The technician entered the agency or facility information required for the fingerprint session.
- Every rolled impression and simultaneous impression is present, distinct, and free of obvious smears.
- The card has not been folded, stapled, laminated, trimmed, or altered.
- The exact number of cards in DRE's current packet is complete.
- The packet is going to DRE with the license-stage materials, not directly to the FBI or California DOJ.
This review can catch missing fields, but it cannot prove that the impressions will be classifiable. If DRE or DOJ rejects the prints for quality, follow the new instructions they provide instead of mailing an unrequested duplicate set.
Seven avoidable out-of-state fingerprint mistakes
Using an internet card without asking DRE
A generic FD-258 may not contain the agency information, version, or packet quantity DRE currently requires.
Buying out-of-state Live Scan
California DOJ says applicants fingerprinted outside California cannot use California Live Scan. Use DRE's hard-card route unless you travel to California.
Sending the cards directly to DOJ or the FBI
DRE instructs its out-of-state license applicants to return the cards directly to DRE with the licensing materials.
Paying the $49 to the local technician
For an out-of-state hard-card route, submit DRE's $49 processing fee to DRE. The technician's separate rolling fee is paid locally.
Treating RE 234 as the fingerprint form
RE 234 is a notarized consent to service of process. It is required in addition to the fingerprint packet.
Mailing cards with RE 400A alone
RE 400A is examination-only. Fingerprints are a license-stage requirement, even when DRE lets you complete them before passing.
Damaging or copying the original cards
Do not fold, staple, laminate, trim, photocopy as a substitute, or write over an impression. Protect the originals during mailing.
What happens after DRE receives the cards
Payment does not equal clearance
DRE must receive and review the fingerprint response before issuing an original license. A readable submission can still require background review. The $49 processing fee is nonrefundable, including when an applicant does not pass the exam or does not receive a license.
Respond to the exact notice you receive
Processing time varies with delivery, print quality, DOJ and FBI response, and any DRE background review. Do not send a second set simply because a fixed number of days has passed. Check your DRE record and follow a deficiency or reprint instruction if one is issued.
Your safest next action
Get the packet from DRE before booking the appointment
That one decision prevents most version, agency-field, and card-quantity problems. When the packet arrives, confirm that your fingerprint location can complete it, then build the licensing packet around the application route you already chose.
California license requirement FAQs
Keep going
See every California DRE form in the candidate journey
Move from qualification to forms, fingerprints, the examination, and license issuance.
Start with the full nonresident route
Understand what California does and does not recognize from another state.
Choose the correct application route
Place fingerprints correctly under RE 400A or combined RE 435.
Build the complete licensing budget
Separate the $49 processing fee from local fingerprint and application costs.