Indiana Teacher Fingerprint Background Check

Indiana Licensing and Hiring Use Two Separate Background Checks

This is the part that catches most applicants off guard. The Indiana licensing and hiring process can involve two entirely different background screenings run by two different entities at two different points in the process.

The first is a state licensing background check — a name-based Limited Criminal History Check run through the Indiana State Police (ISP). You complete this yourself as part of your LVIS 360 application. The second is an expanded employment background check — a national fingerprint-based screening that your hiring school district initiates after extending a job offer.

Confusing these two checks, or completing them in the wrong order, is one of the most common reasons LVIS applications stall.

The State Licensing Check (ISP Limited Criminal History)

This is the background check you need for your LVIS 360 license application. It's a name-based search through Indiana State Police records — no fingerprinting required at this stage.

The process is straightforward: visit the ISP Limited Criminal History Search Portal, run the search, and download the results. The cost is $15 for registered Access Indiana subscribers or $16.32 for non-subscribers.

The critical timing rule: your ISP criminal history results must be completed within 60 days of submitting your LVIS license application. If your results are older than 60 days, the IDOE will reject them and you'll need to run (and pay for) a new search.

Submit the results with your LVIS 360 application as directed in the portal.

The Employment Background Check (Expanded Criminal History)

Once a school district offers you a position, a second, more thorough screening begins. This is the Expanded National Criminal History Check and Expanded Child Protection Index Check, mandated under IC 20-26-5-10.

This check is fundamentally different from the state licensing check:

• It uses national fingerprint databases, not just Indiana state records
• It searches FBI criminal records and child welfare registries across every county and state where you've lived in the past seven years
• The school district initiates it, not you — the results go directly to the hiring district's HR department
• It's conducted by an authorized private vendor, typically Safe Hiring Solutions or IdentoGO

The cost ranges from $28 to $65 depending on the vendor and your district. Results typically take 7 to 14 business days to process.

IdentoGO Fingerprinting — What to Know

If your district uses IdentoGO (operated by IDEMIA) for the expanded employment check, here's the scheduling process:

1. Ask your district's HR or licensure office which vendor and specific service code to use for the educator fingerprinting appointment. Do not schedule an appointment before receiving this code — using the wrong service code routes your results to the wrong agency.

2. Visit the IdentoGO website and schedule an appointment at a location in Indiana. Bring a valid government-issued photo ID.

3. Your fingerprints are scanned digitally and transmitted to the Indiana State Police and the FBI for processing.

For out-of-state candidates who cannot travel to an Indiana IdentoGO location: you can request physical blue-and-white FBI fingerprint cards (FD-258), have them completed at any local law enforcement agency, and mail them to IdentoGO's Card Scan Department in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Cost Breakdown

Some districts reimburse the expanded check cost; others require candidates to pay out of pocket. Ask your district's HR office before scheduling.

How Background Issues Affect Licensing

Indiana's LVIS application includes a character and fitness questionnaire. Disclose the information the questionnaire requests and follow the IDOE's instructions. If you're facing a potential license denial or revocation based on background check findings, that's beyond the scope of the licensing process itself — consult a licensing attorney who handles Indiana educator credential cases.

The Indiana Teacher Certification Guide includes the complete background check sequence mapped against your LVIS application timeline, so you know exactly when each screening fits into the overall process.

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