FBI FINGERPRINTING

LOCATIONS

FBI fingerprinting services are available at these two locations in Berks County:

• Walk-ins welcome/no appointment necessary:
  Berks County Intermediate Unit
  1111 Commons Boulevard, Reading, PA 19605
  610-987-8433
  (Click here for directions to the BCIU.)
• Walk-ins welcome/no appointment necessary:
  Mail N Ship 4 U
  1812 State Hill Road, Wyomissing, PA 19610
  610-376-3805

INSTRUCTIONS

Please follow the instructions below. If you want to have your fingerprints taken at the BCIU, please follow instructions 1-4; if you want to have your fingerprints taken at Mail N Ship 4 U, please follow instructions 1, 2, and 4.

Prior to having your fingerprints taken, please complete the following steps:

1. Register with Cogent Systems online or over the phone.
• The online registration is available 24 hours a day; log on to www.pa.cogentid.com and select the “Register Online” link.
• Phone registration is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; call 1-888-439-2486.
• Write down or print the registration number given over the phone or after registering online.
2. Pay $36
• Payment must be made before arriving for fingerprinting, unless you are paying with a money order. Personal checks or cash will not be accepted.
• Money orders should be made payable to “Cogent Systems.”
• Payment online can be made with a credit/debit card by logging on to www.pa.cogentid.com and selecting the “Pay Online” link.
• Call 1-888-439-2486 to pay by phone with a credit/debit card.
• You will be given a separate registration number for payment; write down/print the registration number given over the phone or online.
• Effective June 15, 2009, the fee for applicants to obtain a paper copy of their fingerprint report from Cogent Systems will be $2.50. The $2.50 fee must be added to your payment if you are paying by money order.
3. If you want to schedule your appointment to have your fingerprints taken at BCIU, you may do so by clicking the "Schedule an Appointment" link at the bottom of this page.
• The fingerprinting process takes an average of five minutes to complete. Since the fingerprinting appointments run every 10 minutes, plan to arrive early or on time.
• If you are unable to keep your scheduled appointment, please cancel/reschedule so that someone else may fill your time slot.
• The BCIU does welcome walk-ins.
4. Bring the following to your fingerprinting session:
• State-issued driver's license
• In the absence of a current, valid driver's license, applicants may provide one of the following photograph identification cards:
• US Active Duty/Retiree/Reservist Military ID Card (000 10-2) 
• US Passport
• College-issued Student ID
• INS I-551 Resident Alien Card Issued since 1997
• INS I-688 Temporary Resident Identification Card
• INS I-688B, I-766 Employment Authorization Card
• Social Security Number - You do not need your Social Security card; you just need to know your number so that we can access your file.
• Registration Numbers - A registration number is given to you when you have completed registration and another is given when you pay by credit/debit card.

You should provide your prospective employer with your registration number to receive your FBI clearance in 24-48 hours. Upon request, we will be happy to provide you with a receipt after you are fingerprinted so that you can include it with any applications you send out for employment.

SCHEDULING

• Schedule an appointment at the BCIU.
  (You must complete Steps 1 & 2 before scheduling your appointment.)
• Reschedule or delete an appointment at the BCIU.
• Search scheduled appointments at the BCIU.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call our fingerprinting information line at 610-987-8264 and leave a message.

Important Note: The BCIU may be closed during inclement weather. Before traveling, we urge you to check our Web site at www.berksiu.org or call 610-987-8595 to make sure the facility is open for fingerprinting purposes.