Rolled ink fingerprint cards done to acceptance quality — FD-258 and FD-1164 for the FBI, police clearance certificate cards for authorities worldwide, and ink cards for employment, licensing and adoption. RCMP-accredited in Barrie, serving Simcoe County, York Region and the GTA. Walk-ins welcome, about 10–15 minutes.
Walk in.
DirectionsInk fingerprinting is the traditional method: each finger inked and rolled by hand onto a physical card, nail edge to nail edge, so the full ridge pattern is captured. It is what you need whenever the authority asking for your prints wants a card in their hands rather than an electronic submission to the RCMP.
That covers more situations than most people expect. The FBI requires it. Most foreign police authorities require it. So do a number of employers, professional licensing bodies and adoption agencies — often because their process predates electronic submission, or because the card has to travel to a jurisdiction with no link to Canada's system.
Rolled ink prints on the FBI's FD-258 card — for immigration abroad, foreign employment or licensing, adoption, or anyone who has lived or worked in the United States and now needs their FBI record. Some applications call for the FBI's other card, the FD-1164, instead; we stock and roll both, so bring whatever your instructions name and we'll use the right one.
FBI fingerprinting details →Ink prints on the card format your consulate supplies, for police clearance and good-conduct certificates from authorities around the world.
Foreign police clearance →Some employers, professional colleges, regulators and adoption agencies specifically require an ink card rather than an electronic submission. Bring your instructions and we'll match the correct card and complete it to spec.
Book ink fingerprinting →Not sure which applies to you? Call 705-999-7903 and read us your letter — we'll sort it out before you make the trip.
Every authority has its own card format and its own submission route. These pages cover what we take, what to bring, and where the card goes:
Country not listed? We almost certainly stock the card. Call 705-999-7903 or see foreign police clearance fingerprinting.
The short version: if a Canadian body is asking, it's almost always digital. If the FBI or a foreign government is asking, it's almost always ink. Read your request letter for the words "fingerprint card" or "FD-258" — that's ink. "Certified criminal record check" is digital.
| Digital LiveScan | Ink / FD-258 Card | |
|---|---|---|
| How it's taken | Fingers scanned electronically — no ink | Rolled by hand in ink onto a physical card |
| Who accepts it | The RCMP, and Canadian bodies that rely on RCMP results | The FBI, most foreign police authorities, some employers and licensing bodies |
| Typical uses | Canadian employment checks, immigration and citizenship, record suspension (pardon), US entry waiver, vulnerable sector submissions | FBI Identity History Summary, foreign police clearance certificates, overseas employment and licensing, international adoption |
| What you leave with | Nothing to carry — the submission goes electronically to the RCMP | A completed physical fingerprint card that you submit yourself |
| Turnaround | RCMP results typically in days | Card is ready the same visit; the receiving authority sets its own processing time |
| Appointment length | About 10–15 minutes | About 10–15 minutes |
Need the digital side instead? See digital LiveScan fingerprinting. Need both — a Canadian check and a foreign clearance? We do both in the same visit.
Two valid government-issued photo IDs, plus any fingerprint card or instructions you were given. No card? We supply standard blank ink cards and FD-258s.
Each finger rolled individually by an RCMP-accredited technician, every impression checked for clarity before you leave, anything unclear re-rolled. About 10–15 minutes.
You send the completed card to the FBI, foreign authority, employer or agency that asked for it, following their process. We hand you a card that will stand up to review.
Digital LiveScan is offered by plenty of providers. Ink and FD-258 work is not — it is a hand skill, it needs the right card stock, and many offices simply don't do it. That's why our ink clients routinely drive past closer providers: from across Simcoe County, from York Region, and from the wider Greater Toronto Area.
We're at 231 Bayview Dr #202, Barrie — free parking, minutes off Highway 400, open Saturday and Sunday 9:00AM–1:00PM by appointment on top of full weekday hours.
Most people arrive holding a letter that names a form number — FD-258, FD258, FD-1164, C-216C, SAPS 91(a), NBI Form No. 5, an ACRO form, or something a consulate emailed them. If your instructions name a form, that form is what we roll onto. Bring the paperwork and we match it exactly.
| Form / card | Who normally asks for it |
|---|---|
| FD-258 (also written FD 258 or FD258) | The FBI's standard applicant fingerprint card — the one most people are sent for an FBI Identity History Summary |
| FD-1164 (FD 1164 / FD1164) | Used when you request your own FBI Identity History Summary directly from the FBI — your personal record, rather than a check someone else asked for |
| SF-87 (SF 87 / SF87) | US federal employment and agency applicants (Standard Form 87 fingerprint chart) |
| ATF Form 1 / Form 4 | US firearms and NFA applications — the ATF requires FD-258 cards submitted with the form |
| C-216C (C216C) | The RCMP's civil applicant fingerprint form, used for Canadian criminal record checks |
| NBI Form No. 5 | Philippine NBI Clearance applicants |
| SAPS 91(a) | South African Police Service clearance applicants |
| ACRO fingerprint form | UK applicants — but note a standard ACRO police certificate is a documents-only check and usually needs no fingerprints at all. Only bring this if an authority has asked you in writing |
| Consulate-supplied form | Most other countries send their own form or accept a plain ink card |
| Plain applicant card | Employers, licensing bodies and adoption agencies that just need clean rolled prints |
People arrive asking for this in a dozen different ways — ink fingerprinting, black ink fingerprinting, a fingerprint card in Canada, fingerprinting with ink, an FD-258 or FD 258 ink card, rolled prints, or simply "the paper kind, not the computer kind." It's all the same service, and it's what we do every day.
FBI Identity History Summary checks, US state licensing boards, HazMat endorsement for commercial drivers, TSA programs, ATF forms, green card and visa applications, and employers who need an FBI check on a physical card.
FBI & US purposes →Police clearance and good-conduct certificates for 35 countries — each on the card format that authority requires, whether that's a consulate form or a plain ink card.
Country-by-country →Ontario security guard licence applications, professional colleges and regulators, employers and volunteer organisations that specifically ask for an ink card rather than an electronic submission.
Book ink fingerprinting →| You've been asked for… | What that usually means |
|---|---|
| An FBI Identity History Summary | Rolled ink prints on an FD-258 card, submitted to the FBI or through an approved channeler |
| A police clearance / good conduct certificate | Ink prints on your consulate's form, submitted to that country's police authority |
| A US state licence (nursing, real estate, insurance, security, teaching) | Either an FBI summary, or the board's own fingerprint card rolled and mailed back |
| A HazMat endorsement or TSA program | A physical fingerprint card completed here and submitted to the US program |
| An Ontario security guard licence | Prints for the licensing process — bring the instructions you were issued |
| Adoption or foster paperwork | Ink cards, often more than one, for domestic or international placement |
| A legal name change | Ink prints to confirm identity against existing records |
| Your own personal record | People request their own file for peace of mind, or to check what an employer will see |
| "Just the ink ones, not digital" | Exactly what this page is about — call us and we'll confirm before you drive in |
Ink and FD-258 work is a specialist service — and we are the only RCMP-accredited office in Simcoe County open seven days a week, with evening appointments to 9PM by arrangement. Read the reviews →