2007 RULES CHANGE: NEW $39 FINGERPRINT PROCESSING FEE AND NEW
ELECTRONIC FINGERPRINT PROCEDURES
According toMatt Ray, Deputy Commissioner of the Licensing
Division at the Texas Department of Insurance, there are new rules for people
who want to be licensed.
Effective January 1, 2007, anyone who must provide fingerprints to the Texas
Department of Insurance (TDI) must pay an additional $39.00 fingerprint processing
fee. You must have your fingerprints done electronically and they will
be sent to the TDI by the facility that does the fingerprinting. Most
facilities charge $9.95. The total additional cost is $48.95 for
the combined processing fee and the facility charge.
The $39.00 processing fee will pay for criminal history background
checks by both the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The $39 is in addition to the $9.95 fingerprint
collection fee charged by the companies that take electronic fingerprints for
TDI and any other license or application fees.
The new fee primarily affects new applicants and applicants who
have allowed their license, registration, certificate to expire or terminate,
or individuals becoming associated with a regulated entity, such as becoming
an officer or director.
An individual who has previously submitted fingerprints to TDI and maintains
a current license, etc. generally is not required to submit a new set of fingerprints,
even if the individual is applying for a different license type.
Electronic Fingerprinting
The process of having fingerprints taken and attaching the fingerprint cards
to the application will change to implement electronic fingerprinting through
approved vendors as authorized under the rule. Electronic fingerprinting
is fast and accurate, and in most cases will avoid potential delays in the
processing of an application. The general process as outlined in the
TDI rule, effective January 1, 2007, is:
1. Print and complete the FAST Pass form from TDI's website. You
will need information from the FAST Pass when you make your fingerprint appointment.
2. Schedule an appointment to be fingerprinted. Pursuant
to DPS requirements on the vendor, you will be photographed as part of the
fingerprint process. As provided in rule §1.509, you must pay the
$39.00 fee plus a $9.95 fingerprint collection fee ($48.95 total) to the vendor
in a manner that is acceptable to that vendor. You have two electronic
fingerprint vendor choices:
• Identix
Identification Services has 60+ Texas fingerprint locations. Schedule
at http://www.identix.com/iis/tx.html or
call toll-free 1-888-467-2080 (8 am-5 pm CST), or
• Thomson
Prometric, TDI's insurance agent/adjuster examinations vendor, has
20 Texas fingerprint locations. Schedule at www.prometric.com or
call toll-free 1-866-267-0455 (8 am-5 pm CST).
3. Arrive at your scheduled appointment with your FAST Pass. After
your fingerprints and photograph are taken, the technician will give you a
receipt stating that you were fingerprinted. Do not throw away the
receipt. You will need it when you submit your application. You
will not get a printed fingerprint card. Your fingerprints will be sent
electronically to DPS and the FBI.
4. Attach your fingerprint receipt to your application. You
will be sending the receipt instead of sending a paper fingerprint card.
Exception to Electronic Fingerprinting
Non-residents may continue to submit paper fingerprint cards even after
January 1, 2007, because electronic fingerprinting for TDI may be available
only at sites located in Texas. Non-residents, however, may contact
Identix Identification Services to determine if it has local fingerprinting
facilities that can process fingerprints for TDI electronically.
Also, Texas resident applicants may submit a paper
fingerprint card; however, as stated in §1.509, paper fingerprints
may substantially delay the processing of these applications both due to longer
processing times and because it will increase the likelihood that the fingerprint
will be rejected by DPS or FBI and require a reprint.
Additionally, as required in §1.509, beginning January 1, 2007, all
fingerprints captured on paper cards must be captured by a
criminal law enforcement agency. As described in the rule,
persons submitting paper cards should mail the application to the address given
on the application along with the paper fingerprint card and a $39.00
check or money order payable to DPS. The $39.00 fee applies
to all applications submitted to TDI on or after January 1, 2007. TDI
will forward the fee payment and the fingerprint card to DPS.
Additional Information
If you have questions, please contact the following TDI division if you
have additional questions:
Insurance Agents, Adjusters and Agency Officers and Directors:
Licensing Division, 512-322-3503
Insurance Company Officers and Directors:
Company Licensing and Registration Division, 512-322-3507
Title and Escrow Agents: Title Division, 512-322-3482
Viatical and Life Settlements: Life and Health Division, 512-322-3401
Workers' Compensation Network Officers and Directors:
Health and Workers' Compensation Network Certification and QA, 512-322-4266