NJ real estate fingerprinting with IdentoGO: steps, cost and what to bring

When to get fingerprinted

Right after you pass. The Commission's fingerprinting page says the Department suggests you schedule the fingerprint scan immediately after you pass the exam. It does not ask you to wait for a broker or for anything else first.

The reason is your deadline. You have one year from completing your 75-hour course, not from passing, to file a complete license application, and the Commission will not accept an application without proof of fingerprinting. Appointments are usually available 7 to 10 days after you schedule, so every week you wait to book is a week off the end of your window. If you are not sure how much time you have, read the one-year rule explained.

What the fingerprints are for

New Jersey requires license applicants to submit fingerprints and written consent for a criminal history record check. The prints go through the State Police coordinated Live Scan system, run by the state's vendor IDEMIA under the IdentoGO name, and are checked against FBI records. The Universal Form lists the statute behind it, N.J.S.A. 45:15-9, and the reason as real estate sales, brokers and salespersons.

The Commission's licensing requirements page says it must be satisfied as to your honesty, trustworthiness, character and integrity, and that an application may be denied if you have been convicted of a crime or are on parole or probation. A past record is not an automatic bar under that wording, but if you have one, call the Commission at 609-292-7272 before you file rather than after. For the wider licensing rules, see licensing and the Commission.

Step 1: Fill in the Universal Form

You have to complete the form before you book. The Commission posts three versions; salesperson, broker-salesperson, broker and referral candidates all use the same one, the Universal Form for salespersons and brokers. Its form number is IDG_NJAPP_051719_V1, and the Commission asks you to use the most current version.

• Blocks 1 to 7 are already filled in for real estate. They include the ORI (agency) number NJ920510Z, the statute 45:15-9 and the $66.05 fee. The service code printed on the form is 2F1FTK; have it handy when you book.
• Blocks 9 to 26 are yours: name, date of birth, physical description, place of birth, citizenship, home address, occupation and employer. Your Social Security number is marked optional.
• The form says blocks 1 through 26 must be complete before you schedule, online or by phone.
• Do not alter, share or reuse the form. It says so in capital letters.
• Keep a copy. You need the form at the appointment and a copy for your license application.

Step 2: Book and pay IDEMIA

1. Go to uenroll.identogo.com, which is open 24 hours a day, or call 1-877-503-5981, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m. to noon. English and Spanish operators are available. Hearing impaired callers can use 1-800-673-0353.
2. Pick a scan center and a time. The Commission says appointments are generally available within 7 to 10 days of scheduling.
3. Pay the $66.05 processing fee to IDEMIA when you book. It takes Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, prepaid debit cards and ACH debit from a checking account.
4. Write down your appointment date, time and site, and put the cancel cutoff in your calendar (see the fee section below).

The $66.05 goes to IDEMIA, not to PSI or the Commission. It is separate from the $160 license application fee your broker pays when filing. For every fee from course to license, see what an NJ license costs.

What to bring to the appointment

Two things: the completed Universal Form and one acceptable photo ID. The ID rule is strict. A single, current (not expired) document has to show all of it: your photo, your name, an address and your date of birth. The Commission's page describes the address as home or employer; the form says home or issuing agency. The ID has to be issued by a federal, state, county or municipal government. Combinations of documents are not accepted, and without acceptable ID you will not be fingerprinted.

The fee, the $12.80 trap and refunds

This $12.80 is IDEMIA's fee. It has nothing to do with PSI, whose late cancellation and no-show penalty is losing your $38 exam fee. The Commission does not publish a refund policy for the $66.05 itself, so if you need money back, ask IDEMIA.

After the appointment: the proof your broker needs

The Commission says an application needs three things together: a fully completed application, the license fee and proof of fingerprinting. Without all three it is not accepted. Proof of fingerprinting is a copy of your completed Universal Form plus the payment receipt IDEMIA gives you at the scan. Hand both to your sponsoring broker, along with the Applicant ID from your score report, so they can file. The full order of steps is in what to do after you pass, and the exam guide covers the application itself.

You do not get your results, and the Commission's page does not say how long the check takes. What it does say, in its online application FAQ for brokers, is that a candidate stays in pending status until everything submitted is reviewed and fingerprint results are cleared. You cannot work until the Commission approves you.

When something goes wrong

Two problems the Commission does not cover on its page: prints that come back unreadable, and how you would be told. We could not find a published process for either. If your broker hears nothing for a long time, or anything suggests your prints need to be redone, call the Licensing Services Bureau at 609-292-7272. If the FBI check shows a record you believe is wrong, the Commission points to the federal procedure in 28 CFR 16.34 for correcting or updating an FBI identification record.