How to Pass Wyoming DCI Fingerprinting for Foster Care Without Delays

The DCI fingerprinting process is the single most common delay in Wyoming foster care licensing — and it is almost entirely preventable. If you submit the packet correctly the first time, the background check takes 31 to 60 days and the clock runs in your favor. If you submit a packet with a missing cover letter, the wrong payment type, or illegible prints, the packet is returned and you start over. In a state where PRIDE training cohorts only run a few times a year and licensing already takes three to six months, a 60-day fingerprinting delay doesn't just set back your application. It can cost you an entire season.

This guide walks through every step of the Wyoming DCI process so you get it right on the first submission.

What Wyoming Uses Instead of LiveScan

Many states use LiveScan: a digital fingerprinting system where you walk into a pharmacy or UPS store, press your fingers on a scanner, and the electronic prints transmit directly to the state agency. Wyoming does not use LiveScan for DFS foster care licensing. Wyoming uses paper fingerprint cards — ink-rolled impressions on FBI-standard blue cards — that must be physically mailed to the DCI Background Check Unit in Cheyenne.

This is not a widely understood difference. Applicants who have been fingerprinted for other purposes in other states, or who have read national foster care guides that assume a digital system, are frequently confused when they encounter Wyoming's paper-card process. The confusion is understandable. It is also fixable once you know what to expect.

Step-by-Step: The Wyoming DCI Fingerprint Process

Step 1: Obtain the CCL-108 Fingerprint Cover Letter

The CCL-108 is the cover letter that must accompany your fingerprint cards. It is a DFS form — not a DCI form — and it must be completed correctly. The CCL-108 identifies you as a foster care applicant, provides the DFS case number or applicant information, and directs DCI to return the results to DFS rather than to you directly.

Obtain this form from your DFS district office or the DFS licensing worker who has been assigned to your application. Do not attempt to submit fingerprint cards without the CCL-108. The DCI Background Check Unit will not process unaccompanied fingerprint cards for foster care licensing.

Step 2: Get Fingerprinted on FBI Blue Cards

Wyoming uses the FBI-standard fingerprint card — the blue card with spaces for all ten fingers, rolled prints, and plain impressions. You need two completed cards.

Where to get fingerprinted in Wyoming:

• Local law enforcement agencies (sheriff's offices, police departments) — many offer fingerprinting services, though hours may be limited
• DFS district offices in some locations
• Some libraries and county services offices

Call ahead to confirm availability and hours. In rural counties, fingerprinting services may only be available on specific days of the week. If the nearest option is an hour's drive, plan accordingly and confirm before you make the trip.

Print quality matters. The most common reason fingerprint cards are rejected is poor print quality: too much ink, too little ink, smeared impressions, or partial prints. When you go in for fingerprinting, communicate to the person rolling your prints that these are going to the FBI for a national check and need to be clear and complete. Most law enforcement fingerprinting technicians are familiar with the quality standard. If your prints are faint, ask to redo the card. A set of clean cards takes five minutes to redo. A rejected card takes two months to recover from.

Step 3: Prepare the Payment — Cashier's Check or Money Order Only

This is the step that trips up more Wyoming applicants than any other. The DCI Background Check Unit does not accept personal checks. It does not accept credit cards, debit cards, or cash. It accepts only a cashier's check or money order made out to the "State of Wyoming."

The current fee for the background check is set by DCI and DFS policy — confirm the current amount with your DFS licensing worker when you receive the CCL-108. Obtain a money order from a post office, Walmart, or Western Union. Obtain a cashier's check from your bank. Either is acceptable. A personal check will result in the packet being returned.

If you live in a rural area where obtaining a money order or cashier's check requires a dedicated trip to town, build that trip into your timeline before you schedule the fingerprinting appointment. Submit everything together in one mailing.

Step 4: Assemble and Mail the Complete Packet

Your mailing should contain:

1. The completed CCL-108 cover letter
2. Two completed, legible FBI blue fingerprint cards
3. A cashier's check or money order for the required fee

Mail the packet to:

Wyoming Department of Family Services Background Check Unit Cheyenne, Wyoming

Confirm the current mailing address with your DFS district office — addresses for state agency units do occasionally change. Send the packet via a trackable service (USPS Priority Mail with delivery confirmation, or equivalent) so you have proof of delivery and can confirm the packet arrived.

Do not send the original fingerprint cards via regular mail without tracking. If the packet is lost in transit, you restart the entire process.

Step 5: The 31-to-60-Day Processing Window

Once the Background Check Unit receives your complete packet, processing takes between 31 and 60 business days for the FBI national check to complete and return results to DFS. The DCI state criminal history check typically returns faster.

Do not expect updates during this window. The Background Check Unit does not provide interim status notifications. Your DFS licensing worker will be notified when results arrive. If you haven't heard anything after 60 days, follow up with your licensing worker — not with DCI directly.

During this window, continue working on the rest of your application: gathering references, completing your autobiographical statement, and scheduling your PRIDE training. The fingerprinting window is the right time to advance other parts of the process in parallel, because it is the part you cannot accelerate.

Step 6: If Your Card Is Rejected

Rejected cards are returned with a 10-day dispute or resubmission window. The 10-day window begins from the date of the rejection notice. If you receive a rejection:

• Identify the reason (most commonly: illegible prints, missing CCL-108, incorrect payment)
• Get new fingerprint cards rolled as quickly as possible — same week if you can
• Resubmit the complete packet with the same CCL-108 (or a new one if DFS issues a revised form)

The 10-day window is narrow. If you are in a rural area where getting to a fingerprinting location takes advance planning, treat a rejection notice as an emergency: move immediately.

All Adult Household Members Must Complete This Process

Every adult household member — everyone 18 years of age or older who lives in your home — must complete the DCI background check process. This includes your spouse or partner, adult children living in the home, and any other adults in the household. Each person submits their own fingerprint cards and cover letter. Each person pays a separate fee.

Plan for this when you calculate your total timeline and budget. If you have two adults in the household, you are coordinating two separate fingerprinting appointments, two separate mail packets, and two separate 31-to-60-day processing windows. The 60-day window runs concurrently, not sequentially — both are submitted at the same time — but both must complete before licensing can proceed.

How This Fits Into the Broader Timeline

A standard Wyoming licensing timeline runs three to six months from initial application to certification issuance. The DCI fingerprint check is one of three background check components (DCI state check, FBI national check, and DFS Central Registry check). The 31-to-60-day FBI processing window is typically the longest single item on the timeline.

The best strategy is to submit fingerprint cards as early in the process as possible — ideally within the first week or two after receiving your CCL-108 from DFS. Getting the fingerprint process started early means the FBI processing window runs in parallel with your other application work (references, autobiographical statement, PRIDE training) rather than after it.

Tradeoffs: Paper Cards vs. a Digital System

The paper fingerprint card system is more labor-intensive than a digital LiveScan system. It requires a physical mailing, an exact payment type, and a longer processing window. In exchange, it does not require proximity to a LiveScan vendor — which is not a trivial advantage in a state where the nearest LiveScan kiosk might be two hours away. The paper system is accessible to rural Wyoming families in a way that a vendor-dependent digital system would not be.

The operational requirements — correct cover letter, correct payment type, quality prints, trackable mailing — are not difficult to meet once you know what they are. The difficulty is that Wyoming's DFS website does not explain them in a single place, in plain language, in sequence. Most of the delays that occur in the Wyoming fingerprinting process happen because applicants didn't know about the money order requirement, or didn't know about the CCL-108, or didn't know that card quality mattered enough to ask for a redo on the spot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a LiveScan fingerprinting service for Wyoming foster care?

No. Wyoming DFS foster care licensing requires paper fingerprint cards submitted by mail to the DCI Background Check Unit. LiveScan digital submissions are used in Wyoming for some other purposes (teaching certificates, for example) but not for DFS foster care background checks. If a fingerprinting location offers to submit your prints digitally, confirm that this is acceptable for DFS foster care before proceeding. When in doubt, use paper cards.

What happens if I send a personal check instead of a money order?

Your packet will be returned. The DCI Background Check Unit will not cash or process personal checks. When the packet is returned, you lose whatever time elapsed between your submission and the return — typically one to two weeks in each direction. You then need to resubmit with correct payment. In a licensing process that can take six months, a four-week delay from an incorrect check is avoidable and consequential. Get a money order or cashier's check from the start.

How do I find out the current fee for the background check?

Ask your DFS district office or licensing worker when they provide the CCL-108 form. The fee is set by DCI policy and DFS administrative rules. Do not rely on fee amounts found in online discussions or unofficial sources — these are frequently out of date. The correct fee is the one your DFS licensing worker gives you when you receive the cover letter.

What if I've lived in another state within the past five years?

DFS is required to obtain an out-of-state abuse and neglect registry check from every state where you've lived in the past five years. This is separate from the FBI fingerprint check. DFS initiates the out-of-state checks on your behalf after you disclose your prior states of residence on the application. You do not need to personally contact other states' agencies. Disclose your complete residential history accurately — DFS will process the out-of-state checks.

Can I check the status of my DCI background check?

The DCI Background Check Unit does not provide status updates to applicants. Your DFS licensing worker receives the results when the process completes. If you have not received any update after 60 days from the date your packet was delivered (use your tracking confirmation), contact your DFS licensing worker to inquire. They can follow up with the Background Check Unit on your behalf.

The Wyoming Foster Care Licensing Guide includes a complete chapter on the DCI fingerprinting process: the CCL-108 cover letter, the fingerprint card quality standard, the payment requirement, and the mailing process — along with a Background Check Tracking Log worksheet to record submission dates, processing windows, and clearance status for every adult in your household.

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