Fingerprint quality is determined by many factors, some of which are beyond your control, but others which you can greatly influence before being fingerprinted. Examples of factors you can’t control that effect skin health and dryness include age, medications you’re taking, acute hydrosis or sweating, and genetics. Factors you can control include hydration (drinking water) and the applications of oil-free lotion to your fingertips starting a day or two before your appointment. Surprisingly, the single, most important thing you can do to help with your fingerprint quality is to NOT wash your hands or use hand sanitizer immediately prior to your fingerprinting appointment! Dryness or excess moisture (sweat) and heat are the biggest challenges to obtaining good fingerprints, so it is always recommended to come to your appointment with cool and dry, but hydrated hands.
How to prepare for fingerprinting if you believe you have poor quality fingerprints:
1.) Drink lots of water starting the day prior to your fingerprinting appointment and minimize caffeine and alcohol.
2.) Apply oil-free moisturizing lotion to your hands a couple of times the day prior to the appointment and again the morning of the appointment; especially each time after you wash your hands.
3.) Do not swim or have your hands in water (especially salt water) prior to the fingerprinting appointment.
4.) Do not wash your hands or use hand sanitizer immediately prior to your fingerprinting appointment.
5.) Cool your hands before coming in for your fingerprinting appointment, especially on hot humid days.
We do not provide Apostille or government legalisation services. However, we can take your fingerprints as an ‘Issuing Authority’ for submission to the legalisation service.
We are not processing agents for your fingerprints whether for visa or passport applications, police clearance certificates, regulatory compliance or the service or proof of service for any document in the UK or overseas.
Because of the many variations in procedures required by regulators, law enforcement or government agencies worldwide it is your responsibility to ensure that our service meets your requirements. We merely transfer your fingerprints on to the requisite forms that you give us. It is your responsibility to decide what use you put those forms to.
Any comments, suggestions made by us will only be of a general nature and do not absolve you of your responsibility to ensure our service is fit for your purpose and that you have followed the requesting authority’s procedures correctly.
We do not accept responsibility for confirming your identity, however, if requested at the time of making your appointment we can provide a Certificate, signed by the Fingerprinting Officer to say that you produced some form of government issued identification, preferably photographic, at the time the prints are taken.
We cannot accept responsibility for any overseas agency that claims they are unable to process your fingerprints or fail to return the results to you for whatever reason. It is also your responsibility to ensure
all paper work is completed correctly.
It is important to note that the physical condition of your fingers, as listed above, may have an impact on the quality of the impressions and the results obtained. It should be noted that fingerprint quality deteriorates through age, manual work and certain sports in addition to some medical conditions.