Application Package

Application's are available on the Forms and Resources page.  Please be sure to read the instructions carefully and to see the section on frequently asked questions. If you can't download the application, please contact us at (602) 265-0135 or [email protected].

Before the Board looks at the application, it must receive a complete application package. Failure to submit a complete application package will delay the process and may cause the application to be denied. A complete application must include at least the following.

1. Application form (completed, signed, and notarized). Applicants should not fail to answer any of the questions. The application form also requires a personal statement that explains, from the applicant's perspective, every arrest that may be on your criminal history record. Applicants should make sure to address every arrest, even if it did not appear on the letter from DPS, and even if the arrest did not lead to a conviction. Applicants also may want to describe the positive lifestyle changes they have made. (For more information on personal statements, please see the "Resources" section of our Forms & Resources page.)
2. Two letters of reference (completed on the forms provided by the Board). Both letters must be completed by someone who has known the applicant for at least one year. One form must be completed either by the applicant's current or former employer or by someone who has known the applicant for at least three years. Applicants may submit more reference letters, if they like. However, they must submit at least two, and the references must use Board-prescribed form.
3. Evidence that the applicant has met all sentencing requirements. For every conviction on an applicant's record, regardless of whether the offense appeared on the DPS letter, the applicant must prove to the Board that the applicant met his or her sentencing terms. Sentencing terms might have included probation, parole, restitution, fines, community service, counseling, educational classes, drug or alcohol screening, incarceration, etc. To prove that an applicant met these requirements, she or he must provide a document from the court that sentenced her or him that shows the applicant completed the requirements. If the applicant contacts the court, and it says it has no record, the applicant should get a written statement from the court that indicates it has no record. If the applicant has not completed the sentencing requirements, he or she should submit a written statement that indicates the progress made toward completing them. (For more information on personal statements, please see the "Resources" section of our Forms & Resources page.)
4. Police reports (not required of all applicants). If any of the applicant's arrests occurred within five years of the date the fingerprint clearance card was denied or suspended, the applicant must provide police reports for each arrest, even if the arrest did not appear on the DPS letter, and even if the applicant was not convicted. The applicant must provide the entire report.
5. Disposition information (not required of all applicants). If the applicant's denial or suspension letter indicated that DPS could not find the disposition of an arrest, she or he must provide court documentation indicating the disposition. ("Disposition" means what finally happened to a case after an arrest, such as conviction, acquittal, dropped charges, etc.) If the applicant contacts the appropriate court, and it says it has no record, the applicant should get a written statement from the court that indicates it has no record. (For more information on personal statements, please see the "Resources" section of our Forms & Resources page.)
6. Child Protective Services and Adult Protective Services. All applicants must disclose whether they have had a substantiated allegation of child or adult abuse or neglect made to a child-welfare or adult-welfare agency, regardless of whether the allegation led to criminal charges. In Arizona, the child-welfare agency is called Child Protective Services (CPS), and the adult-welfare agency is called Adult Protective Services (APS); the agencies may have different names in other states. If the applicant has had a substantiated allegation of child or adult abuse or neglect, he or she must contact CPS, APS, or the appropriate child-welfare or adult-welfare agency, request a copy of the final report on the allegation, and submit that report with the application. The applicant must also submit a written statement that explains the allegation.