It is one of the most commonly asked questions we hear at PDX Fingerprinting — how long will a fingerprint stay? Whether you are curious about how long your prints remain on a physical surface, how long your biometric data is stored in government databases, or whether your fingerprints change over time, the answers are far more fascinating than most people expect.
Understanding fingerprint longevity matters whether you are going through a background check for employment, applying for a professional license, navigating an immigration process, or simply curious about how biometric identification works.
In this article, we break down everything you need to know about how long fingerprints last — on surfaces, in databases, and on your own skin — so you can move forward with your fingerprinting needs fully informed.
What Makes a Fingerprint Last — or Disappear?
Before answering how long will a fingerprint stay, it helps to understand what a fingerprint actually is.
Fingerprints are impressions left behind by the friction ridge skin on the tips of your fingers. When you touch a surface, the natural oils and sweat from your skin transfer onto that surface, leaving behind a unique pattern of loops, whorls, and arches.
How long that impression survives depends on a wide range of factors — the type of surface it was left on, the environmental conditions it is exposed to, and whether anything disturbs it after it is deposited.
The same principle applies to biometric fingerprint records stored in government and agency databases. Different systems have different retention policies, and understanding them is essential for anyone navigating background checks or identity verification processes.
1. On Smooth, Non-Porous Surfaces — Up to 40 Years
On smooth, non-porous surfaces like glass, metal, or polished plastic, fingerprints can survive for an extraordinarily long time under the right conditions.
Forensic scientists have recovered identifiable latent fingerprints from surfaces that were decades old. In controlled environments, away from humidity, heat, and physical disturbance, a fingerprint impression on glass can potentially last up to 40 years or longer.
This is why forensic investigators treat surfaces with such care at crime scenes. A single undisturbed fingerprint can remain as a viable piece of evidence long after the event that created it.
For everyday purposes, however, fingerprints on surfaces like smartphone screens or door handles typically last only hours or days before they are smudged, cleaned away, or degraded by environmental exposure.
2. On Porous Surfaces — Decades Under the Right Conditions
Porous surfaces like paper, cardboard, and untreated wood absorb fingerprint residue differently than smooth surfaces. The oils and amino acids from your skin are absorbed into the material itself rather than sitting on top of it.
This actually makes fingerprints on porous surfaces more durable in many cases. When stored in dry, stable conditions away from light and moisture, fingerprints on paper documents have been successfully recovered after 50 years or more.
This is particularly relevant for ink fingerprint cards — the FD-258 cards used for FBI submissions and background checks. These physical cards, once submitted, become part of a permanent record and are stored accordingly.
3. In the FBI’s NGI Database — Potentially Indefinitely
When people ask how long will a fingerprint stay in a government database, the answer is significant.
The FBI’s Next Generation Identification system — commonly known as NGI — is the world’s largest biometric database. It holds fingerprint records for hundreds of millions of individuals, including criminal records, civil submissions, and background check data.
For criminal records, fingerprint data is generally retained indefinitely. There is no automatic expiration or deletion of criminal fingerprint records in the FBI system.
For civil fingerprint submissions — such as those made for employment background checks, professional licensing, or immigration purposes — retention policies vary depending on the submitting agency, the purpose of the submission, and applicable state and federal regulations.
In many cases, civil fingerprint records are retained for the duration of employment or licensure, and sometimes well beyond. This is why understanding your rights regarding biometric data storage is increasingly important in today’s privacy landscape.
4. Your Own Fingerprints Last a Lifetime — With One Exception
Here is one of the most surprising answers to how long will a fingerprint stay — your fingerprints are with you for life.
Fingerprints form during fetal development, typically between weeks 10 and 16 of pregnancy. The unique ridge patterns that develop during this period remain essentially unchanged for the rest of your life.
Even significant life events — aging, weight changes, illness — do not alter the fundamental pattern of your fingerprints. They may become less pronounced with age as skin loses elasticity, but the underlying pattern remains the same.
The one notable exception involves deliberate or accidental destruction of the deeper layers of skin. Severe burns, deep cuts, or certain medical conditions can damage fingerprint ridges to the point where they are no longer clearly identifiable.
Some individuals — particularly those who work extensively with their hands, use certain medications, or undergo chemotherapy — may experience temporary or permanent changes in fingerprint clarity. This is something our certified technicians at PDX Fingerprinting are highly experienced in managing.
5. Latent Fingerprints vs. Submitted Biometric Records — Two Very Different Timelines
It is important to distinguish between two very different types of fingerprints when asking how long will a fingerprint stay.
Latent fingerprints are the invisible or visible impressions left behind when you touch a surface. These are the prints investigated in forensic contexts. Their longevity depends entirely on environmental factors as discussed above.
Submitted biometric records are the digitally captured or ink-rolled fingerprints submitted to agencies like the FBI, state licensing boards, FINRA, ATF, or USPS for background check and identification purposes.
These records are stored in secure databases and governed by specific retention policies. Unlike latent prints on surfaces, submitted biometric records are protected, preserved, and maintained with intentional long-term storage in mind.
At PDX Fingerprinting, we capture both LiveScan electronic submissions and traditional ink roll fingerprint cards — ensuring your biometric data is of the highest quality for long-term storage and accurate identification.
6. Environmental Factors That Shorten Fingerprint Lifespan
Understanding how long will a fingerprint stay also means understanding what destroys them.
Several environmental factors significantly reduce fingerprint longevity on surfaces. High humidity causes fingerprint residue to spread and degrade rapidly. Extreme heat can evaporate the oils and moisture that make fingerprints visible. Direct sunlight and UV exposure break down organic compounds in fingerprint residue over time.
Physical disturbance is the most immediate threat. A surface that is touched, wiped, or cleaned after a fingerprint is deposited will typically destroy the impression within seconds.
Rain, wind, and temperature fluctuations all contribute to the degradation of outdoor fingerprints. This is why forensic investigators work quickly to document and lift fingerprint evidence from outdoor scenes before environmental exposure compromises the evidence.
7. Does Your Fingerprint Change After Submission — and Do You Need to Resubmit?
This is one of the most practical aspects of how long will a fingerprint stay for anyone who has already gone through a fingerprinting process.
The good news is that because your fingerprint pattern is essentially permanent, a single high-quality submission typically remains valid for the purpose it was submitted. A background check fingerprint submitted for a professional license, for example, does not need to be redone simply because time has passed — unless the agency or employer specifically requires an updated submission.
However, certain situations do require new fingerprint submissions. If you are applying to a new employer, licensing board, or agency, a fresh submission is almost always required. Some agencies have their own retention and resubmission policies that mandate periodic updates.
Additionally, if your previous submission was of poor quality and resulted in rejection, a new high-quality submission is necessary. This is precisely why accurate fingerprint capture matters so much the first time around.
At PDX Fingerprinting, our AI-assisted quality control process ensures your prints are captured correctly, clearly, and completely — minimizing the chance you will ever need to resubmit due to quality issues.
Why Fingerprint Quality Matters More Than You Think
Now that you understand how long will a fingerprint stay — whether on a surface, in a database, or on your own skin — one conclusion becomes very clear.
The quality of your fingerprint capture at the moment of submission determines everything that follows. A poorly captured print does not just fail once — it can create a chain of delays, resubmissions, and missed deadlines that affects your employment, licensing, immigration status, or legal process for weeks or even months.
At PDX Fingerprinting, we have built our entire service around precision and accuracy. Our certified technicians use state-of-the-art LiveScan technology and traditional ink roll methods to capture the clearest, most complete fingerprints possible — every single appointment.
We serve clients across Portland, Hillsboro, Lake Oswego, Beaverton, and the greater Oregon area with a full range of fingerprinting services including FBI background checks, ATF and FINRA fingerprinting, apostille services, mobile fingerprinting, notary services, and certified document translation.
When your fingerprints matter — and they always do — trust the team that gets it right the first time.
Book your appointment today at www.pdxfingerprinting.com and experience professional fingerprinting that stands the test of time.
