Below you will find a screen print of the GAPS main web page and written instructions that will assist you as you begin using GAPS. The steps for utilizing GAPS have been labeled A – F. Pease complete the steps in this order. It is also recommended that you look at all other links and what they offer for your GAPS convenience.

For assistance with agency specific instructions, go to Useful Links on the GAPS main web page for contact information.

Remember – The Georgia applicants and agencies that use GAPS are responsible for registering properly prior to fingerprinting. Errors in fingerprint results due to improper registration are the responsibility of the users.

A – Agency Enrollment in GAPS

Complete GCIC Service Agreement

An agency or business must first enroll with 3M Cogent in order to register applicants and have applicants fingerprinted at a GAPS Print Location.

· To enroll with 3M Cogent, from the GAPS main web page under Agency Use, click on How to Enroll Your Agency/Business.

· On the Agency Enrollment screen, Step 1, click the link

This form may be downloaded by clicking here. The GCIC Service Agreement should be displayed. Print the GCIC Service Agreement; your agency head should read the GCIC Service Agreement in its entirety. If you have any questions regarding the information in the GCIC Service Agreement, an email can be sent to GAApplicant@gbi.ga.gov.

Please complete the information on the last page of the GCIC Service Agreement and mail the signature page to GCIC at the address shown at the bottom of the form. [Note: If your agency/business does not have or you do not know your ORI/OAC number then leave the Agency ORI or OAC # field blank and GCIC will provide this number with the signed GCIC Service Agreement that will be returned to your agency.]

Once you receive an ORI or OAC number from GBI (typical response time is within 10 business days) you may proceed to Step 2.

If your agency already has an ORI/OAC number and you have included it on the GCIC Service Agreement, you may now proceed to Step 2.

If you do not receive an ORI or OAC number within 10 business days, send an email to GAApplicant@gbi.ga.gov and include your agency/business name, address and contact information.

Special Note: Agencies or companies that operate under the guidelines of a state agency such as DHR, Secretary of State or Bright from the Start will find additional important information by going to Useful Links on the GAPS main web page and clicking on the state agency’s name.

Complete the GAPS Agency Enrollment Form – Step 2

The GAPS On-Line Enrollment form, which is Step 2 on the How to Enroll Your Agency/Business screen, must be filled out next. Once you complete the information on the On-Line Enrollment form, click Save, PRINT the form that is displayed and have your agency head SIGN the form. The original form with the signature must be sent to 3M Cogent at the Dublin, Ohio address.

Complete the GAPS Agency Enrollment Form

This form must be completed online and must include your ORI or OAC number. If you do not have an ORI or OAC, please follow the instructions in STEP 1, and return to complete this online form once you have either an ORI or OAC number.

Enroll online by clicking here.

The form with the Authorized Person’s signature must be sent to 3M Cogent at the following address.

3M Cogent

GAPS Enrollment

5025 Bradenton Avenue, Suite 100 (A)

Dublin, OH 43017

For expedited enrollment you may fax a copy of the Enrollment Form to 3M Cogent at 614-718-9694, but the original signed copy must also be mailed to 3M Cogent within seven (7) days.

You should receive an email confirmation from Cogent within ten (10) business days (provided you faxed and mailed the copy of the on-line form). If after the 10-day period you have not received a confirmation email, please contact Cogent’s Help Desk at gahelp@cogentsystems.com. Please include your ORI/OAC number in the e-mail.

You cannot proceed to C until you receive an email with the GAPS Agency Enrollment Confirmation & Instructions.

B – GAPS Applicant Waiver

It is not mandatory to use the GAPS Applicant Waiver but GCIC strongly encourages an applicant to review and sign this waiver and that a copy of the waiver be kept in the applicant’s folder. The GAPS Applicant Waiver form can be found on the GAPS main web page under the Registration tab.

C – Applicant Registration

Once you receive the email confirmation from 3M Cogent your enrollment process is complete. You can now begin to register applicants by clicking on Single Registration or Multiple Registration which is found on the main GAPS web page under the Registration tab.

All of the fields on the registration screen that have an asterisk (*) must contain information.

Near the end of the registration screen you will see a heading entitled Transaction Information. In this area you must:

a) Click on the drop box next to Reason and select the reason for which the applicant is being fingerprinted. If you are not sure of the Reason, please call the agency that will receive your applicant’s background results or the GCIC CCH Unit for assistance. For contact information refer to Useful Links on the GAPS webpage.

NOTE: If you have an OAC number (GAPxxxxxxxx) and there is not another agency making a fitness determination, you must select a Reason that has a notation of GA Only Check. If a Reason is selected that does not have a GA Only Check notation, the transaction will be rejected and you will need to re-register and pay again.

b) Click on the drop box next to Payment and select the appropriate payment option. If credit card is selected you will be prompted to enter additional information so please have credit card information available during the registration process. If the applicant is paying with a money order, the applicant must provide the money order, payable to 3M Cogent – GAPS, at the GAPS Print Location before being fingerprinted.

If your agency/business is paying for the applicant’s fingerprint background check and during the Enrollment Process your agency/business established a Billing Account with 3M Cogent, then Agency can be selected from the Payment drop box. After selecting Agency from the Payment drop box, a field for Billing Code and Billing Password will appear after the Verification Code field. You should enter the Billing Code and Billing Password provided by 3M Cogent in the Agency Enrollment confirmation email. (Ex.: Billing Code – R081PT0908 and Password – P081PT0908)

c) Enter your agency/business ORI or OAC in the ORI/OAC field.

d) Enter your agency/business Verification Code in the Verification field. This code can also be found in the Agency Enrollment confirmation email. (If your agency/business makes the fitness determination for employment, you should go to item e).

If your applicant’s background results need to go to another agency for review or to make a fitness determination for employment or licensing purposes, then you must click the box Does another agency make the fitness determination?

Choose Agency will appear; click the drop box and select the appropriate agency.

In the If yes, enter determining agency’s ORI field, enter the ORI for the agency selected.

The ORI for DHR is GA920280Z

The ORI for Secretary of State – Private Detective/Security is GA920240Z

The ORI for Secretary of State – Used Car Dealers is GA922400Z

The ORI for Depart. of Early Care & Learning (Bright from the Start) is GA922290Z

If the agency that makes your fitness determination for employment or licensing is not listed in the drop box and/or you do not have the ORI for the determination agency, please contact the determination agency and have the agency send an email with the agency’s name, contact person and number, and the agency’s ORI to GAApplicant@gbi.ga.gov. Check back with your agency in 10 business days for a resolution.

e) Click Next at the bottom of the page and you will be taken to another screen. If all of the information displayed is correct, click Next and you will be given a Registration ID number. The Registration ID number will be needed by the applicant when they go to the GAPS Print Location to get their fingerprints taken.

D – Print Locations & Hours

Once you have completed the registration process, click on Print Location & Hours to find the nearest GAPS Print Location for your applicant to go to for fingerprinting.

Click the region that is closest to your applicant. The numbers in the red circles indicate sites that have GAPS Print Locations available.

Under Company, select the site that is most convenient for the applicant to go to for fingerprinting. If you click on the link for a site, information concerning the site such as Location, Hours of Operation, Directions, etc. will be displayed. Prior to traveling to the Print Location, the applicant should verify that the site is still a GAPS Print Location and that the hours of operation are accurate.

Note: If a site is no longer providing fingerprint services, please send an email to GAApplicant@gbi.ga.gov and provide the Print Location’s name, address and phone number if available, and the date the applicant was told the location is no longer providing the service.

E – Identification Needed for Fingerprinting

Click on the Identification Needed for Fingerprinting link located under the Print Locations tab. In addition to the Registration ID number the applicant will also be asked to present identification documents prior to be fingerprinted. This link provides a list of acceptable identification documents.

F – View Results and Administration

If your agency/business is authorized to view the results and rap sheets (if applicable) from the applicant’s background fingerprint check, follow the steps below. If another agency reviews and makes the fitness determination for employment or licensing, your agency/business will not be able to view the results, only the determination agency will be able to view the results and rap sheets.

The fingerprint search results and associated rapsheet, if applicable, will be available for review on 3M Cogent’s secured website within 24-48 hours after the applicant is fingerprinted and the transaction has been sent to GCIC. Results will be available on the secured website for only 30 calendar days.

a) Click View Results/Administration (located under the Agency Use tab)

b) Enter the Viewing User Name and Password that was provided in the Agency Enrollment confirmation email from Cogent.

c) Click Login

d) Click on View Results, then click the View Result tab
On the View Results Screen, be sure that the Date in Response Time Between begins with the date the applicant was fingerprinted and goes through the current date. If you need to change the date, click Query after making the change. You can also Query by putting the applicant’s name in the Name field or by no fields at all.

e) Once the results are printed, click Query again to update to ‘YES’ in the Printed column.