Instructions For Completing Fingerprint Application: Fill & Download for Free

No. The forms are created to be completed by the applicant. They are available in multiple languages. Most application kits come with a step-by-step guide on how to complete the forms. The guides will tell you what documents you need and whether you should provide originals or photocopies. They will also instruct you which forms to complete first, second etc. if there are other steps you need to complete (fingerprints, medical exam, criminal record check, police certificates) the guide will explain them.

David Gish already covered many bases in his answer. In my answer, I’m just going to focus on “as a foreign citizen” requirements, as these apply in addition to all the FAA requirements that apply to US citizens, and these requirements are already covered in plenty other answers.I’m also not going to cover immigration issues. I’m assuming that you have your immigration sorted out and that you have sources of funding to live on and pay for instruction.Even when all these issues are sorted out, obtaining flight instruction in the United States as a foreign citizen is, for lack of a better word, a shit show. My annoyance with the TSA alien flight student program is a prime reason for wanting to apply for US citizenship rather than remaining a mere legal permanent resident. I can tell you from personal experience, as I obtained my private pilot license last year as a foreigner, and I’m currently enrolled in IFR rating instruction as a foreigner.In short, before you start flight instruction, you must obtain approval from a TSA program called Alien Flight Student Program. This program is managed entirely online at www.flightschoolcandidates.gov. I encourage you to create an account within that system just to familiarize yourself with how it works.Also, refer to AOPA’s excellent page on the topic: Aliens and Non-U.S. Citizens Seeking Flight Training.Note that if you were planning to study ground instruction by yourself, or enroll into an online ground school, you can do it without AFSP authorization. If you are already enrolled in a flight school and you don’t have your AFSP authorization yet, you might be ok as long as you only receive ground instruction and no practical flight instruction.The AFSP online forms you must complete are divided in 8 steps:Part: 1--Candidate InformationStep: 1--Basic InformationStep: 2--Other NamesStep: 3--Citizenship InformationStep: 4--Document InformationStep: 5--Address InformationStep: 6--EmploymentPart: 2--Request For TrainingStep: 7--Training DetailsStep: 8--Request CategorySome steps are trivial (your name, other names you used); other steps require you to do some research, e.g., you need to provide all the addresses where you resided in the last 5 years. You need to submit a scanned copy of your ID documents, including passport green card, driving license, airman certificate if you have any.Step 7 requires you to select your flight instructor or school. An important point is that the school must be registered with the program as well. If they are not registered, talk to them as soon as you can. Many instructors may not be familiar with the additional requirements associated with foreign students. Some instructors may decide that they do not want to register with AFSP, especially if they have other businesses that are co-located with their place of CFI operations; registration might expose them to additional paperwork, burden and scrutiny by the Federal Government that might not be worth it for them. Ask them.Once you are done with the forms, you pay $130, because.(By the way, if you don’t finish your instruction within one year, you have to renew your authorization, and it’s $130 more, once a year, because. A certain song by Dire Straits comes to mind.)Once you paid your dues, the system will notify you that you need your fingerprints taken. The government could already use fingerprint in digital format that they already have, in digital format, of you (green card… hello?) but, because the TSA is involved, whenever there is a chance of doing something smart, you can rest assured that the opposite course of action will be taken.No, they need fingerprints on paper, taken the old school way, with greasy ink.Read all the requirements in the email below. One way to get your fingerprints taken is via NATA. The organization provides fingerprinting services, at least nominally. For me it did not work, as all their associates I contacted were not available or did not answer. It might be an issue with the people I contacted and you might be lucky.A second way to get your fingerprints taken is at a police station. Call a police station that close to where you live or where your instructor or a flight school representative lives, and ask them if they will offer fingerprinting services.Two caveats apply. First, you need to provide your own fingerprinting forms. The specific form you need is the FD-285. You can buy forms online (500 at a time), but if you just need one, you are much better off downloading it from the FBI: http://myfbireport.com/pdf/applicant_fd_258.pdf and printing it on appropriate heavy stock.Second issue is delivering the forms to the address they want. Because you are an untrustworthy foreigner (you, sneaky foreigner, you!), you can’t be trusted mailing your own fingerprints to the government… you could be tampering with them, or send them your grandma’s fingerprints instead. They can’t allow that. To guard against this, you must go in person to the police station with your CFI or a school representative, and a traceable envelope (a prepaid FedEx or UPS envelope). Your CFI will take the fingerprints from the police station and mail them to the TSA. Chain of custody.At the bottom of this answer I report a complete email from the TSA with the fingerprinting instructions.Once your fingerprints are received and your background information checks, TSA will send you an email authorizing you to begin instruction. That’s it.ATTENTION: THIS EMAIL DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO BEGIN FLIGHT TRAININGIMPORTANT: A copy of this email MUST be provided to the authorized electronic fingerprint collector OR be included in all hard card fingerprint submissions taken by a local law enforcement agency, or a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.The purpose of this email is to notify you that TSA has accepted the documentation for the following training request:Student: Daniele Paolo ScarpazzaUser ID: …Provider: …Training Request ID#: …An AFSP Candidate can have their fingerprints collected at a NATA-CS approved fingerprint collector, a U.S. federal, state, or local law enforcement agency, or a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Follow the steps below based on your choice of fingerprint collection options.NOTE: Your submitted fingerprints will be sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in order to complete the required criminal history records check. TSA is unable to correct any other state or federal criminal history records information system. Applicants seeking to challenge the accuracy or completeness of any information on a criminal record should contact the applicable state or federal agency originating the record. For FBI criminal history records, pursuant to Title 28, Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), section 16.34, please direct your inquiry to: FBI; Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division; ATTN: SCU, Mod D-2; 1000 Custer Hollow Road; Clarksburg, WV 26306.******************************INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATE - Fingerprints may be rejected if instructions are not followed.The Fingerprint Collector MUST REVIEW below "Instructions to Fingerprint Collector" before collecting your fingerprints.**To use a NATA-CS fingerprint collector**Step 1: To locate a NATA-CS fingerprint collector go online to https://NATACS.aero/AFSP and select the Fingerprint Locations tab. Select a location from available drop down menus.STEP 2: Select from the list of available fingerprint collectors, then select blue AFSP Enrollment button.STEP 3: Enter your personal and payment information as required. You will be given an option to print your Custody and Control form or have it emailed to you. **The NATA-CS fingerprint collector will not take your fingerprints without NATA-CS Custody and Control form.STEP 4: On the date of your appointment you MUST bring the following items to the fingerprint collection location.a) This Fingerprint Instructions emailb) Your Passportc) NATA-CS Custody and Control formSTEP 5: When TSA receives your fingerprints, AFSP will send an email notification to you and your Flight Training Provider. If either party has not received this email notification within seven (7) business days of submitting fingerprints, you may check the status via email or call to the AFSP Help Desk. Provide the following details when inquiring on fingerprint submission status: training request #, fingerprint collector, date printed, where prints were taken, tracking information, live-scan or ink-rolled, etc.**To use a Law Enforcement Agency or U.S. Embassy/Consulate**STEP 1: If you go to a law enforcement agency, U.S. Embassy, or Consulate for fingerprint collection, there is no online enrollment process. You should contact that entity to determine:a) Will they fingerprint you?b) Do they charge a fee, separate from the AFSP fee? If so, what is an acceptable payment method?c) Do you need to bring the fingerprint cards* or will the card be provided?STEP 2: On the date of your appointment, you MUST bring the following items to the fingerprint collection location.a) This Fingerprint Instructions emailb) Your Passportc) Two FD-258 Fingerprint Cards* (Both cards will need to be completed in their entirety, and must be signed in the presence of the officer)d) A prepaid and preaddressed traceable shipping envelope (traceable: FedEx, UPS Next Day, etc.)*Your Flight Training Provider should have fingerprint cards for your convenience. If cards are not available the Provider may request them from the National Air Transportation Association (NATA), 1-800-788-3210, or at https://secure.natacs.aero/afsp/order_cards.asp.Any prints not on FD-258 card stock will not be processed by the Fingerprint Processing Center.STEP 3: A representative from your flight school will need to accompany you, if the fingerprint collector is unwilling or unable to mail the cards. Once the fingerprints have been collected, the officer must place the cards in the traceable mailing envelope and seal it. The LEO or Flight School Representative must submit the fingerprints to the Fingerprint Processing Center. A student may NOT take possession of fingerprint cards after fingerprinting is completed. If any unauthorized person is known to be in possession of completed fingerprint cards, the fingerprints will be rejected by TSA.STEP 4: When TSA receives your fingerprints, AFSP will send an email notification to you and your Flight Training Provider. If you have not received this email notification within seven (7) business days of submitting fingerprints, you may check the status via email or call to the AFSP Help Desk. Provide the following details when inquiring on fingerprint submission status: training request #, fingerprint collector, date printed, where prints were taken, tracking information, live-scan or ink-rolled, etc.******************************INSTRUCTIONS TO FINGERPRINT COLLECTORWITHOUT THIS EMAIL YOU SHOULD NOT COLLECT ANY FLIGHT TRAINING CANDIDATE'S FINGERPRINTS. ONCE THE CANDIDATE IS PRINTED, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES IS THE CANDIDATE TO RETAIN CUSTODY OF THE FINGERPRINTS. If anyone other than yourself or a representative from the candidate's flight school is ever in possession of the fingerprints, the fingerprints will be rejected by TSA. Refer to the instructions below appropriate to you.******************************INSTRUCTIONS TO NATA-CS FINGERPRINT COLLECTOR****************STEP 1: The candidate must present their Passport for identification. If they are an asylee or refugee, they may present their Permanent Resident Card or Driver's License.-- This identification should EXACTLY match the candidate's name = (…) and the passport number(s) = (…).STEP 2: Enter the necessary identification information. […]STEP 3: Each candidate must be printed twice. Do not just transmit the same fingerprints twice.INSTRUCTIONS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT FINGERPRINT COLLECTORPrior to printing, the candidate should provide to you a prepaid traceable envelope for mailing prints to the Fingerprint Processing Center addressed to:ATTN: AFSP (…)MorphoTrust USA, 3051 Hollis Drive, Ste 310, Springfield, IL 62704A representative from the candidate's flight school should accompany the candidate and take possession of the fingerprints, then mail prints to the FPC.STEP 1: The candidate must present their Passport for identification. If they are an asylee or refugee, they may present their Permanent Resident Card or Driver's License. This identification should EXACTLY match the candidate's name = (…) and the passport number(s) = (…).STEP 2: Fill out two FD-258 fingerprint cards for the candidate as indicated below. All information must be legible.- Signature of Person Fingerprinted: Candidate's signature (missing will result in rejection)- Residence of Person Fingerprinted: Candidate's address- Date: Date the candidate was printed- Signature of Official Taking Fingerprints: Your signature (missing will result in rejection)- Employer and Address: Candidate's employer and business address[…]STEP 3: Each candidate must be printed twice. Two (2) complete and separate sets of fingerprint images must be submitted. The prints must be taken on two FD-258 fingerprint cards.******************************If you require help with the AFSP process, please visit the Candidate Frequently Asked Questions page at www.flightschoolcandidates.gov/afsp_faq.htmIf you need further assistance, please contact [email protected] or call (571) 227-1004Sincerely,AFSPThis is an automated response. If you have received this email in error, please forward it to [email protected]: A copy of this email MUST be provided to the authorized electronic fingerprint collector OR be included in all hard card fingerprint submissions taken by a local law enforcement agency, or a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

Wonderful question. The right projects are a great way to learn a lot in a short time. Algorithms in particular.In my daily work [Coding Interview Bootcamp], we come across many neat CS algorithms. Let me present you 10 algorithms-based projects, that I think are very tantalizing to implement. Not too esoteric, and very much within the reach of a college student. Yet these algorithms are so ubiquitous in everyday things in a way that muggles will never be able to see them :-)In no particular order:Plagiarism detection, using Rabin Karp String matchingString matching algorithms are pervasive in software development. One particularly fun one, is Rabin-Karp, which is very suited in Plagiarism detection software (which is just string matching). As a student in CS (or in any major), plagiarism detection should be of interest ;-)Rabin Karp is relatively easy to implement. See this: Rabin–Karp algorithm - WikipediaIt has also inspired a string matching routine in Zlib (one of the most popular un/zip libraries ever). See this, directly into the source code.Circle Drawing using Bresenham’s algorithmEver wondered, how circles are drawn on the screen, with minimal jaggedness (aliasing)? Bresenham’s elegant algorithm is at play here. See here: Circle Generation Algorithm.A refreshing use of an algorithm inspired by Bresenham’s, is to make properly sized tabs in Chrome. Something we see almost every day. Such hidden gems!See here for some more uses of it: BresenhamMatching users to servers, using Gayle-Shapely Algorithm for Stable Marriage problemThis is a beautiful algorithm for fair matching. Simple, elegant and effective. In its most basic form, it’s also straightforward to implement. Has numerous practical applications. See: Stable marriage problem - WikipediaImplement Viterbi algorithm (Dynamic Programming based)Ubiquitous in cell phone technology, and many other applications, Viterbi algorithm is a DP based algorithm that finds the most likely sequence of states.See this toy implementation of Viterbi’s where the exercise is to predict the region of coding DNA: http://cecas.clemson.edu/~ahoover/ece854/refs/Gonze-ViterbiAlgorithm.pdf.Though note, that Implementing Viterbi needs you to know Hidden Markov Models (HMMs).Implement a modern search engine using PageRankCan’t miss this. This transformed our lives in ways we never thought possible. Get started here: Pagerank Explained Correctly with ExamplesMusic Search using Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT)Fourier Analysis has a wide variety of applications in a number of different industries.A really fun project to do, would be to do Music recognition. Basic music recognition can be done by converting it into frequency domain using FFT.FFT has implementations in number of programming languages. See this article for a great start: Shazam It! Music Recognition Algorithms, Fingerprinting, and Processing.Implement Treemap using Red Black Trees!RB Trees are not algorithms, but they are famed enough, that no discussion of tantalizing DS/Algorithms is complete without discussing them.The smoothest way to see/implement RB Trees, is to look at Treemap implementation in Java. After you look at it, go ahead and implement it!Check usernames FAST using Bloom filtersBloom filters weren’t as popular until the world got more online and we hit scale. These days though, we see new applications very frequently.Many websites use Bloom Filters to check if a username is taken or if a certain action you have performed has already been performed. See a toy implementation here. And see some novel applications here.Implement RSA algorithmSSL transport is the bane of safe existence on Internet these days. One of the most well-known algorithms in secure transport, is RSA, named by the first initials of its inventors.First read and understand RSA: RSA Algorithm Explained Using a Simple "Pencil And Paper" MethodThen try and implement it. Implementing RSA is fun and instructive e.g. C code to implement RSA Algorithm(Encryption and Decryption)This is probably the hardest in this list, but it will remove a number of black boxes in your understanding of how security works.Implement an LALR parserAs a CS student, you may have already implemented it as part of your compiler’s class. But if not, then you should. LALR parsing makes syntactic sense of source code, whichever programming language you use.Many implementations of LALR exist. e.g. Where can I find a _simple_, easy to understand implementation of an LR(1) parser generator?Also, use YACC to understand LALR parsing better.As you’ll see, most fun algorithms are usually not the hardest ones. They are often the most straightforward ones, ones that are easily understood and thus move the world forward in ways not seen before.