Fingerprinting Merit Badge
Six short requirements, five of them explanations: history, identification systems, the science, the patterns and a career. Requirement 4 is taking a clear set of prints, either rolled and plain on a fingerprint card from your police department or counselor, or with tape and pencil.
The plan behind this
A short badge with one practical step
Requirements 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 are explanations and discussions with your counselor. Requirement 4 is the one with materials:
| route | what it needs |
|---|---|
| 4(a) rolled and plain impressions | an 8-by-8-inch fingerprint identification card, from your local police department or your counselor, and ink |
| 4(b) tape and pencil | clear adhesive tape, a pencil and plain paper; your own prints or someone else's |
4(b) needs only things in a desk drawer. If you want 4(a), ask your counselor for a card at your first meeting.
4 helps with 5
Requirement 5 asks you to identify the three basic pattern types and their subcategories, then the patterns on your own hand. A clear set of your own prints from requirement 4 makes that much easier than squinting at your fingers.
What this page is
The Fingerprinting merit badge, drawn so the one practical step, and the card one of its routes needs, stands out from the explanations around it. It is not a copy of the requirements: each step is a short label with a link to the official requirements, which are what actually governs and which change from year to year. The free official pamphlet is the fuller guide.
Sources for this page
- Fingerprinting Merit Badge Requirements, Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2026-05-20 · The requirements themselves, and the free official pamphlet linked from them.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 7.0.0.3 · The process every merit badge is earned through, which this page does not repeat.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 7.0.4.3 · Which version of a changed requirement applies to a Scout who has already started.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 4.0.0.1 · Why the requirements are not in the Guide to Advancement and are expected to change annually.
Last checked against its sources on .