Alaska is adding a fingerprint background check to EMS licensing, starting in 2027

Alaska will start requiring fingerprint background checks for EMS providers next year, tied to the state joining a national compact that lets paramedics and EMTs work across state lines.

New license applicants will need the check starting April 1, 2027, and every provider will need one at renewal by that October. The change comes as Alaska enters the interstate EMS Compact on Sept. 20, which lets states verify one another's credentials through a shared national database and share investigation and disciplinary records, in some cases within two business days.

The fingerprint check replaces the state's current EMS background system. Clearance lasts five years and costs $87 to start, rising to $90 in October. Unpaid volunteers at state-run or nonprofit agencies may have their share of the fee waived, and providers whose agency, hospital or municipality covers the cost would not pay out of pocket.

The state is asking providers not to pay yet, and to wait for instructions on how the new process will work.

One caution as the database comes online: a provider who turns up as "not found" in it is not disqualified. The state is telling anyone in that situation to confirm their national EMS ID number and contact the state EMS office, which is still building its verification process.