An FBI background check apostille is a certificate from the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications that confirms your FBI Identity History Summary is genuine, so a foreign government will accept it. You first get the FBI result, then send that original result to the Office of Authentications. Your state's secretary of state cannot apostille it, because an FBI record is a federal document.
I have helped people moving abroad for teaching, nursing and au pair jobs, and the most common loss of time is doing the steps in the wrong order, or sending a document the office will not accept. Below is the order that works and the details people miss.
Quick answers
Who issues it
The U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications. Not the FBI, and not a state office.
Apostille or certificate
An apostille for countries in the Hague Apostille Convention. An authentication certificate plus embassy legalization for countries outside it.
What you send
The FBI issued result, unaltered. No notary stamp, no lamination, no stapled translation.
Order of steps
Fingerprints, FBI result, State Department apostille, then translation if the country wants one.
Time
Plan for several weeks in total. Check the State Department's posted processing time before you book travel.
Shelf life
Many countries only accept a record issued in the last three to six months. Ask before you start.
Steps for an apostille on your FBI record
Think of it as two separate orders with two separate agencies. Part one is the FBI. Part two is the State Department. Nothing you do at the FBI stage creates the apostille.
- Part one, the FBI record. Start your request on the FBI's Identity History Summary request site. You enter an email address, get a secure link and PIN, fill in the form and give fingerprints, either electronically at a post office that offers the service, or on a mailed ink card.
- Pick a format the apostille office accepts. The FBI lets you add a paper copy by first class mail. Many people choose it so they have an original with the FBI's signature in hand. Check the Office of Authentications' current instructions on whether an electronic copy works.
- Part two, the State Department. Fill in the Office of Authentications request form (DS-4194), include the fee in the way its site describes, and mail the original FBI result. Appointments in Washington, DC exist but are limited, mainly for urgent travel.
- Get it back and check it. The apostille is attached to your FBI page. Do not remove the staple or the binding.
Apostille vs authentication certificate
The kind of certificate depends on where you are sending the record.
| Destination | What the State Department issues | Extra step |
|---|---|---|
| A Hague Apostille Convention country (for example Spain, Italy, Mexico, South Korea, India) | Apostille | Usually none, apart from a translation if asked |
| A country outside the Convention | Authentication certificate | Legalization at that country's embassy or consulate in the United States |
| Use inside the United States | Nothing needed | An apostille is never used for U.S. jobs |
Membership changes now and then, so confirm with the receiving office. If you are unsure, the office asking for your record will tell you which one it wants.
Mistakes that get an FBI check apostille rejected
The Office of Authentications only certifies the signature of the official who issued the document. Anything that changes the FBI page can make it unusable.
Do: send the FBI result exactly as it arrived, in a flat envelope, with the request form filled in and the country named.
Do not: get the FBI letter notarized, laminate it, write on it, staple a translation to it, or send a photocopy.
Two more traps. First, a result from a private channeler may not be accepted for an apostille, so if you choose a channeler, ask whether it can give you an FBI issued page that qualifies. Second, your state's secretary of state handles state documents only. If you send an FBI record there, it will be returned and you will lose weeks.
FBI background check apostille processing time
Add the two parts together. An electronic FBI request with prints taken at a post office often comes back within days, while the mailed copy adds mail time. The State Department's mail service has historically taken several weeks, and its current wait is posted on its site. Return shipping adds a few more days. A realistic plan is four to ten weeks from fingerprints to apostille in hand, longer around holidays or busy visa seasons.
| Stage | Typical time | What slows it |
|---|---|---|
| FBI result, electronic prints | Days | Rejected prints, typos in your details |
| FBI paper copy by mail | One to three weeks more | Mail delays |
| State Department apostille by mail | Several weeks | Volume, missing fee, unsigned form |
| Embassy legalization (non Hague) | Varies by country | Embassy appointment availability |
Ask the foreign office how old the record may be on the day you submit it. If the limit is 90 days, do not start the FBI request four months early.
Expedited FBI background check apostille
There is no official rush fee at the FBI for an apostille. To save time, use electronic fingerprints, ask for your FBI result by mail at the same time, and send the State Department package by a tracked courier with a prepaid tracked return envelope. Private apostille courier services in Washington, DC offer to drop off and pick up documents for you. They cannot skip the State Department's own queue, so compare their promised time with the posted processing time before paying.
Spain, California and other common cases
Spain: Spanish visa and residency offices usually ask for an FBI record with an apostille, issued within a recent window, plus a sworn translation into Spanish. Get the translation after the apostille.
California and other state records: some countries want a state record too. A California Department of Justice record is a state document, so its apostille comes from the California Secretary of State, not the U.S. Department of State. The California DOJ visa and immigration page notes that its response is not itself an apostille.
Teaching abroad and work visas: schools often ask for the FBI record early in the hiring process. Start as soon as you accept the offer. For local U.S. hiring checks, see our FBI check guide and fingerprinting explained.
Keep copies and plan for renewals
Scan the apostilled document before you hand it over. Many applicants need a second apostilled record a year later for a visa renewal, so keep your FBI request confirmation and note how long each stage took. If anything on the FBI record is wrong, fix it before the apostille, because the State Department certifies the signature, not the content. Our page on background check timing can help you plan around employer deadlines too.
Procedures and fees change, and this page is general guidance rather than legal advice. Read the Office of Authentications' instructions right before you mail anything, and for a visa problem, an immigration attorney in the destination country is the right person to ask.
Questions people ask
Can my state apostille my FBI background check?
No. An FBI record is a federal document, so only the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications can apostille it. A state secretary of state only handles documents issued in that state.
Does the FBI apostille background checks?
No. The FBI issues the record and the State Department adds the apostille. You have to send the FBI result to the Office of Authentications yourself or through a courier.
Can I get an apostille on a channeler FBI background check?
The answer hinges on the format the channeler hands you. Some channeler results are not accepted, so ask the channeler whether its page carries the FBI's own signature and qualifies. Requesting directly from the FBI avoids the question.
How long is an apostilled FBI background check valid?
The apostille itself does not expire, but the receiving country sets how recent the record must be. Three to six months is common. Some countries count from the FBI issue date, others from the apostille date.
Where do I apostille an FBI background check in Washington DC?
The U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications handles it. Most people use mail service. In person appointments are limited and usually for urgent travel, so check the office's current rules first.
Do I need the apostille for a job in the United States?
No. Apostilles are only for using a document in another country. A U.S. employer that needs an FBI check will send your fingerprints through its own channel.