FBI Apostille in Bogotá: How to Get the Document Without Travelling to the United States

Getting an FBI Apostille in Bogotá accepted without delays or confusion is the main goal for most applicants, whether it is needed for a visa, job, or residency. Even small errors can affect the timeline, so every step matters.

The process can feel confusing because it begins in Colombia, but the United States is involved at two separate stages. The FBI issues the FBI Identity History Summary, and the U.S. Department of State completes the apostille. This involves fingerprints, document requirements, international shipping, and authority-controlled processing times.

This blog explains how the process, from the FBI background check report to final delivery in Bogotá, can be completed without leaving Colombia. The U.S. Department of State authentication overview explains which U.S. documents require an apostille or authentication certificate.

An FBI Apostille in Bogotá is an official certificate attached to an FBI background check report so the document can be presented to an authority in Colombia or another Hague Convention country.

The apostille confirms the signature and official capacity connected with the document. It does not change, translate, or explain the information shown in the FBI background check report.

Why Have You Been Asked for an FBI Apostille in Bogotá?

There is no single type of applicant. Some people live in Bogotá permanently, while others are in the city temporarily and preparing documents for another country. The apostille should be requested only when the receiving authority asks for it.

You Previously Lived in the United States and Now Live in Bogotá

You may be a Colombian citizen who returned after working or studying in the United States. You may also be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, former resident, or foreign national now based in Colombia.

A Colombian immigration, legal, adoption, licensing, or employment authority may ask for an FBI background check report because your residence history includes the United States. When it also asks for an apostille, the document must return to the United States for that stage.

You Are Applying for a Colombian Visa or Residence Process

Some immigration applications may require criminal record documents from the applicant's country of citizenship or countries of previous residence. The document type, issue-date requirement, translation format, and apostille requirement depend on the application category and reviewing authority.

You Are Handling an Adoption, Court, or Family Matter

An adoption authority, court, lawyer, family office, or another institution may request an FBI background check report as part of a wider residence-history review. A Spanish translation, passport copy, proof of address, power of attorney, or another supporting document may also be requested.

You Are Leaving Bogotá for Another Country

The receiving country does not have to be Colombia. You may be living in Chapinero or Usaquén while applying for:

• Residency in Spain or Portugal
• Employment in another Hague Convention country
• Professional registration abroad
• International adoption
• A long-stay visa
• University admission or a regulated placement
• Family reunification in another jurisdiction

In that situation, the country where the FBI background check report will be used, not the applicant's Bogotá address, determines whether the U.S. Department of State issues an apostille or another form of authentication.

Step I: Do You Already Have Your FBI Background Check Report?

If yes, and it is recent enough for the receiving authority, skip directly to Step IV. If not, begin with ink fingerprinting on an official FD-258 or FD-1164 card.

DIY collection is possible, but managing the card, technique, print placement, and visible quality alone can make the first stage harder than it appears.

Step II: Mail Your Physical Fingerprint Card to the United States

Applicants outside the United States cannot submit fingerprints electronically from Bogotá. The original ink card must physically reach the United States through one of these routes:

For an eDO request, follow the mailing label provided after the online application. For the paper route, send the request form, fingerprint card, and payment to:

FBI CJIS Division – Summary Request

The FBI fee is USD 18 per request. Courier and private-service charges are separate and may change. Use a trackable courier because the fingerprint card is not returned.

Step III: Wait for Your FBI Identity History Summary

Processing times are determined entirely by the FBI and may vary with application volume and individual circumstances. Timelines are typically 1–3 days for U.S. citizens or Green Card holders and 2–3 weeks for non-U.S. citizens after a usable submission is received. Mailing time is additional. Check the FBI's official FAQ for current instructions.

The FBI Identity History Summary may be delivered electronically, by mail, or through the selected processing company. Keep the complete original PDF. Whether the FBI background check report contains record information or states that none was found, the receiving authority decides whether it meets the application requirement.

Step IV: Apply for the FBI Apostille From Bogotá

The FBI background check report is a U.S. federal document, so the apostille is issued by the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications. A state office or the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá cannot issue it. Review the official federal apostille requirements before submission.

What Documents Do You Need to Submit for an FBI Apostille in Bogotá?

Mail the package to:

Mail-in processing estimates are controlled by the U.S. Department of State and may change with workload and application volume. Verify the latest fee, return-envelope, and timing instructions on the official authentication request page. A private coordination provider may assist with document review, payment, U.S. handling, and return delivery, but cannot control the government decision or timeline.

Step V: Receive Your Apostilled FBI Background Check Report

When the package returns to Bogotá, the apostille will be attached to the FBI background check report as a separate certificate page issued by the U.S. Department of State.

Do not detach or separate the apostille from the FBI background check report. Keep all pages together and confirm whether the receiving authority also requires a Spanish translation.

1. The FBI Background Check Report Is Uploaded to Colombia’s Apostille Portal

The Colombian portal handles eligible Colombian documents. It cannot issue the U.S. federal apostille.

2. The Applicant Books a U.S. Embassy Appointment

The U.S. Embassy in Bogotá is not the issuing office for the apostille. The Office of Authentications handles the federal request.

3. Colombia Is Entered Without Checking the Actual Country of Use

Colombia is correct only when the document will be presented in Colombia. A Bogotá resident applying in Spain or Portugal must enter that destination country.

4. A Screenshot Is Used Instead of the Complete Report

A cropped, edited, or incomplete file may not contain the watermark, signature, and other details needed for review.

5. The Translation Is Ordered Too Early

The translation may need to include the apostille page. Confirm the required order before translating the FBI background check report.

6. The Name Does Not Match the Bogotá Application

Differences involving a passport, cédula, maiden name, or two-surname format should be reviewed before submission. The apostille does not correct names.

7. The Document Is Too Old for the Receiving Authority

The FBI does not set a universal expiry date, but the receiving authority may require a recently issued FBI background check report.

8. There Is No Practical U.S. Return Arrangement

Payment, a suitable return envelope, U.S. handling, and international delivery must all be arranged before the request is sent.

Once the general process is clear, the practical difficulty becomes visible: the applicant and supporting documents may be in Bogotá, while the FBI and apostille stages take place in the United States. Globeia coordinates these stages without replacing either government authority.

Step 1: Need an FBI Identity History Summary First?

Globeia Bogotá offers mobile ink fingerprinting across Bogotá and nearby areas. A trained associate visits the selected location and collects fingerprints on official FD-258 or FD-1164 cards. The cards are then mailed or couriered to Globeia Inc. in the USA for submission coordination.

Every fingerprinting appointment includes Globeia’s Letter of Identity Verification, which confirms that the fingerprints were collected by a trained associate after identity verification and includes a unique encrypted QR code.

Note: The Letter of Identity Verification is issued by Globeia and is not issued by, endorsed by, or affiliated with the RCMP, the FBI, or any government authority.

Applicants who already have fingerprints may select only the FBI Identity History Summary service and apostille coordination required for their case.

Step 2: Submit Your Details Through the SmartForm

You provide your personal details, destination country, delivery information, and selected services. If you already have the FBI background check report, it can be uploaded through the SmartPortal for review.

Step 3: Globeia Reviews the FBI Background Check Report

The team checks whether the file appears complete and suitable for the requested federal apostille process. This can identify missing pages or incorrect destination details, but it does not guarantee approval by the U.S. Department of State.

Step 4: Coordination Through Globeia Inc. in the USA

Globeia Inc. in the USA coordinates local document handling and submission to the U.S. Department of State. The Globeia FBI apostille service can be selected separately or together with earlier stages. Government processing time remains controlled entirely by the U.S. Department of State.

Step 5: Follow Available Updates Through the SmartPortal

Available document, submission, and delivery updates can be followed through the SmartPortal. After processing, the apostilled FBI background check report is delivered according to the selected option.

Step 6: Add Translation Where Required

Globeia can coordinate certified translation after the apostille where the receiving authority requires it. The authority receiving the document decides which translation format it will accept.

Please note that Globeia does not directly apostille official government documents and does not perform apostille services on behalf of any government authority. All apostille and authentication requests are submitted by our company to the designated competent government authority on your behalf.

An FBI background check report and its apostille are generally in English. A Colombian authority or another country may require a Spanish translation, but the exact format is not universal.

The authority may ask for:

• A professional translation.
• An official or certified translation.
• A translation completed in Colombia or abroad.
• Translation of the FBI background check report only.
• Translation of both the FBI background check report and the apostille.
• The source document and translation are in the same package.

Ask these questions before arranging the translation:

1. Must an official translator complete it?
2. Does the apostille page also need translation?
3. Should translation happen before or after the U.S. apostille?
4. Does the authority require a physical signed translation?
5. Will the document be used in Colombia or another country?

The receiving authority may require the foreign document to be apostilled in its country of origin and translated in an accepted format. A translation prepared in Colombia does not replace the U.S. apostille.

Before the apostille can be requested, you need the FBI Identity History Summary, and that begins with fingerprint collection. Applicants in Bogotá must arrange ink fingerprinting locally on the correct form.

For a detailed local explanation, read Globeia's FBI background check in Bogotá guide and its guide to fingerprinting services in Bogotá.

Globeia offers mobile ink fingerprinting in the following areas:

A trained associate visits the confirmed address and collects fingerprints on official FD-258 or FD-1164 cards. The completed cards are mailed or couriered to Globeia Inc. in the USA for FBI submission coordination. Mobile collection is subject to address and appointment availability.

Globeia collects fingerprints and coordinates submission and apostille requests. Globeia does not issue the FBI Identity History Summary or the apostille and has no control over government processing timelines or decisions.

The biggest mistake is treating an FBI Apostille in Bogotá as a Colombian apostille request.

The Cancillería cannot apostille an FBI background check report because it was issued in the United States. The U.S. Department of State must complete that stage, even when the applicant, receiving authority, translator, and final delivery address are all in Bogotá.

Before starting, confirm what you have, where the document will be used, whether an apostille is required, how recent the FBI background check report must be, and whether translation comes afterward.

Globeia can coordinate document review, U.S. submission, available tracking, delivery, and translation without replacing the FBI or the U.S. Department of State.