How to Secure an FBI Background Check in Ecuador

No matter how long you've lived in Ecuador, there may come a time when you need a document from the United States. Even if you lived in the USA for only 6-12 months after the age of 18, it can still be required.

If you're applying for immigration, permanent residency, or planning to move to Ecuador or a third country while living here, a criminal background check from your home country is often a mandatory requirement. For US citizens and former residents, that means obtaining an FBI Identity History Summary.

The FBI background check is the official federal record of your criminal history, or proof that you don't have one. Obtaining it from Ecuador involves fingerprints, international document handling, a federal apostille, and strict validity requirements, but the process is entirely manageable once you understand the steps.

The step-by-step process of obtaining the FBI Identity History Summary while living in Ecuador has been explained below!

Step 1: Submit Your Request to the FBI

You can apply directly through the FBI’s electronic portal:

1. Go to the official portal: edo.cjis.gov.
2. Enter your email address to receive a secure link and a pin number.
3. Fill out the online application completely, ensuring your name matches your passport exactly.
4. Pay the FBI's $18 processing fee online by credit card. As fees and accepted payment methods may change, always verify the current requirements on the official FBI website before applying.
5. Print out your payment confirmation email and your electronic request confirmation page. You will need to mail these with your fingerprints.

Step 2: Get Your Fingerprints Taken in Ecuador

To request your FBI background check, you need to get your prints done on FBI-compliant fingerprint cards FD-258 or FD-1164. Because the US Embassy and Consulates in Ecuador do not provide fingerprinting services for background checks, you will have to manage this process remotely.

Official FD-258/FD-1164 fingerprint cards are required. Home-printed or self-rolled submissions are frequently rejected due to poor quality. Professional collection by a trained associate is strongly recommended.

In that case, you can take help from local police stations, private fingerprinting agencies, or services offered by Servicio Nacional de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses.

Step 3: Mail the Fingerprints to the USA

Once your cards are complete, you must mail them to the FBI CJIS in West Virginia:

FBI CJIS Division - Summary Request

1000 Custer Hollow Road

Clarksburg, WV 26306, USA

Make sure to include your printed FBI online confirmation page inside the package.

Step 4: Receive The Official Document

Once the FBI receives and processes your cards, you will receive an email letting you know when the background check results have been issued. You will then receive them as mail from the US postal service. The turnaround time of the FBI background check is currently 1-3 days for US citizens and 2-3 weeks for non-US citizens.

This is one of the major concerns among people here. You generally have two main routes for getting FBI ink fingerprints in Ecuador: local police stations or third party service providers. Ecuador also has offices operating under the National Service of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences, but the process, along with its pros and cons, is essentially the same as at local police stations.  

Check how they compare, so you can choose the right one for your situation:

Option 1: Local Police Stations

Option 2: Third-Party Fingerprint Service Providers (like Globeia)

For many applicants, the main concern is avoiding delays. If a fingerprint card from Ecuador is rejected, the process can be pushed back by several weeks. So the convenience and quality assurance of a professional service provider like Globeia Ecuador easily outweighs the extra cost, especially since that cost also covers submission to the authorities in the USA, something police stations don't provide.

Still, if you live near a station that offers the service and you're confident in the print quality, it can still be a practical option.

• Get fingerprinted by a trained professional whenever possible. Poor-quality prints are the single most common reason for FBI rejections. Professional collection ensures the correct ink, correct card, and correct rolling technique are used.
• Always submit at least two or three completed fingerprint cards in your package. If one card is smudged, too light, or missing clear ridge details and gets rejected by the FBI, you are looking at another 2-month delay to get a new appointment, mail a replacement package from South America, and restart the queue.
• Avoid using red or purple ink for fingerprinting. FBI guidelines explicitly prohibit these colors and require that fingerprints be taken in black ink only.
• Be aware of the 90-day validity window. Ecuadorian immigration authorities are incredibly strict about the freshness of your documents. Generally, your background check must be submitted to the government within 90 days of its date of issuance. Some international authorities may stretch this to 180 days, but 90 days is the safest benchmark you should consider.
• Start earlier than you think you need to. Between fingerprinting, FBI processing, the apostille, international shipping, and translation, the full chain can take six to ten weeks. Beginning early gives you room to absorb a rejection or postal delay without messing with your submission deadlines.
• For Ecuadorian immigration, you need a Federal Apostille, and not the state one. Because Ecuador is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, your FBI background check must be authenticated at the federal level, which means sending it to the US Department of State (USDOS) Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. This additional step applies for any of the 125+ member countries of the Hague Convention.

Pre-Validation by SmartForm Technology

One of the biggest reasons FBI background checks get delayed is simple human errors, like a missed field, a wrong entry, or an incomplete form. Globeia solves this problem with its SmartForm technology, which checks your application before it's ever submitted. The system reviews your details and flags mistakes right away, so you can fix them on the spot. This means your application reaches the FBI clean and complete the first time.

Trained Mobile Associates

Instead of you searching for a police station or struggling with ink kits at home, Globeia's trained mobile associates come to you. These professionals know exactly how the FBI wants fingerprints captured, with the right ink, the right card, and clear, smudge-free prints.

Physical Presence in the USA

Perhaps Globeia's biggest advantage is that it has a physical processing office in the United States. The completed fingerprints cards from Ecuador are couriered to Globeia Inc. in the USA. From there, they’re processed and submitted directly to the FBI CJIS on your behalf. This means your documents don't get stuck waiting on slow international mail or lost in transit. Globeia coordinates the US-side submission through Globeia Inc. in the USA.

Expedited Apostille Support

After you receive your background check, the next step is getting it apostilled at the Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. If you mail it in yourself, it can easily sit in a processing queue for 8-12 weeks. Instead, Globeia's USA office can handle this step for you as well. Located just a few blocks from the USDOS, they can drop-off your documents in person. This reduces the turnaround time down to just 10-11 days!

Secure Delivery of Documents

Once the FBI has issued your background check and the US Department of State has affixed the apostille, Globeia delivers your official results as a secure PDF. You can also opt to receive the physical documents by trackable, secure courier service.

Start your FBI Background Check application with Globeia!

The format of the rap sheet changes slightly depending on whether you have a completely clean record or an entry history.

The report will display one of two results.

Scenario A: The Clean Record

If you have no criminal history on file, the document will usually be a single-page PDF containing your basic biographical information, such as name, DOB, etc, along with a clear, prominent statement from the FBI CJIS Division confirming that a search of the fingerprint files located no prior arrest data. If this is what your report says, you are good to go!

Scenario B: An Existing Record

If there is an existing record under your name and fingerprints, all the arrests, charges, and convictions will be listed chronologically in the report. It will also show the final disposition of those charges or arrests, which means what actually happened to them (convicted, dismissed, or acquitted).

What to Do If a Record Appears Under Your Name

If a record does come under your name, it isn't necessarily the end of your immigration plans. You have a few options in that case:

• Check the report for any errors or irregularities. If you believe anything in your background summary is inaccurate, you can file a challenge with the FBI to have your Identity History Summary corrected.
• Depending on the type and severity of the conviction, you may be able to have it dismissed or expunged. You'll need a court order that specifically states the record has been expunged.  
• Remember that a record doesn't automatically disqualify you. Many international immigration authorities focus on the nature, severity, and recency of any convictions rather than the mere existence of an entry. Minor or long-resolved matters are usually treated very differently from serious or recent offenses.
• Speak with an immigration attorney before submitting your application. They can advise whether your specific history poses a problem and whether supporting documents, such as court records showing rehabilitation or case dismissal, would help your application.

If there's one lesson to take away from the FBI background check process, it's that small mistakes can cause disproportionately large delays. But none of the errors are hard to avoid, they just need to be known in advance, which is now exactly your position. Apply carefully, fingerprint professionally, apostille federally, and watch the calendar.

And If you'd rather not manage the process yourself, Globeia's mobile fingerprinting service in Ecuador and a US-based processing office can handle the entire chain for you, from your doorstep in Ecuador to the FBI and back. Even if you've already had your fingerprints taken, Globeia can help with the remaining steps and help ensure your application moves forward without issues.