FBI Fingerprinting in Barcelona: How to Get a U.S. Background Check from Spain

If you're reading this, something in your visa file, job offer, or immigration paperwork just asked for an FBI background check, and you're in Barcelona, not the U.S.

That's a more common situation than it feels like at the moment. The FBI's Identity History Summary is a U.S. federal process, but nothing about it requires you to be physically present in America to complete it. This guide covers exactly how to get FBI fingerprinting in Barcelona without losing weeks to avoidable delays.

Also read Easy Guide to Get an FBI Background Check For Spain.

Some Barcelona applicants may not have even heard about the document until it appears in:

• an immigration lawyer's checklist,
• a U.S. employer's onboarding portal,
• a university's international-admissions page, or
• a Spanish consular requirement for a visa renewal. 

Whatever the source of the request is, it asks for the same thing: an FBI-issued record of your U.S. criminal history, supported by fingerprints on an approved card.

But here are a few facts that applicants find out later:

• There's no FBI office in Spain,
• the U.S. Consulate in Barcelona doesn't take fingerprints for this purpose, and
• the Mossos d'Esquadra have no connection to the FBI's database. 

The first instinct for most applicants is to search online, and what comes back is a mix of:

• American fingerprinting companies that only serve U.S. street addresses,
• generic "notary and apostille" services that don't actually understand the CJIS submission process, and
• old forum threads about mailing ink cards to West Virginia and waiting.

None of that is necessary. Let’s find out how the process works end to end when it's done properly from Barcelona.

The FBI doesn't call it a "background check." Its formal name is the Identity History Summary, and it's generated by the CJIS Division - the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services wing, based in Clarksburg, West Virginia.

It's built from a national repository: fingerprint records submitted over time by federal agencies, state and local police, courts, and correctional institutions across the U.S.

The resulting Identity History Summary reports any qualifying information associated with your fingerprints or indicates that no Identity History Summary exists.

That second outcome is far more common among Barcelona-based applicants than people expect. Most requesting this document have never had contact with U.S. law enforcement; the check simply exists to prove that formally, in writing, on federal letterhead.

It is not interchangeable with:

• A Spanish Certificado de Antecedentes Penales (covers Spanish records only)
• A general "international police clearance" (no such single document exists)
• A state-level U.S. background check (covers one state, not the federal repository)

If an application specifically names the FBI or an Identity History Summary, nothing else on this list will substitute for it.

The FBI does not operate a fingerprinting office in Barcelona. You need to arrange the fingerprinting separately before sending your card to the United States.

1. Mossos d’Esquadra: Scientific Police Unit

The U.S. Embassy in Spain lists the Policia de la Generalitat – Mossos d’Esquadra, Unitat Territorial de Policia Científica as a fingerprinting location in Barcelona.

Barcelona location:

Policia de la Generalitat - Mossos d’Esquadra

If you plan to use this location for an FBI background check, bring the FBI fingerprint card with you. Confirm the current schedule and appointment requirements with the Mossos d'Esquadra before visiting.

Private Fingerprinting Providers

A private fingerprinting provider can also capture your fingerprints directly onto an FD-258 or FD-1164 fingerprint card.

Before booking, confirm that the provider:

• Has experience with FBI fingerprint cards
• Can provide ink-and-roll fingerprints if required
• Uses the correct fingerprint card
• Completes all required fields accurately
• Will let you review the card before leaving

A Spanish police clearance certificate is not a substitute for FBI fingerprinting in Barcelona. The FBI requires fingerprints to conduct the Identity History Summary search.

What Should You Take to Your FBI Fingerprinting Appointment?

Bring:

• Your passport or other accepted photo identification
• The FBI fingerprint card required for your application
• Any instructions from the authority requesting the FBI check
• A second form of identification if the fingerprinting provider requires it

If you already have an FBI-compliant fingerprint card, do not automatically get a second card. First confirm that the existing card meets the FBI's current requirements and has been completed correctly.

For more information, read Fingerprinting in Barcelona: Complete Guide for Expats, Nomads, and Professionals.

You have two direct ways to request an FBI Identity History Summary from Barcelona: submit through the FBI's electronic eDO system or send a traditional mail-in application. For both, you need an acceptable set of fingerprints.

Option 1: Apply Through the FBI eDO Portal

The eDO route lets you start the FBI request online.

• Submit the request: Complete the Identity History Summary application through the FBI's eDO portal.
• Pay the FBI fee: Pay the required $18 processing fee.
• Get fingerprinted: Have your fingerprints taken on an FBI-accepted fingerprint card in Barcelona.
• Mail your fingerprint card: Send the completed card to the FBI using the instructions provided with your request.
• Receive your result: The FBI sends the response electronically, with an option to receive it by U.S. First-Class Mail. 

The important point is that eDO does not make the fingerprint card itself electronic. If you are using a physical fingerprint card, it still needs to reach the FBI.

Option 2: Apply by Mail

You can also prepare the entire request as a paper application and send it to the FBI.

You will generally need:

• Completed FBI Identity History Summary request
• Fingerprint card with your current fingerprints
• Required $18 FBI fee (subject to change)
• Your identifying and contact information
• International courier or postal service to send the application from Spain

Before sending the originals, make copies of the completed forms and fingerprint cards for your records.

eDO or Mail-In: Which Should You Use?

For most applicants in Barcelona, eDO is the more convenient direct route, particularly if you need an electronic copy of the result.

You can also have a third-party coordinator manage the process between Barcelona and the United States. This can be useful when you do not want to coordinate FBI fingerprinting in Barcelona, international shipping, and FBI submission yourself.

Already Have Your Fingerprints?

If you already have fingerprints on an FBI-compliant FD-258 or FD-1164 card, you can mail the completed card to Globeia Inc. in the USA.

Globeia can then coordinate the U.S. submission rather than requiring you to arrange the entire process independently.

Don't Have Your Fingerprints Yet?

Globeia can coordinate the process from Barcelona, including:

• Mobile fingerprinting in Barcelona: Arrange fingerprinting through our trained associates in Barcelona.
• Fingerprint review: Check the completed card for obvious errors or quality issues.
• U.S. shipment: Send the original fingerprint card to Globeia Inc. in the USA.
• FBI submission: Coordinate submission of the fingerprint card to the FBI.
• Result: The FBI processes the request and issues the official Identity History Summary.

You have one coordinator for the steps that take place in Spain and the United States, rather than managing each stage separately.

Once your certificate arrives, it's worth a quick check before it goes anywhere near a Spanish consulate or the apostille office. This is because authentication offices may reject documents that look tampered with.

• Make sure the name and date of birth are correct.
• Check that you received the actual FBI Identity History Summary, not a payment confirmation or submission receipt.
• If you received the result electronically, keep the original FBI PDF rather than a screenshot or altered copy.
• If your application requires authentication or an apostille, follow the receiving authority's current document requirements before altering, printing, or submitting the report.

The overall timeline depends on more than the FBI's processing time. You also need to account for:

• Time to arrange FBI fingerprinting in Barcelona
• International courier time to the United States
• FBI processing
• Delivery or electronic release of the result

The eDO route is generally faster than a traditional mail-in FBI request, but the FBI does not guarantee an expedited processing time. If the report is needed for a visa, residency, employment, or professional application, work backward from the receiving authority's deadline rather than waiting until the last few weeks.

Some of the most avoidable problems happen when the fingerprint card is completed in Barcelona but prepared as though it were a Spanish police document. The FBI uses its own fields and formatting requirements, and even small omissions can cause problems.

• The “Reason Fingerprinted” field is left blank. This is a required field on the FBI's hard-copy civil fingerprint card. Don't leave it empty simply because the Mossos or private provider is only taking the fingerprints.
• The place of birth is entered incorrectly. The FBI requires your place of birth, not your current Barcelona address. Applicants should enter the requested birthplace information exactly as required on the form rather than substituting their Spanish residence.
• The date formats are mixed up. The FD-1164 uses YYYY/MM/DD for the date of birth. Someone accustomed to Spanish date conventions can easily enter the information in the wrong order.
• The fingerprinting officer leaves their section incomplete. The card includes information for the person taking the fingerprints, including the fingerprinting official's details/signature. The FBI warns that missing required information can result in rejection.
• The rolled prints are technically poor. The FBI requires impressions to be rolled completely from nail to nail, in the correct sequence, without excessive retabs or stray marks. This is particularly important when having prints taken at a facility that does not routinely process FBI cards.
• The applicant fills in an FBI-only field. Some areas of the fingerprint card are marked “LEAVE BLANK.” Filling these spaces because they appear to be missing information can create an avoidable error.
• A Barcelona fingerprinting appointment is mistaken for the FBI application. Getting the card completed at the Mossos d'Esquadra or a private provider does not submit your Identity History Summary request. The completed card still has to be paired with your FBI request and reach the FBI in the United States.

The safest approach is to take the FBI form with you, have the card completed specifically for an Identity History Summary request, and check every field before leaving the FBI fingerprinting appointment.

Barcelona is only the starting point of the process; your fingerprints still have to make their way from Spain to the United States before the FBI can turn them into an official record. The real challenge, then, is not distance but coordination - using the right card, getting usable fingerprints, choosing the appropriate submission route, and preserving the integrity of the final report. Once those pieces are aligned, obtaining an FBI background check from Barcelona becomes less about navigating two countries and more about making sure nothing gets lost between them.