How to Get an FBI Background Check & Submit It for Apostille

If you've lived in the US for a significant amount of time, or you're a US expat living somewhere else, you will come across this while doing some kind of international paperwork. Could be a visa application, citizenship, professional licensing, PR, or honestly anything that needs proof of your background. And buried somewhere in the document checklist is a line that says something like "FBI background check, apostilled."

And this can get confusing to understand. Because it's not just one document you need. It's two separate processes . First getting the actual background check from the FBI, and then getting that background check apostilled so another country will even look at it. Most people have never dealt with either one before, let alone both at once.

If that's where you're at right now, confused about where to even start, you’re at the right place. Keep reading to understand everything, from getting your fingerprints taken to the apostilled document landing back in your hands.

An FBI background check, officially called an Identity History Summary, is a report that shows a person's criminal history as recorded by the FBI. It is sometimes called a "rap sheet" or a "police clearance letter" when used for travel or work abroad.

The report is created using your fingerprints. When you send in your fingerprints, the FBI checks them against records collected from police departments and courts across the country. If there is a match, that information gets pulled into your report. If there is no match, your report will simply state that no criminal record was found.

This document is commonly needed for visa applications, international adoption, jobs abroad, marriage in another country, and dual citizenship applications.

What Information It Includes

• Arrests reported to the FBI by local, state, or federal agencies.
• The charges connected to each arrest.
• The outcome of the case, if it was reported (dismissed, convicted, and so on.)
• Any federal employment history, if applicable.
• Military service records, if applicable.
• Naturalization records, if applicable.

A clear statement that no record was found, if your fingerprints do not match anything in the system.

Check FBI Background Check FAQ 2026: Everything You Need to Know for Visas, Immigration & Employment

An apostille is a certificate that confirms a document is real and was issued by a proper authority. It does not check whether the information inside the document is correct. Its only job is to confirm the document itself is genuine, so that another country can accept it without extra steps.

This system exists because of an international agreement called the Hague Apostille Convention. Countries that are part of this agreement accept an apostilled document from any other member country without needing further verification from an embassy. Since an FBI background check is meant to be used in another country, most governments will ask for it to carry an apostille before they accept it as valid.

Federal vs State Apostille

Your FBI police clearance report is issued by a federal agency, so it can only be apostilled by the US Department of State, not a state office. Many people mistakenly send it to their state Secretary of State, which leads to delays and rejections.

What If the Destination Country Isn't in the Hague Convention?

If the country where you plan to use your FBI background check is not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille will not be accepted there. In this case, you will need a different process called embassy or consular legalization.

This means your document first needs to be authenticated by the US Department of State, and then it needs to be legalized again by the embassy or consulate of the destination country. This has to be done because non Hague countries do not recognize the apostille system. So they require their own government representatives to confirm the document is valid.

Before your report can be apostilled, you need to get it from the FBI itself, and that happens in four parts: applying, getting fingerprinted, sending everything in, and waiting for your results.

Choose How You Want to Apply

You can apply for your FBI Identity History Summary in two ways. Both give you the same official document, so the right choice depends on how much time you have and whether you're comfortable applying online.

Whichever method you choose, double check every field before you submit or mail it.

Get Your Fingerprints Taken

The FBI does not accept fingerprints in any format. They must be on an FD-258 or FD-1164 card, since these are the only formats their scanning system reads correctly. You have a few places where you can get this done:

• A local police station, which often offers fingerprinting as a public service.
• A private fingerprinting business that handles background check cards regularly.
• A mobile fingerprinting service that comes to you.
• A sheriff's office or another local law enforcement agency.
• A notary public that also provides fingerprinting.

Since the FBI only accepts fingerprints submitted on a physical, hard copy card, most providers still rely on the ink and roll method to take your prints. And this is widely accepted everywhere. If a provider offers digital fingerprint scanning instead, make sure they print those digital prints accurately onto a physical FD-258 or FD-1164 card before you mail anything. The FBI cannot process a digital file on its own, so this step cannot be skipped.

Put Together Your Package and Send It In

• Once your card is ready, you need to send it to the FBI along with a few other things. Your envelope should have:
• Your completed fingerprint card.
• Either your printed confirmation email, if you applied online, or your filled out paper form, if you applied by mail.
• Your payment, if you haven't already paid online.

A few things matter here. Keep the fingerprint card flat, ideally between two pieces of cardboard, so it doesn't bend or fold in transit. A folded card can jam up the scanning process on the FBI's end and cause delays. Use a courier that gives you a tracking number, such as DHL, FedEx, or UPS, so you know exactly when your package arrives.

Send it to:

FBI CJIS Division - Summary Request

Wait for Your Report

Once the FBI receives your package, processing usually takes a few weeks, though this can shift depending on how many requests they're handling at the time. If you applied online and chose to get your report electronically, you'll be able to download it as soon as it's ready. If you asked for a paper copy, it will be mailed to whatever address you listed on your application. 

Once your FBI Identity History Summary is in hand, the next job is getting it apostilled by the US Department of State. This part has its own set of rules.

Prepare Your FBI Background Check for Apostille

Before you send anything, make sure your document is actually in a state that the USDOS will accept.

• Your document must be an original or a certified copy.
• Check if your destination country needs a translation. Some countries will not accept an English document at all. So if that applies to you, get it translated by a professional translator and have the translation notarized.
• The original FBI report itself should never be notarized. Only the translation needs that step.

Fill Out Form DS-4194

This form is what officially tells the USDOS what you need. It is called the Request for Authentications Service, and every document you send in for an apostille has to be accompanied by one.

Prepare Your Package

Once your form is ready, it is time to put together everything you are sending in. Your package should have:

• Form DS-4194, with the correct destination country listed.
• Your FBI Background Check, either the original or a properly certified copy.
• Payment of $20 USD per document.

How to Make Payment

This fee is non refundable once it has been paid, so make sure everything in your package is correct before you send it off.

Mail or Drop Off Your Request

Option A: Mail-in

If you have more than five weeks before you need the document, mail your complete package to:

Office of Authentications

Always use a trackable mail service through USPS, since you will get an update once your package reaches the Sterling, VA facility. 

You also need to include a self addressed, prepaid return envelope with your package. Because your document will be sent back to you using it. The postage needs to already be on the envelope, and you should stick to USPS or UPS for the return trip. FedEx is not accepted for the return envelope.

Option B: Physical Drop-Off

If you need it back sooner, within two to three weeks, you can drop off your materials in person. Drop offs are accepted Monday through Thursday, between 7:30 and 9:00 AM, at:

600 19th Street NW

Washington, DC 20006

Can I Take an Appointment?

Appointments are only offered for genuine life or death emergencies, so this is not a general way to skip the line or speed things up. If your situation truly qualifies, appointments run Monday through Thursday, from 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM, at the same Washington, DC office. 

To request one, you need to email CA-PPT-TO-AUT@state.gov and attach proof that supports your situation. This includes:

• Proof that you are traveling internationally within the next two weeks, such as a flight ticket or itinerary.
• Proof of the emergency itself, such as a death certificate, a statement from a funeral home, or a signed letter from a hospital confirming a family member is dying or seriously ill.
• If any of these documents are not in English, they need to be translated by a professional translator and notarized before you submit them.

The total timeline depends a lot on where you are located and how you choose to submit your documents.

Putting it all together, someone based in the USA who applies electronically and drops off their apostille request in person could have everything done in about 3 to 4 weeks. Someone outside the US, or someone who mails in every step, should plan for a longer wait, sometimes closer to 2 to 3 months for the entire process.

An apostille itself does not technically expire. Once the USDOS attaches it to your document, that certificate remains valid forever, since it is only confirming that your FBI report was genuine at the time it was issued.

The real limit comes from the country or organization asking for your document. Most international governments, embassies, authorities, and agencies will only accept an FBI background check if it was issued within the last 3 to 6 months. This is because they want to see a background check that reflects your current record, not one that could be outdated by the time you use it.

Doing It Yourself

Going the DIY route means you handle every step on your own. First, you receive your FBI report, either digitally or by mail. If you received it digitally, you will need to print it out properly, since the USDOS needs a physical copy to work with. Once that is ready, you fill out Form DS-4194 yourself, put together your package, and mail everything to the Office of Authentications in Sterling, VA.

This approach saves you money, since you are not paying anyone else to handle it for you. But the mail in processing alone takes 5 to 6 weeks once your package reaches Washington, DC. And that number does not include the time it takes for your package to travel there in the first place, or the time it takes for your apostilled document to travel back to you. 

On top of that, since you are filling everything out and packaging it yourself, there is a higher chance of a small mistake, like a missing signature or an incorrect country listed on the form. This can lead to your request being rejected or delayed.

Using an FBI Apostille Service

An FBI apostille service based in the USA can take this entire process off your hands. You send them your FBI report, and they handle filling out the DS-4194 form, preparing your package correctly, and submitting it to the USDOS on your behalf.

The biggest advantage here is speed. Many of these services are based in or near Washington, DC, which means they can physically drop off your documents in person instead of mailing them in. Since in person drop off runs on a 2 to 3 week processing time compared to five to six weeks by mail, using a service like this can cut your total wait time almost in half.

The only thing to consider is the service fee that you will be paying on top of the government fees. But you are essentially paying for their time, their location, and their experience handling these requests correctly the first time.

The decision comes down to your timeline and how comfortable you are handling government paperwork on your own. If you have time to spare and want to save money, DIY works fine. If you are short on time or would rather not risk a rejected request, a service can make the process a lot smoother.

If everything you just read feels like a lot to manage on your own, that is fair. Between fingerprinting, mailing, waiting on the FBI, filling out forms, and then mailing again for apostille, there are a lot of moving parts, and a lot of places where something can go wrong.

Globeia handles the entire journey for you, from getting your FBI background check all the way through the apostille step, in one single workflow. Instead of contacting a fingerprinting provider, then the FBI, then a separate apostille service, you can go through the whole process with just one point of contact.

This is what you get with Globeia!

Mobile Fingerprinting Services

We offer doorstep fingerprinting services across the globe. Our trained associates come to your location with FD-258 or FD-1164 compliant cards and take your fingerprints accurately, right where you are.

Physical Presence in the USA

Once your fingerprint cards are ready, they are couriered to Globeia Inc. in the USA, and we handle the submission to the FBI on your behalf. This means you do not have to deal with international mailing or customs yourself.

Expedited Apostille Services

Our US branch is located just a few blocks away from the US Department of State Office of Authentications, the office responsible for apostilling FBI reports. Because we are so close, we can physically drop off your documents instead of mailing them in. If you choose this option, your apostille processing time drops down to just 10 days.

Certified or Sworn Translation Services

This is usually the next step for a lot of people, especially if the country you are submitting your documents to does not accept English. We offer translation services in over 50 official languages, including Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Mandarin, and many more.

Secure Delivery of Your Results

Once everything is done, we deliver your apostilled documents straight to your doorstep. All you need to do is share your address, and we take care of the rest. You receive your documents fully ready to submit, with nothing left for you to arrange.

You can choose to bundle all of these services together for a complete experience, or you can pick just the standalone services you actually need.

Start your application with Globeia through the links given below:

So that's really the whole process. From getting fingerprinted, to sending everything off to the FBI, to waiting on your report, to then doing it all over again with the USDOS for your apostille. It's not complicated exactly, but it's a lot of steps. And a lot of places where one small mistake, a missing signature, the wrong form, a folded fingerprint card, can set you back weeks.This is why it’s important to have a reliable and experienced partner like Globeia on your side. Work with us, instead of juggling three or four different offices on your own!