Do you need to apostille your Criminal Background Check?

Are you planning to study abroad?  Are you requesting dual citizenship with Italy, Spain, or Mexico?

Below are the most common reasons why another country would ask for you to obtain an apostille on your criminal background check:

A background check can be issued by the FBI, Police, Sheriff, and State.  Most all countries will accept an FBI apostille.  If you have already obtained a background check, please be sure it’s been issued within the past 90 days before you mail it to our office with our order forms.

In order to apostille your background check, you must mail in the original or a certified copy to our office for processing.  Digital FBI background checks can be sent by email to our Washington DC apostille office.  A Background check issued from the local Police, Sheriff, or State office can only be authenticated from the State of issue.  The Secretary of State does not have the authority to authenticate documents issued from another State. For example, if your background check is from the State of California, the State of California is the only state that can issue the apostille.  Another example is if your background check is from New York, only the State of New York can issue the apostille.

Local Police Station Background Check – If the requesting country is requesting a local Police background check, then all you need to do is have a letter drafted and notarized by the local police department.  Once your background check is ready to be picked-up, you will need to contact a local traveling notary to meet with the Officer to notarize his/her signature on the document.  The notary will also need to use the correct notarial wording for the State.  Once complete, mail the notarized background check with our order forms to our office for processing.

Local Sheriff’s Department Background Check – If the requesting country is requesting a local Sheriff’s Department background check, then all you need to do is have a letter drafted and notarized by the local Sheriff’s department.  Once your background check is ready to be picked-up, you will need to contact a local traveling notary to meet with the Deputy to notarize his/her signature on the document.  The notary will also need to use the correct notarial wording for the State.  Once complete, mail the notarized background check with our order forms to our office for processing.

Department of Justice Background Check(DOJ) – Office of the Attorney General – Obtaining a background check from the State’s Department of Justice can be a little more complicated.  For example, if you are in California, you’ll need to contact the California Department of Justice (DOJ) and obtained a signed letter after you have received the digital results.  The Office of the Attorney General of your State will provide you step-by-step directions.  Please note that not all state offices issue a background check.  They may direct you to the local Police or Sheriff. 

FBI Background check – The first step in obtaining your FBI Background Check is to contact an FBI Approved Channeler. An FBI Channeler will provide you step by step instructions including sending you a fingerprint card. Once you receive your background check, you can then mail-in this document to our Washington DC apostille office for processing.  If you are located outside of the country and need to obtain your FBI background check, the FBI approved Channeler will provide you instructions on how to obtain a digital copy of your FBI background check.  Once you receive the digital copy, you can email it to our with our FBI apostille order forms for processing.

If you have any questions, please call us:

Office Hours: 8am – 7pm Monday – Saturday
Customer Support: 1-888-810-4054
support@stateapostille.com

Obtaining an apostille can be complicated. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the Apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!

Click the PDF download image to get started. Our apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.