How to Get an FBI Background Check + Apostille for Moving Abroad

The Document That Can Hold Up Your Entire Move

You’ve picked a country. You’ve researched the visa. You’ve gathered your financial documents. Then you see this on the application checklist: Criminal background check — apostilled.

If you’ve never dealt with an apostille before, this can sound much more complicated than it actually is.

For Americans applying for certain residence visas, work permits, digital nomad visas and other long-term immigration statuses, a criminal-record check may be required. Depending on the destination, that may mean an FBI Identity History Summary, often accompanied by an apostille or another form of authentication.

The FBI specifically notes that its Identity History Summary can be used to satisfy requirements to live, work, or travel in another country.

The process generally looks like this: Check destination requirements → Request FBI background check → Submit fingerprints → Receive results → Get apostille/authentication → Translate if required → Submit with visa application.

Here’s how it works.

First: What Is an FBI Background Check?

The official name is an FBI Identity History Summary Check. It’s sometimes called: FBI background check, criminal background check, criminal history record, police clearance, police certificate, or “rap sheet.”

The report is based on fingerprints and contains certain information submitted to the FBI in connection with arrests and, in some cases, federal employment, naturalization or military service.

If no qualifying history is found, your response reflects that. But before ordering one, check exactly what your destination’s immigration authority wants.

FBI vs. State Background Check: Which Do You Need?

This is an important distinction. A country might require an FBI background check (a nationwide U.S. federal identity-history search), a state background check (records from a particular state), a local police clearance (records from a city or county police authority), or multiple checks. Some immigration processes require more than one.

Don’t assume an FBI check automatically satisfies every country’s requirements. Likewise, don’t order a state check when the visa instructions specifically request an FBI report.

The U.S. State Department advises Americans to determine what type of criminal-record documentation the foreign country requires before beginning the process.

Step 1: Check the Visa Requirements FIRST

Before getting fingerprinted, determine what type of background check is required. And then:

• ☐ How recent must it be?
• ☐ Does it need an apostille?
• ☐ Does it need translation?
• ☐ Does the translation need certification or notarization?
• ☐ Does the country require checks from other countries you’ve previously lived in?

This matters because immigration authorities often impose a validity window. If you order your background check too early, it could become too old before you submit your application. Order it too late, and you could delay your move.

Timing matters. Don’t automatically make the FBI check the first thing you do when you decide to move abroad. Make it part of your visa timeline.

Step 2: Request Your FBI Identity History Summary

The FBI allows individuals to request their own Identity History Summary directly. The current FBI fee is $18. You can begin through the FBI’s official Identity History Summary process.

Electronic submission is generally faster than submitting the entire request by mail, although fingerprints are still required. The FBI says requests are processed in the order completed fingerprints are received and that it does not offer expedited processing.

Step 3: Get Fingerprinted

This is the part that makes an FBI check different from many commercial background checks. You need fingerprints.

If you submit electronically directly to the FBI, you may be able to submit fingerprints electronically at a participating U.S. Post Office after completing your request.

For mailed FBI requests, fingerprints can be taken by local, county or state law-enforcement agencies, and some private fingerprinting companies also offer the service. Additional fingerprinting fees may apply. The FBI also accepts the FD-1164 fingerprint card under its requirements.

Fingerprint quality matters

Poor-quality fingerprints can cause problems. The FBI recommends having multiple sets taken by a fingerprint technician if your prints are repeatedly rejected. For something tied to a visa deadline, getting good prints the first time is worth the effort.

Another Option: Use an FBI-Approved Channeler

You don’t necessarily have to handle everything directly with the FBI. FBI-approved channelers can collect fingerprints and information, electronically submit them to the FBI and return the Identity History Summary to you.

The FBI describes channelers as intermediaries that can expedite delivery of Identity History Summary information. However, channelers charge their own fees in addition to applicable FBI costs.

And there’s an important rule: Use an FBI-approved channeler—not simply a company advertising “FBI background checks.”

Step 4: Receive Your FBI Background Check

If you apply electronically, the FBI can provide an electronic response and an option for a mailed response.

The FBI now processes Identity History Summary responses on standard white paper rather than the blue security paper some older immigration guides may mention. Your FBI result is authenticated with an FBI watermark and the signature of a division official. But that is not necessarily the end of the process — your destination may also require an apostille.

Step 5: What Is an Apostille?

An apostille sounds mysterious, but its purpose is relatively straightforward. It certifies the authenticity of the official signature/seal associated with a public document so that the document can be recognized in another country participating in the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention.

It doesn’t certify that the contents of your background check are true. It’s essentially confirming: Yes, this is an authentic U.S. government document. For federal documents such as an FBI background check, the apostille is handled through the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications.

Step 6: Make Sure You Need an Apostille

Whether you need one depends on the destination. For a Hague Apostille Convention country, you’ll generally use an apostille when required. For a non-Hague country, you may instead need an authentication certificate, followed by additional legalization through the destination country’s embassy or consulate.

The State Department notes that documents being used in non-Apostille countries can require foreign-embassy authentication after completing the necessary U.S. authentication steps. So don’t simply Google “How do I apostille something?” Start with: “What authentication does my destination country’s visa process require?”

Step 7: Send the FBI Report to the U.S. Department of State

For an FBI background check requiring an apostille, you’ll generally submit your request to the State Department’s Office of Authentications. As of August 2026, the State Department requires:

• Form DS-4194
• The document requiring authentication
• The country where the document will be used
• A $20 nonrefundable fee per document

Don’t notarize the FBI report yourself

This is an important mistake to avoid. For federal documents requiring an apostille, the State Department specifically warns not to notarize the original federal document; doing so can make it invalid for the federal apostille process.

How Long Does the Apostille Take?

Build this into your moving timeline. As of August 2026, the State Department says:

• Travel in 5+ weeks: Mail the request; processing is within approximately five weeks after receipt.
• Travel in 2–3 weeks: Walk-in drop-off and pickup in Washington, D.C. is available, with processing within approximately seven business days.
• Appointments for travel within two weeks are limited to qualifying life-or-death emergencies.

These processing times can change. Check the State Department’s current guidance when you’re ready to apply rather than relying on an old blog post or social-media timeline.

Step 8: Translation May Come Next

Your FBI background check is in English. Your destination may require documents to be submitted in its official language. Depending on the country, you might need a certified translation, sworn translation, notarized translation, or translation by a government-recognized translator.

And the order can matter. For example, the immigration authority may want the apostille attached before the document is translated so that the translator translates both the report and apostille. Don’t assume that running your FBI report through an online translation service will satisfy an immigration authority. Follow the specific visa instructions.

How Long Does the Whole Process Take?

There isn’t one universal timeline because you have several separate steps: FBI processing, fingerprint submission, mailing, Department of State apostille, return shipping, and translation.

The State Department alone currently recommends allowing roughly five weeks for mailed authentication requests. That’s why this document can become a visa bottleneck.

A safer strategy

Work backward from: When does the visa application need to be submitted? Then account for document validity window, FBI processing, apostille processing, shipping, translation, and unexpected delays. The goal is to get the document late enough that it remains valid but early enough that it doesn’t delay your application.

What If You’re Already Abroad?

You can still request an FBI Identity History Summary while outside the United States. But fingerprinting can become less convenient. The State Department specifically notes that U.S. embassies and consulates abroad do not provide fingerprinting services.

You may therefore need to find an appropriate local fingerprinting option and follow the FBI’s submission requirements. This is another reason it may be easier to handle the process before leaving the U.S. when your visa timeline allows.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ❌ Ordering the wrong background check — FBI, state and local police checks aren’t interchangeable.
• ❌ Getting it too early — Your destination may impose a recency requirement.
• ❌ Getting it too late — The apostille process alone can take weeks.
• ❌ Assuming the FBI provides the apostille — It doesn’t. The FBI authenticates its results, and the U.S. Department of State handles the federal apostille when required.
• ❌ Notarizing the FBI report — Don’t notarize a federal FBI report you’re submitting for a federal apostille.
• ❌ Forgetting translation requirements — “Apostilled” and “translated” are separate requirements.
• ❌ Using an unverified third-party company — If you use a channeler, confirm it appears on the FBI’s official approved list.
• ❌ Assuming every country wants the same thing — Visa documentation rules vary enormously.

FBI Background Check + Apostille Checklist

Before ordering anything

• ☐ Confirm whether your visa requires an FBI, state or local background check
• ☐ Check how recent the document must be
• ☐ Check whether an apostille is required
• ☐ Check translation requirements

Then

• ☐ Submit your FBI Identity History Summary request
• ☐ Get fingerprinted
• ☐ Receive and review the FBI report
• ☐ Complete Form DS-4194
• ☐ Submit the report to the U.S. Department of State if an apostille is required
• ☐ Receive the apostilled document
• ☐ Obtain the required translation
• ☐ Make digital copies of everything
• ☐ Submit according to your visa instructions

What Does It Cost?

At minimum, current federal government fees include:

• FBI Identity History Summary — $18
• Federal apostille/authentication — $20 per document
• Fingerprinting — Varies
• Shipping — Varies
• Translation — Varies
• Channeler, if used — Additional fee

The FBI confirms its current $18 fee, while the State Department currently charges $20 per document for authentication services.

The Bottom Line

An FBI background check and apostille sounds like one bureaucratic task. It’s actually a sequence: 1) Confirm exactly what your destination requires. 2) Request your FBI Identity History Summary. 3) Submit fingerprints. 4) Receive the authenticated FBI report. 5) Send it to the U.S. Department of State for an apostille if required. 6) Have it translated according to your destination’s rules if necessary.

The biggest mistake isn’t that the process is particularly difficult. It’s waiting until the last minute. When you’re planning an international move, documents like background checks, apostilles, birth certificates and marriage certificates can determine your timeline just as much as flights and housing.

Turn the Paperwork Into a Plan

Moving abroad gets much less overwhelming when you stop thinking of it as one enormous project and start treating it as a sequence of manageable steps. NextLatitude helps Americans understand what needs to happen — and when — as they plan an international move.

🌎 Compare countries, explore relocation requirements, and build your plan at NextLatitude.app.