Apostille · FBI background checks
Apostilles for FBI background checks
An FBI background check is a federal document, so the apostille (or an authentication certificate for a non-Hague country) comes from the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications, which lists a $20 fee per document. We prepare and send the request with form DS-4194 for from $150 per document plus the federal fee at cost; a state office can't certify it.
The Department of State's instructions: FBI results are authenticated by the FBI with its watermark and a division official's signature; send them as issued and name the country of use.
- Form: Form DS-4194, Request for Authentications Service (with the country of use)
- Fee: $20 per document, nonrefundable. By mail: check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State. In person: credit or debit card or contactless payment.
- Ways to submit: Mail with USPS tracking, or drop off in Washington, DC (7:30 to 9:00 a.m., Monday to Thursday). Emergency appointments, for travel within 2 weeks, are made by email with proof of travel. Online, you can only check status through the contact form.
- Processing the office states: Mailed requests within 5 weeks of receipt; walk-in drop-off within 7 business days; emergency appointments the same day.
On a Washington run we can use the walk-in drop-off; otherwise we mail it with tracking. A country outside the Apostille Convention then needs its embassy's legalization (see embassy legalization).
Background: FBI check apostille guide.
Every apostille job gets a stage tracker on your request status page: received, documents checked, submitted, returned and shipped, with an email at each step.
Other documents: NJ birth and marriage certificates · diplomas and transcripts · corporate documents · powers of attorney · apostille or legalization?
We handle the paperwork steps only. We are not lawyers or immigration consultants, we never prepare USCIS forms, and nothing here is legal, immigration or tax advice. The receiving office decides what it accepts, so no acceptance or turnaround is guaranteed.
Sources
Questions
How long does an apostille for FBI background checks take?
It depends on the issuing office's current processing time and how the documents reach it, so we don't promise a date. You'll see each stage on your status page.
What does the price include?
Our starting rate, from $150 per document, covers preparing and submitting the request and returning the original. Government fees are added at cost, and a notarization or courier leg is priced separately when you need one.
Is this legal advice about my document?
No. We handle the certification steps. Whether the document says what the other country needs is a question for the receiving office or a lawyer there.