FBI Background Check Apostille

Why California can't apostille it

An FBI background check is signed by a federal official, so the apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., not from a state. The California Secretary of State won't accept this document.

First the FBI check, then the apostille

People often mix up two separate tasks: getting the FBI background check itself and getting an apostille on it. They're two different steps, and the second is only possible after the first.

We handle the apostille once you have the FBI check in hand.

How long it takes

We send your FBI check to the U.S. Department of State by mail. The Department states its timeline directly: mailed requests are processed within 5 weeks from the day they're received. Add shipping both ways, and the whole process takes 6 weeks or more.

We can't speed up the queue, and we don't promise to. The Department of State has no paid expedited service for mailed requests. Filing in person in Washington, D.C., is faster, and same-day processing is available only by appointment for people who must travel abroad because of a life-or-death emergency in their immediate family.

If you're working against a deadline, tell us right away. We'll talk through whether it fits your dates before you pay.

Don't notarize the original

The Department of State warns about this specifically: if the original federal document is notarized, it's no longer valid and can't be apostilled. Send us your FBI check exactly as you received it.

Price

$250 per document. That includes the Department of State's federal fee of $20 per document and our work: preparing form DS-4194, filing the request, and receiving the finished document.

Shipping the finished document is extra: $20 within the U.S. International delivery is billed at our shipping rates: Ukraine from $90, Russia and Belarus $120, other countries from $150.