FBI Background Check Apostille Services

Issuing office

U.S. Department of State, Office of AuthenticationsOfficial page

Government fee

$20 per documentIncluded in our price

Hague Convention countries

Apostille

Non-Hague countries

Authentication Certificate

Requests accepted by

mail, walk-in drop-off and pick-up and appointment (life-or-death emergency only)

Published processing time

State Department: mail up to 5 weeks from receipt; walk-in 7 business days; emergency appointment same day. FBI report: within 48 hours of Post Office electronic fingerprinting; about 15 days after a mailed fingerprint card is received; up to 50 days for mail requests.As listed by the office on October 29, 2026

Which FBI reports qualify

• FBI Identity History Summary (fingerprint search results) bearing the FBI watermark and signature of an FBI division official
• FBI background checks (issued by U.S. Department of Justice)

State-issued documents, such as birth certificates, state court records, and documents notarized by a state notary, get their apostille from the state where they were issued. Find your state.

Requirements to check before you book

• The FBI authenticates fingerprint search results by placing the FBI watermark and the signature of a division official on them at the time of submission.Source
• The FBI no longer places the FBI seal on DOJ Order 556-73 fingerprint search results; the watermark and official's signature are the authentication.Source
• The FBI does not accept requests to authenticate previously processed results.Source
• The requester, not the FBI, sends the authenticated results to the U.S. Department of State; do not ask the FBI to forward correspondence for the apostille.Source
• Specify the country where the document will be used when sending FBI records to the Office of Authentications.Source
• Do not notarize the report; the State Department says a federal document will no longer be valid if notarized.Source

Good to know

• FBI reports are federal documents: the apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State, not a state Secretary of State.
• For non-Apostille countries, the foreign embassy's authentication is required after all U.S. authentications.
• Electronic requests receive an electronic response, with an option to also receive one by First-Class Mail; official sources do not say whether electronic or channeler results can be apostilled.
• FBI results are printed on standard white paper, not blue security paper.

About our FBI background check apostille service

How it works

1. Book onlineChoose the option that matches your document and destination, then tell us the document type, the country where it will be used, and your deadline.
2. We review your document firstBefore anything is filed, we check it against the requirements on this page. If a step is missing, such as a notarization or a certified copy, we tell you what's needed before we file.
3. Send us the originalWe send mailing instructions after you book. Don't have a federal document notarized: the Department of State says a notarized federal document is no longer valid for authentication.
4. We file and track itWe submit your request to the U.S. Department of State with the government fee and follow it until the office releases it.
5. We ship it backYour documents come back by tracked shipping. If your destination also needs embassy legalization or a certified translation, we can handle that next.

Pricing

$365 per document.

Prices include the U.S. Department of State fee, courier filing, return shipping, and handling. Sales tax is added at checkout where it applies, and any deposit is shown before you pay. If you have more than one document, tell us the count when you book and we'll confirm your total. The FBI's fee for the background check itself is separate.

Government processing times are set by the issuing office and change during the year. We don't promise a delivery date that depends on a government office, and we'll tell you the current timing when we review your order.

Common questions

Working with Trilogy

Related services

Sources