Skip the Six-Week Wait
for Your FBI Apostille
The State Department’s mail queue runs five to six weeks, and that is before you have found a channeler or worked out which office to post it to. We do the whole chain and hand carry it in Washington. About three weeks, tracked the entire way.
Federal, not state
FBI reports are apostilled in Washington, not by your Secretary of State.
Fees at cost
$18 FBI and $20 State Department, itemised on your receipt.
Never stored
Delivered, then deleted. We keep no criminal history records.
All of the Essentials Included
- ✓FBI Identity History Summary
- ✓Federal apostille from the State Department
- ✓Hand delivery in Washington
- ✓Scanned PDF the day it is affixed
- ✓Tracked, insured return shipping
pricing
typical Typical
turnaround
Extra Help When You Need It
- +Sworn translation (Spain, Italy)
- +Certified translation
- +Priority: overnight return shipping
- +Replacement report if yours has aged out
How it works
The fastest way to get a federal apostille.
Book a Live Scan appointment near you. About twenty minutes. This is the only part you do in person.
The FBI may only send an Identity History Summary to you, so this step is yours by law. We send you the channeler link, the form and your nearest Live Scan location. It lands in your inbox in hours.
Federal documents are apostilled at the Office of Authentications. Our courier walks yours in and collects it on the slip, which runs about two weeks.
A scanned PDF the moment the apostille is affixed, so you can start your consulate paperwork the same day. Originals ship tracked.
Apostille forSpain
Full name, exactly as on your passport
Have you been fingerprinted yet?
When is your consulate appointment?
✓ Your report will still be inside Spain’s 6-month window.
Federal documents do not go to your state
An FBI background check is a federal document, so it is apostilled by the U.S. Department of State in Washington. Not by your state Secretary of State. Send it to Sacramento or Albany or Austin and it comes back unprocessed, and by then most people have lost a month.
Requirements by destination
Consulates change what they ask for. We re-check every source page weekly and stamp each guide with the date it was last verified.
| Country | Application | Report recency | Translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | Non-lucrative visa | Within 6 months | Sworn translator | Requirements → |
| Italy | Elective residency | Varies by consulate | Varies by consulate | Requirements → |
| Germany | Residence permit | Usually the wrong document | Already in German | Requirements → |
| Portugal | D7 and D8 | Being verified | Being verified | Requirements → |
Verified 4 August 2026
Start before your consulate date moves
Three minutes to order, no account needed. We tell you exactly what you have to do in person before you pay anything.
Pricing
One price. Everything in it.
$299
Government fees included
Typical turnaround: about 3 weeks
What’s included
- ✓FBI Identity History Summary
- ✓Federal apostille from the State Department
- ✓Hand delivery in Washington
- ✓Scanned PDF the day it is affixed
- ✓Tracked, insured return shipping
No charge
- ✓Recency check against your destination
- ✓Live status page for your order
- ✓Live Scan location lookup
- ✓Resubmission if we get it wrong
Add-ons
- +Sworn translation, Spain and Italy
- +Certified translation
- +Priority, overnight return — $399
- +International delivery — from $79
Doing it yourself, versus using us
You can absolutely do this alone. Here is honestly what changes if you do.
| On your own | With ExpatPapers | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting the FBI report | You find a channeler yourself | Included |
| Knowing it goes to the State Department | Most people send it to their state first | Handled |
| Time at the State Department | 5 to 6 weeks by mail | 2 weeks, hand delivered |
| Total typical time | 6 to 7 weeks | About 3 weeks |
| Tracking | None | Live status page |
| If it is rejected | You find out weeks later | Same day, with the reason |
| Government fees | $38 | $38, itemised at cost |
The $38 of government fees is the same either way. What you are paying us for is the trip to Washington and not losing a month to a wrong envelope.
Frequently asked questions
Still unsure? The guides go deeper, and each one carries the date it was last verified.
How long does this actually take?
About three weeks end to end. Your FBI report comes back within a day through an approved channeler. The State Department leg is the slow part: our courier hand delivers it and collects on a pick-up slip that runs roughly two weeks. Return shipping adds a couple of days.
Doing it yourself by post takes five to six weeks at the State Department alone, before you have sourced the report or worked out which office it goes to. There is no same-day route at the Office of Authentications, and anyone telling you otherwise has not been there recently.
Why can my state Secretary of State not do this?
An FBI background check is a federal document, so only the federal government can authenticate it. That is the U.S. Department of State in Washington. State offices authenticate documents their own state issued, such as birth certificates and notarised papers.
This is the single most common mistake in the process, and it usually costs people a month.
How long is my FBI report valid for?
That is set by the country you are applying to, not by us, and it is set per consulate rather than per country. All four Spanish consulates we read say six months, not the three months the rest of this industry publishes. Italy varies: San Francisco says six months, while Miami and Chicago do not list the FBI check at all. The clock runs from the date the FBI issued the report, not the date it was apostilled.
We check your date against your consulate before you pay, and tell you if it will not hold.
What do I actually have to do?
One thing. Get fingerprinted once at a Live Scan location, which takes about twenty minutes. We handle the channeler submission, the trip to Washington, the scan and the shipping.
What happens if the State Department rejects it?
We tell you the same day, with the reason and what it takes to fix it.
Government and channeler fees are paid out the moment your order starts, so they are spent by that point and cannot be returned. Any resubmission is quoted before we do it.
Do you keep a copy of my background check?
No. Your report is delivered to you and then deleted. We do not retain criminal history records after an order closes, and the file is never used for anything other than fulfilling your order.
Do you give immigration or legal advice?
No, and we are not permitted to. We are a courier and agent service. We can tell you what a consulate publishes as its requirements and link you to the source, but which visa you should apply for is a question for an immigration attorney or an accredited representative.
Start before your consulate date moves
Three minutes to order, no account needed. We tell you exactly what you have to do in person before you pay anything.
ExpatPapers
Order EP‑1043 · Madrid
Step 3 of 5 · In Washington
Entered the State Department
Today, 09:14
Collected by courier
Today, 08:02 · batch 41
Apostille affixed
Expected today