ExpatPapers

How it works

Six steps. One of them is yours.

The whole chain takes about three weeks. Two of those are the State Department, and no service can make that part faster, because there is no expedited route.

01You tell us the deadline

Your consulate appointment date is the only thing that really matters. We work backwards from it and tell you immediately whether the timing holds.

You, 3 minutes

02You get fingerprinted, once

We find your nearest Live Scan location. About twenty minutes in person. This is the only part of the process you physically do.

You, ~20 min

03You order your report

Federal rules let the FBI send an Identity History Summary only to you or your attorney, so this step is yours and we cannot do it for you. We send the channeler link, the form and your nearest Live Scan location. It arrives in hours, and a printed electronic copy is accepted for apostille.

You, same day

04Our courier walks it in

Federal documents are apostilled only at the Office of Authentications in Washington. There are no appointments. Our courier drops off in person and collects on a pick-up slip.

Us, ~2 weeks

05We scan it the day we collect it

You get the PDF immediately, so you can start filling in your consulate paperwork before the paper reaches you.

Us, same day

06The originals ship tracked

Insured, tracked, and sent wherever you are, including abroad. Consulates want the original with the apostille attached.

Us, 2 to 3 days

expatpapers.com/track/EP-1043

Order EP‑1043Madrid, 22 Aug

FBI report received

1 Aug, 4 pagesDONE

Dropped at the State Department

4 Aug, slip #2214DONE

Collection due

18 AugON TRACK

✓ Arrives 4 days before your appointment.

What we cannot do

Worth being straight about, because some services are not.

We cannot beat two weeks at the State Department. There is no same-day or expedited route at the Office of Authentications. Anyone advertising one has not been recently.

We cannot take your fingerprints for you. That has to happen in person at a Live Scan location, and it is the one step only you can do.

We cannot advise on your visa. We are a courier and agent service, not immigration advisers. We can tell you what a consulate publishes and link you to the source.

Start an order