Complete FBI apostille services for Spain: we obtain your FBI federal background check, secure the US federal apostille from the State Department, and provide the certified Spanish translation — fully remote, no travel to the US. Everything you need for Spain visas and the 2026 regularización (application period closed 30 June 2026).
Step 1 of 4
Are you currently in the US or abroad?
The FBI Identity History Summary (IHS) — commonly called a federal background check, FBI rap sheet, or US criminal history record — is a compiled record of all criminal history information that has been submitted to the FBI's national fingerprint database from law enforcement agencies across the United States.
For any Spain visa or residency application in 2026, a federal background check for Spain must come from the FBI — not from a state police agency. Spanish Extranjería treats the FBI IHS as the only valid US criminal record, and it must carry a US federal apostille before it is accepted.
Unlike state background checks, which only cover records within a single state, the FBI IHS is a national compilation that includes:
For Spain immigration purposes, this is the document Spanish authorities require. A state background check from California, Texas, or any other individual state is not a substitute for the FBI federal check.
This is the most misunderstood aspect of the FBI apostille process — and the most common cause of expensive delays:
The FBI CJIS Division is a federal government body. Its output documents are federal documents. Apostille jurisdiction is federal. There is no workaround or exception. We always submit FBI documents directly to the US State Department Office of Authentications.
US citizens relocating to Spain for retirement, work, or lifestyle reasons must provide an FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille and certified Spanish translation for all long-term visa types.
If you were born in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, or elsewhere and lived in the US, whether you need a US FBI check alongside your home country's certificate depends on your visa and consular post — e.g., the Ottawa self-employed work visa requires another country's record for stays of more than 180 days within the previous five years. We handle both.
The application period for Spain's 2026 extraordinary regularization closed on 30 June 2026, so this applies only to pending cases or later document requests. The programme required criminal record certificates for the countries of residence required by the current rules of the program. US residence always means an FBI federal check — no state check is a substitute.
Regulated professions in Spain — healthcare, education, law enforcement, finance — may require an FBI background check as part of credential recognition and work authorization. We handle the full chain.
Example only — applies only if the consular post or office handling your case sets a 90-day certificate-age limit. It does not guarantee acceptance.
There is no universal three-to-six-month window: verified Spanish consular checklists include limits of three, five and six months, generally counted from the issuance date of the certificate. Check the current official checklist of the consular post processing your application. Where a limit applies, it counts from the issuance date — not the apostille date, not the translation date.
⚡ Pro tip: Submit as soon as the full document package is ready — do not wait until near the end of your procedure's limit.
⚠️ Warning: Some applicants lose months of work because the certificate is no longer accepted by the time the apostille or translation is ready. Start early.
Every FBI IHS request requires fingerprint submission. Here are your options depending on where you are located:
| Document | Issuing authority | Estimated time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| FBI Identity History Summary (IHS) | FBI CJIS Division — Criminal Justice Information Services | Run through the FBI's official channels ($18); electronic submissions are generally handled faster, but the FBI does not expedite requests | The FBI provides a printable electronic result or a mailed response — special blue security paper is not required. Confirm any document-age requirement with the Spanish authority receiving your dossier. |
| Fingerprint card — Form FD-258 or electronic scan | Applicant, submitted via US Post Office, law enforcement, or approved fingerprint channeler | Completed before FBI submission | The FBI requires rolled fingerprint impressions for IHS requests. Cards must be properly filled out: full legal name, date of birth, and reason for submission. Smudged or incomplete cards are rejected and add 2–4 weeks to the process. We review your card before submission. |
| Federal Apostille — U.S. Apostille Certificate | U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications, Washington DC | Mail: currently within five weeks from receipt; seven-business-day in-person option only with specific eligibility criteria | Critical: FBI documents are federal government records. Only the U.S. Department of State has apostille jurisdiction over federal documents. If you submit an FBI document to a state Secretary of State office, it will be returned without apostille — causing weeks of delay. We only use the correct federal channel. |
| Certified Spanish translation | Sworn translator recognized by Spanish immigration authorities | 1–2 business days after apostille is received | Where your post requires a translation, it should cover the version the office asks for. Whether the apostille text must be translated depends on the post — Boston explicitly says it does not. We use translators whose credentials are accepted by the receiving office. |
| Passport copy (legible, current) | Applicant | Current — must not be expired | Your name on the FBI request must exactly match your passport. If your legal name includes accents, compound surnames, or differs from how you entered it in the US, this must be resolved before submitting to the FBI. Discrepancies cause rejection. |
Go to a US Post Office, law enforcement agency, or certified fingerprinting provider. Must be rolled ink on cardstock — digital scans not accepted by FBI.
Mail Form FD-258 + payment to FBI CJIS Division in Clarksburg, WV, or use an FBI-approved channeler — an FBI-recognized provider, not a guaranteed rush channel.
FBI documents are federal. ONLY the US Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington D.C. can apostille them. State Secretary of State offices cannot.
Where the checklist of your receiving office requires it, an official translation is prepared to that office's requirements. Whether the apostille text is included depends on the post — Boston explicitly says it does not.
Where a 90-day limit applies, it starts from the FBI certificate issuance date. Plan carefully around the Department of State's current published processing time.
⚠️ Remember: where a 90-day limit applies, it counts from the Step 1 issuance date — not from when you submit. Check your procedure's checklist.
We review your specific Spain visa requirement, confirm whether a federal FBI check (vs. a state-level check) is needed, and check whether any previous fingerprint submissions are on file with the FBI. We provide a firm quote and exact timeline before you commit.
You can be fingerprinted at a US post office, law enforcement agency, approved channeler, or US embassy/consulate abroad. We send you a pre-filled FD-258 card with instructions, review your completed card before submission, and confirm all fields are correct.
We submit your fingerprint card to the FBI CJIS Division (or use an approved channeler — an FBI-recognized electronic submission route) and monitor your request throughout. We notify you the same day your Identity History Summary result is received.
Immediately upon receiving your FBI result letter, we submit it to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington DC for the federal apostille. This is the only valid apostille authority for FBI documents — state offices cannot process them.
Once the apostilled document is returned from the State Department, a translator prepares an official Spanish translation covering the version your office requests — Boston, for example, explicitly says the apostille need not be translated. This is what Spanish authorities will read.
Your complete package — original FBI result, federal apostille, and certified translation — is sent by tracked international express courier (DHL or FedEx) to your address anywhere in the world, ready to submit to the Spanish consulate or immigration office.
We review your documents before submission to catch every one of these errors before they cause a rejection.
Illustrative examples based on common situations; names and details are changed.
Latin American who lived in the US and needed an FBI check for Spain regularización (window closed 30 June 2026).
American planning to move to Spain on savings income.
Needs both Venezuelan (MPPRIJP) and US FBI records for Spain residency application.
The certified translation adds 1–2 business days after the apostille. Processing times are set by the FBI and the U.S. Department of State and are subject to change. We check current official wait times before you commit. Contact us for current processing times →
All packages include free document review, name discrepancy check, status updates, and international tracked delivery. Additional copies quoted on request. Get an exact quote for your case →
Illustrative examples based on common situations; names and details are changed.
Information on this page is based on procedures from recognized government and intergovernmental bodies — not third-party estimates.
Reviewed by
Laura ChenLegal Document Expert
Specialist in documents for the English-speaking market with a focus on fast and secure processing.
The FBI Identity History Summary (also called a rap sheet or background check) is a compiled record of criminal history information submitted to the FBI's national fingerprint database — formally known as the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). It contains arrest and conviction records submitted by US law enforcement agencies across all 50 states, DC, and federal agencies. For immigration purposes, it is the definitive US criminal history record.
State Secretary of State offices only have apostille authority over documents issued by state-level bodies — courts, vital records offices, notaries, and state agencies. The FBI is a federal government agency. Federal documents — including the FBI Identity History Summary — fall under federal apostille jurisdiction, which belongs exclusively to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications. Submitting an FBI document to a state apostille office will result in refusal and loss of time.
A state background check only covers criminal records within that specific state. The FBI Identity History Summary is a national compilation of all records submitted to the FBI database from law enforcement agencies across every US state, US territory, and federal jurisdiction. For Spain visa purposes, the FBI national check is what Spanish authorities require — not a state-level check from any individual state.
Yes. The FBI processes IHS requests from individuals worldwide regardless of current residence. You can submit a fingerprint card by mail from any country. We can also direct you to approved fingerprint channelers with international reach, or advise on fingerprinting at a US embassy or consulate near you. Your current address does not affect eligibility.
No. The FBI processes Identity History Summary requests for any person who has ever been fingerprinted in the US — regardless of nationality or immigration status. If you lived or worked in the US, studied there, or were ever fingerprinted by a US law enforcement agency, you are eligible to request your IHS.
The FBI charges $18 per request and offers a printable electronic result or a mailed response; electronic submissions are generally handled faster, but the FBI does not expedite. Add international mail transit time for the fingerprint card. The subsequent US State Dept. apostille is a separate step: mail processing is currently within five weeks from receipt, and the seven-business-day in-person option has specific eligibility criteria.
Yes, and it is one of the most common rejection causes. If your legal name includes accents (ñ, á, é, etc.), compound surnames, or was recorded differently in US records (e.g., without accents), this must be reconciled before submission. We review your name across all documents before initiating the FBI request and advise on the correct approach for your specific situation.
The presence of a criminal record doesn't automatically disqualify a Spain visa application. Spanish authorities evaluate the nature, severity, and recency of offenses. Minor or old offenses are often accepted. We strongly recommend consulting an immigration attorney if your FBI check shows any records. We handle the document chain — apostille and translation — regardless of the result.
The apostille certificate itself does not expire. However, each Spanish consulate and immigration office sets its own document-age requirement — some accept a few months, others less or more. Verify the requirement for your specific procedure and plan your timeline accordingly — we help you coordinate this.
Yes. The FBI delivers IHS results electronically or by mail, and electronic results can be printed for apostille processing — special blue security paper is not required. We advise on the submission format the Department of State currently accepts for federal apostilles.
Yes. When a Spanish consulate or Extranjería asks for your US criminal record certificate or "certificate of good conduct" from the United States, they mean the FBI Identity History Summary carrying a US federal apostille and a sworn Spanish translation. "FBI background check," "federal background check," and "US criminal record certificate" all refer to the same document — the apostilled FBI IHS is what satisfies the requirement.
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