Criminal Record Certificate FAQ

A criminal record certificate is an official document issued by a government authority that shows whether an individual has any criminal convictions, pending charges, or is registered as a person of interest. Different countries use different names: "antecedentes penales" (Spain/Latin America), "identity history summary" (FBI, USA), "police clearance certificate" (UK, Australia), "certificato del casellario giudiziale" (Italy).

The FBI Identity History Summary (also called an FBI background check) is the federal criminal record check for the United States. It covers your entire US history across all states based on fingerprint records. It is issued by the FBI CJIS Division in West Virginia.

For Spain visa and residency purposes, you need the FBI Identity History Summary — the federal check. State-level background checks from individual Secretary of State offices are not sufficient for Spain immigration. The FBI check covers all US states.

You can request an FBI background check from outside the US by mail. You need to complete a fingerprint card (Form FD-258) by a qualified fingerprinting provider in your country (or at a US embassy/consulate), and mail it with a money order or credit card payment. We guide you through the entire process.

Yes, but only through the US Department of State Office of Authentications — not through a state Secretary of State. FBI documents are federal records, so the federal apostille authority is required. We handle this for clients worldwide.

The FBI check is federal and covers all US states based on fingerprint records submitted to the national database. A state background check only covers records from that specific state. Spain requires the FBI federal check, not individual state checks.

It depends on the request channel: electronic submissions are generally handled faster than mailed paper requests. The FBI does not offer expedited processing — there is no official rush channel; any provider claiming one is adding its own service, not FBI priority. Official FAQs and the $18 fee are published on the FBI site.

A "no record" result is the most common outcome and is fully valid. The FBI issues a document stating that no matching criminal history was found in the national fingerprint identification records. This is perfectly acceptable for Spain visa purposes.

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 translation is required, Spain expects a sworn (jurado) translation whose format the receiving office accepts; plain or standard certified translations may not be accepted. Whether the translation must also cover the apostille text depends on the procedure — e.g., Ottawa states the apostille need not be translated. Check the current checklist of your consulate.

There is no single residence-history certificate rule for all Spanish visa types. Many Spanish visa and residency types require a criminal record certificate (apostilled), but which countries require documentation and the residence-history threshold vary by procedure. For example, the Ottawa self-employed work visa requires another country's record when the applicant spent more than 180 days there within the previous five years.

Some countries issue a certificate of "no record found" from their national police or ministry of interior. In countries without formal systems, Spanish authorities may accept a declaration of police clearance from the relevant embassy or consulate. Contact us — we know the specific requirements for 40+ countries.

You can apostille it, but it may no longer be accepted by your procedure if it exceeds the age limit that applies to you (verified Spanish checklists vary between three, five and six months, counted from issuance). If yours is past the limit, you need a new certificate — then we apostille that.

If you are a Spanish citizen or legal resident, Spain's Ministry of Justice (Ministerio de Justicia) issues a "Certificado de Antecedentes Penales" via their online portal (sede.mjusticia.gob.es). This is the Spanish criminal record — not to be confused with the foreign criminal record you need to provide from your home country.

Interpol is an international police cooperation organization — it is not a criminal record database used for individual civilian applications. Apostilling your national criminal record certificate for Spain has no Interpol connection. Spanish immigration uses your country's official certificate, not Interpol records.

Yes. A criminal record with certain convictions may disqualify you for a Spain visa under Spanish immigration law. The specific disqualifying offenses depend on visa type. We can only advise on document processing — consult an immigration lawyer if you have a prior conviction.

The Venezuelan criminal record certificate is requested ONLINE from the Ministerio del Poder Popular para Relaciones Interiores, Justicia y Paz (MPPRIJP) — not from CICPC and not at a consulate. The apostille is a separate second step: an electronic apostille submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MPPRE) via the SLAE system (https://legalizacionve.mppre.gob.ve/web/login), which generally does not require a consular appointment. Both government procedures are free of charge. Timing depends on MPPRIJP and SLAE system availability; no fixed timeline can be guaranteed. We are a private intermediary that coordinates the full process and charges a separate service fee.

Colombian criminal records (Certificado de Antecedentes Judiciales) are issued by the Policía Nacional de Colombia and can be requested online via policia.gov.co. Apostille is done through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Cancillería). We handle the full process for Colombia including apostille and certified translation.

The federal Mexican criminal record certificate (Constancia de Antecedentes Penales) is issued by the SSPC through its OADPRS, and some states issue their own state-level certificates. For Spain purposes, the federal certificate is often preferred. The federal certificate is apostilled by SEGOB (Secretaría de Gobernación); state certificates by the state government. We handle all Mexican states.

Our full package (certificate + apostille + certified Spanish translation) for the US/FBI starts from $249 standard, $349 expedited. For Latin American countries, pricing varies by country: typically $149–$249 for the full package. Contact us for an exact quote based on your countries and timeline.

Yes. We specialize in multi-country packages, especially for Spain's 2026 regularization (applications closed 30 June 2026 — pending cases only). We process all countries simultaneously to minimize total time. One point of contact for all documents.

Yes, if it is still within the freshness limit your procedure sets. Send us a scan for a free review. We confirm if it is still valid and eligible, then coordinate the apostille and certified translation.