An FBI background check is a federal document, so its apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State—not a state Secretary of State. For a Spain visa application, the order is: obtain the FBI Identity History Summary, get the federal apostille, then follow your Spanish consulate's translation instructions.
Check your consulate before ordering anything. The document's validity period and the translation requirements can differ between consulates.
Step 1Check which criminal records you need
The FBI check covers the United States, but it may not be the only criminal record in your application. The Washington consulate currently asks adult applicants for certificates from the countries where they lived during the previous two years. If an applicant spent more than 180 days in another country during that period, Washington asks for a certificate from that country as well.
The same checklist also asks for a signed declaration covering the previous five years. That declaration does not replace the official certificates for the two-year period; it is an additional document. Other Spanish consulates may describe the lookback period or supporting documents differently, so use the checklist for the office that will receive your application.
If you plan to apply from Spain instead of through a consulate, check the current UGE instructions before ordering records. The in-country route still requires properly prepared criminal-record evidence, but the submission method and document checklist are not the same as a consular appointment.
Step 2Request the FBI Identity History Summary
The document you need is called an FBI Identity History Summary. A state police certificate, local police check, private employment screening, or name-only search is not the same document.
You can order it directly from the FBI or use an FBI-approved channeler. The FBI currently charges $18 for a direct request and requires fingerprints. If you use a channeler, confirm that the result will be suitable for a U.S. Department of State apostille and accepted by the Spanish office handling your application.
For a direct electronic request, the FBI allows applicants to submit fingerprints electronically at participating U.S. Post Office locations after completing the online application. You can also mail a completed fingerprint card. The FBI accepts its FD-1164 card on standard white paper, although the fingerprinting provider may prefer card stock.
Use a trained fingerprint technician when possible. Poor prints can be rejected, and the FBI does not replace the fingerprint check with a name search. If your prints have been rejected before, the FBI recommends sending multiple current fingerprint cards taken by a technician.
Check the report as soon as it arrives. Your name and identifying details should match your passport and application. An apostille authenticates the signature on the document; it does not correct errors in the report.
Step 3Send the FBI check to the U.S. Department of State
A state Secretary of State cannot apostille an FBI document. The federal apostille is issued by the U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications.
The FBI says its Identity History Summary results include an FBI watermark and the signature of a division official. That authentication allows the requester to send the result to the Department of State for an apostille. The apostille verifies the public official's signature or seal for use abroad; it does not certify that you have no criminal history or decide whether Spain will approve the visa.
For a mailed request, the Department of State currently asks for:
- the FBI Identity History Summary;
- Form DS-4194, listing Spain as the country of use;
- the $20 fee for each document; and
- a self-addressed, prepaid USPS or UPS return envelope.
Use the current mailing address and payment instructions on the Department of State authentication-services page. Do not notarize the FBI report and ask a state office to apostille the notary's signature. That is not a federal apostille of the FBI official's signature.
For mailed requests, the Department of State currently accepts a check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State. It says not to send cash or credit-card information by mail. The return envelope must already be addressed and prepaid, so choose tracking that you can monitor in both directions.
If your travel is two to three weeks away, the Department of State currently allows routine document drop-off in Washington, D.C., on weekday mornings without an appointment. The page publishes the current address, hours, payment methods, and collection rules. Check it immediately before travelling because office procedures can change.
The State Department's urgent appointment option is much narrower. Travel within two weeks is not enough by itself: the published criteria require an immediate family member abroad who has died, is dying, is in hospice care, or has a life-threatening illness or injury. A visa appointment or planned move does not qualify under the stated emergency rule.
Step 4Allow time for the apostille
As of September 2026, the Department of State says mailed requests are processed within five weeks after receipt. It also offers a seven-business-day drop-off and pick-up service in Washington, D.C., for people traveling in two to three weeks. Same-day emergency appointments have narrow eligibility rules and are not a general expedite service.
Shipping and translation time sit outside those processing estimates. Work backward from your expected visa submission date, but do not order the background check so early that it falls outside your consulate's validity window. The Washington consulate, for example, currently requires the FBI certificate to have been issued within the six months before the visa application.
If your appointment moves, calculate the age of the FBI report on the new submission date. Do not assume that a newer apostille makes an older background check current again. The consulate may measure validity from the FBI certificate's issue date.
Keep the FBI confirmation, apostille tracking, delivery receipt, and a scan of the complete returned document. Those records will not extend the document's validity, but they make it much easier to trace a delayed package or decide whether a replacement request is necessary.
Step 5Check exactly what must be translated
Do not assume every consulate wants the same pages translated. The Washington consulate currently requires a Spanish translation of the FBI background check but says the apostille itself does not need translation. Another consulate may publish different instructions.
Send the translator the complete apostilled document and the checklist from the office handling your application. Ask the translator to confirm which pages will be translated before paying. The sworn translation guide covers translator requirements in more detail.
Do not send the translation to the U.S. Department of State for an apostille. The federal apostille authenticates the FBI document. The translator's work follows the acceptance rules of the Spanish authority receiving the application.
Step 6Assemble the document without damaging it
When the apostille returns, keep it attached to the FBI check. The Washington consulate warns that it will not accept a background check altered or damaged by removing staples. Scan the complete set without taking it apart.
For a Washington consular filing, the published checklist asks for the original and a photocopy of the background check, apostille, and official translation. Your own consulate may request a different number of copies or use a visa-center submission process.
A practical file order is:
- FBI Identity History Summary;
- federal apostille attached to that report;
- the Spanish translation required by your filing office;
- the copies requested by that office;
- criminal records from any other required countries; and
- the separate declaration covering the longer lookback period, when required.
Common mistakes
- Ordering the wrong record: a state or local check does not replace the FBI Identity History Summary when the consulate asks for the federal record.
- Using a state apostille: an FBI check must go through the federal Office of Authentications.
- Apostilling a notary's signature: the apostille must authenticate the signature on the FBI document.
- Damaging the document: some consulates specifically warn applicants not to remove staples or alter the background check and apostille.
- Following another consulate's checklist: validity periods, copies, translations, and appointment procedures can differ.
- Forgetting other countries: your consulate may also require criminal records from other countries where you lived during its stated lookback period.
If you use an apostille service
A service can handle mailing, tracking, and return shipment, but it cannot make an expired or incorrect background check acceptable. Verify what is included, whether translation is separate, and which shipping method will be used.
FastNIE offers an FBI background check apostille and shipment service. This is an affiliate link; code SNB5 gives 5% off.