To get an FBI background check apostille, request your Identity History Summary from the FBI, then send that authenticated report to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications with Form DS-4194, a $20 fee per document, and a prepaid return envelope. The apostille certifies your report for use in the 129 countries that belong to the 1961 Hague Convention.1Hague Conference on Private International Law. HCCH 12 – Status Table Plan on six to ten weeks start to finish if you mail everything.
Step One: Get the FBI Identity History Summary
The Identity History Summary Check costs $18 and requires your fingerprints.2Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions You have three ways to file the request:
- Submit electronically through the FBI website and have your fingerprints captured at a participating U.S. Post Office. This is the fastest route. The Post Office may charge an additional fee.
- Mail an FD-1164 fingerprint card to the FBI with payment. Have the card taken at a local law enforcement agency or private fingerprinting service.
- Use an FBI-approved channeler. These private companies collect fingerprints, submit them electronically, and return results faster than the standard mail process.3Federal Bureau of Investigation. List of FBI-Approved Channelers for Departmental Order Submissions
The FBI no longer applies a physical seal. Results carry a watermark and the signature of a division official at the time of production, and the FBI states directly that these authenticated results can be sent on to the State Department for an apostille.2Federal Bureau of Investigation. Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions If you receive the result as a PDF, print it exactly as issued. Ask the technician to take several fingerprint cards while you’re there; an illegible card means starting over.
Step Two: Fill Out Form DS-4194
Download Form DS-4194, the Request for Authentications Service, from the State Department website.4U.S. Department of State. DS-4194 – Request for Authentications Service Print legibly in black ink. If you make a mistake, throw the page out and start again. The office rejects forms with white-out, cross-outs, or overwritten fields.
Four sections need attention:
- Section 1 asks for your full name, email, phone numbers, and mailing address. Incomplete contact information is one of the most common causes of delay.
- Section 2 covers return shipping. Note the carrier, the tracking number on your prepaid return envelope, and the return address.
- Section 3 is only for a courier, attorney, employer, or other representative picking up or receiving documents on your behalf. Leave it blank if that doesn’t apply.
- Section 4 identifies the document as an FBI background check, lists the destination country, and states how many documents you’re submitting. The destination country determines whether you receive an apostille or an authentication certificate.
Fees and Return Shipping
The fee is $20 per document, not per page.4U.S. Department of State. DS-4194 – Request for Authentications Service For mail-in requests, pay by check or money order made out to the U.S. Department of State. Do not send cash or credit card details in the mail; neither will be processed.5U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services Cards are accepted only at the walk-in window in Washington, D.C.
You must include a self-addressed, prepaid return envelope with postage or an air bill already attached. Use USPS or UPS only. The Office of Authentications does not return documents via FedEx.5U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services Write down the tracking number on your return envelope before sealing the package; that number is how you’ll know when the finished document ships back.
The $20 fee is charged whether the office issues a certificate or a letter explaining why it can’t, so a rejected submission still costs you.4U.S. Department of State. DS-4194 – Request for Authentications Service The frequent rejection triggers are missing fees, missing documents, missing return envelopes, photocopied FBI results instead of the authenticated original, and forms filled out incorrectly.
Where to Send It
By Mail
Put the original FBI report, completed DS-4194, payment, and prepaid return envelope in a single sturdy package and mail it to:
U.S. Department of State
Office of Authentications
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1206
Sterling, VA 20166-12066U.S. Department of State. Office of Authentications
Use a trackable carrier for the outbound package so you can confirm delivery.
Walk-In in Washington, D.C.
The Office of Authentications accepts walk-in drop-offs at 600 19th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006, Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.5U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services You drop off the documents and come back to pick them up; processing takes about seven business days. Payment at the window is by credit card, debit card, or contactless payment (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay). No cash, checks, or money orders.
Same-Day Emergency Appointments
Same-day service is reserved for narrow emergencies. You may qualify only if you’re traveling abroad within two weeks because an immediate family member outside the United States has died, is dying, or has a life-threatening illness or injury.5U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services Email CA-PPT-TO-AUT@state.gov with proof of travel within two weeks and documentation of the emergency. Appointments run Monday through Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the D.C. office.
How Long the Whole Process Takes
Mail-in requests are processed within five weeks of the date the office receives them.5U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services Walk-ins take roughly seven business days. Add the time to obtain the FBI report itself: electronic submissions come back quickly, while mailed fingerprint cards can take several weeks on the FBI’s end. From first fingerprint to apostille in hand, six to ten weeks is realistic for an all-mail process.
If Your Destination Is Not a Hague Country
An apostille only works in countries that belong to the 1961 Hague Convention.7USAGov. Authenticate an Official Document for Use Outside the U.S. If your destination isn’t a member, the Office of Authentications issues an authentication certificate instead. Same form, same $20 fee, same office. The country you enter in Section 4 controls which certificate you get.
An authentication certificate often isn’t the last step. The destination country’s embassy or consulate in the United States may require an additional legalization after the State Department signs off. Call that embassy before you submit so you know every step in the chain.
Validity Windows and Translation
The FBI report carries no printed expiration, but most foreign governments treat it as time-sensitive. Many require the check to be less than six months old when you use it, and some set shorter windows. Confirm the freshness rule with the destination country’s embassy before you start, so a fresh apostille doesn’t sit on top of a report that’s already too old.
If the destination country’s official language isn’t English, you’ll likely need a certified translation of the report, and sometimes of the apostille itself. Requirements vary by country. Some accept translations done locally after arrival; others insist the translation be completed and notarized in the United States first. Ask the embassy before paying a translator.