Criminal Background Check Apostille — All 50 States

What Is a Criminal Background Check Apostille?

Many people assume that a certified copy is sufficient for international use. This assumption is incorrect. A notary stamp only witnesses a signature at the local level. Foreign governments have no obligation to accept it. The Hague apostille on a Criminal Background Check, by contrast, is an internationally binding certificate that overseas institutions cannot reject on authentication grounds. The apostille is what transforms a domestic document into one accepted in any of the 124 Hague member countries.

Consulates and immigration offices in most countries have rules about a recency window for accepted apostilles. Federal background documents, in particular, must often be dated within 6 months of the consulate appointment. Vital record apostilles generally have no expiration on the apostille itself, but individual country requirements vary. We advise you on destination-country validity requirements when you place your order.

A Criminal Background Check apostille is fundamentally not a standard document certification. An apostille is the official certification established by the 1961 Hague Convention that verifies the issuing authority had the legal power to issue the document. This certificate is accepted across all Hague signatories as the definitive proof that a document is genuine. When submitting a Criminal Background Check to a foreign government, no other form of authentication replaces the apostille certificate.

Which US Authority Apostilles Your Document?

The Global Apostille Network manages submissions on both tracks simultaneously. When you submit a document to us, we reviews it and identifies the correct authority immediately. This prevents the costly mistake of misdirecting your document. Our courier network covers both state apostille offices across all 50 states and the US Department of State in DC.

The reason for the state vs federal split is rooted in the federal structure of the United States. The state-level apostille authority can only authenticate documents that originated within that state. It cannot certify documents from the FBI, DHS, State Department, or other federal offices. Authenticating federal records belongs exclusively to the federal authentication office in Washington D.C.

There is also the question of pre-apostille requirements. Government-issued documents with original seals can generally be submitted directly. Non-government records — like affidavits, powers of attorney, or private agreements — must typically be notarized first. We identifies any pre-apostille requirements for your specific document type.

Why Local Offices Cannot Help

Most first-time applicants first try a local notary, UPS Store, or county office. None of these can issue an apostille. A commissioned notary is authorized by the state to certify copies and administer oaths. They are explicitly not authorized to issue Hague certificates. Apostille authority is reserved for specific government offices: state Secretaries of State and, for federal documents, the US Department of State.

The physical submission requirement means you cannot email or fax a document for apostille. The physical Criminal Background Check itself must travel to the government office. This is why processing time is measured in weeks for mail-in submissions and days when a courier physically delivers. The main factor under your control is how the document reaches the apostille office: postal mail takes weeks in transit each way.

There is one nuance worth noting: a local notarization can be a required step before the apostille process for documents that are not government-issued. Non-government-issued records — personal declarations — require prior notarization before a Secretary of State will apostille them. In these cases, the notarization is done locally and the Secretary of State handles step two. We determines whether notarization is required for your specific Criminal Background Check before submitting.

Step-by-Step: Getting Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled

The complete timeline for a Criminal Background Check apostille includes: document procurement, any required pre-apostille notarization, submission transit, time at the apostille office, and return shipment to you. Without an expedited courier, this full cycle takes 3 to 8 weeks for state documents. With our runner service, the timeline compresses to under a week from the day you ship us your document.

The Criminal Background Check apostille process involves a clear sequence of steps. Step one: obtain the correct version of your Criminal Background Check — an original with an official seal, not a photocopy. Step two: determine whether your document needs notarization before submission. Third: submit to the correct authority — state Secretary of State or US Department of State depending on whether your Criminal Background Check is state or federally issued. Step four: collect your completed apostille and send it where it needs to go.

After your document arrives at our hub, our team inspects it against the apostille office's requirements: we check for original seals and signatures, ensure it is not outdated, check that no prior-notarization step is needed, and confirm the correct routing. This step takes one business day and prevents the single most common cause of apostille delay: submitting an incorrect document to the wrong office.

Processing Times and Turnaround

Several factors influence your apostille turnaround: the current backlog at the issuing authority, whether your document requires pre-apostille notarization, shipping time in each direction, and the submission method. We provide an accurate expected turnaround reflecting current backlogs when you place your order. If you have a specific deadline — like a visa appointment or consulate date — we prioritize accordingly.

The quickest path to getting your document apostilled requires a courier who physically delivers to the authority. The relevant government authorities process walk-in documents same-day. Our runner capitalizes on this to get clients their apostilles within a business week. When you have a firm deadline, reach out with your timeline so we can confirm whether same-day processing is available.

Turnaround for Criminal Background Check apostilles vary significantly based on how you submit and the authority's current volume. Postal submissions directly to the government are the slowest option: state documents typically take 1 to 4 weeks processing plus 1 to 2 weeks transit each way, and records going to the US Department of State can take up to 11 weeks due to national demand. During peak seasons, government apostille offices can add 2 to 4 weeks beyond standard processing.

Common Mistakes That Delay Your Apostille

Mailing irreplaceable originals without insurance or tracking is something we strongly advise against. Original Criminal Background Checks can be lost in transit or delayed indefinitely when sent without tracked and insured shipping. Vital records and federal documents are sometimes impossible or expensive to replace if lost. Every document we handle are insured for full replacement value and shipped via FedEx.

Including the wrong fee frequently causes rejections that could easily be avoided. Government apostille authorities charge fees per apostille document. State fees vary but are generally $5 to $25 per apostille. Sending the wrong amount causes the submission to be returned without processing. Our service submit the correct fees directly to the authority on your behalf so payment errors never occur.

Overlooking country-specific rules can result in rejection at the consulate. Although the Hague certificate is universally recognized, each destination country has additional requirements beyond the apostille. Spain, Italy, Germany, and Brazil require certified translations in addition to the apostille. Others additionally require notarization of the translation or embassy legalization in certain non-Hague countries. We advise you on any requirements beyond the apostille itself when you contact us.

Get Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled

Instead of dealing with the government submission yourself, trust our submission specialists with your Criminal Background Check. Our team works directly with the correct government authorities and turn around most submissions in 2 to 5 business days — versus the 3 to 8 weeks for do-it-yourself postal submissions. Flat-rate pricing, full insurance, and FedEx tracking on every order.

Frequently Asked Questions — Criminal Background Check Apostille