Criminal Background Check Apostille in California

California Apostille Requirements

• Authority: California Secretary of State
• Office Location: Sacramento
• State Fee: $20
• Important Rule: Birth certificates must be certified by the County Clerk before apostille.

What Is a Criminal Background Check Apostille?

The Hague Apostille Convention streamlined the old multi-step embassy legalization process that existed before 1961. Before apostilles, getting an American document accepted overseas involved multiple rounds of authentication at different government levels followed by embassy stamps. The Convention simplified this into a single certificate from the appropriate government office. In California, the designated office is the California Secretary of State.

Criminal Background Checks are among the most frequently apostilled documents in the United States. The reason Criminal Background Checks come up in many international processes including visa applications, residency permits, citizenship documentation, employment verification, and foreign legal proceedings. For residents of California, the apostille for a Criminal Background Check must come from the California Secretary of State.

An apostille is a form of government certification created under the Convention of 5 October 1961. Unlike a notarization, an apostille is valid in over 120 countries worldwide — meaning your Criminal Background Check is recognized by overseas institutions without further legalization. If you are in California, California, obtaining this certification means submitting your document to the California Secretary of State in Sacramento.

California: State vs Federal Authority

For state-issued Criminal Background Checks, the apostille is only available from the California Secretary of State in Sacramento. In most cases, the document needs to be in certified form with an authentic seal. The California Secretary of State verifies the document's origin and seal and issues the Hague certificate usually within 1 to 4 weeks.

One of the most costly apostille mistakes is submitting documents to the incorrect government authority. For example, if you mail a Criminal Background Check issued in California to Washington D.C., the federal office will refuse to process it. In reverse, mailing a federal document to the California Secretary of State in Sacramento results in the same rejection. Either way, the round-trip postal time sets your application back by weeks.

If you have a deadline, expedited apostille service may be available. Some state offices have expedited tracks for urgent requests. Our team takes advantage of in-person processing by submitting in person rather than by mail, getting you the fastest possible turnaround from California.

Why Local Offices Cannot Help

People across California mistakenly believe they can obtain Hague legalization at a local notary office in California. This assumption is wrong. A notary public can only witness signatures and verify identity. They are not permitted to attach an apostille certificate — only designated government offices hold this power.

Another reason local options fail is that foreign authorities check whether the apostille was issued by the proper office. If the apostille comes from an unauthorized office, the receiving country will refuse the document. This could trigger a visa denial even if you have all other documents in order.

Beyond notaries, local government offices in California are equally unable to apostille documents. Even a trip to any local California government office would not produce a Hague certificate. The only office in CA authorized to issue apostilles for state documents is the California Secretary of State.

The California Apostille Authority

Before your document can be submitted to the California Secretary of State: some documents require prior notarization. Diplomas, powers of attorney, and affidavits often must be notarized before the California Secretary of State will apostille them. We identifies whether any notarization is needed before starting the submission so your submission is accepted on the first attempt.

When apostilling a Criminal Background Check from California, the correct office is the California Secretary of State in Sacramento. This is the only office in California authorized to grant Hague Apostille certificates on records from California government agencies. The California Secretary of State holds the official seals of California government officials and is consequently the only authorized source for apostilles on California-issued records.

Once your document arrives at the California Secretary of State, a state official reviews the document and checks that signatures are from known, authorized officials. If everything checks out, the apostille is issued as a separate certificate appended to your document. The completed document is then returned by mail. Our runner collects it same-day or next-day.

How to Get Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled in California

Some document types require notarization before they can be apostilled. When your document is not a government-issued record, it will typically need to be notarized by a licensed notary before the California Secretary of State will accept it. Our service handles this coordination so you never have to navigate this alone.

Once we have your documents, we inspect each document for compliance with the California Secretary of State's submission requirements. This intake review identifies issues like improper certification, wrong document versions, or missing state fees. Finding problems upfront prevents the most common cause of apostille delays — a first-attempt rejection.

Getting a Criminal Background Check apostilled requires a clear sequence of steps. First: confirm that your document is the original or a certified copy. Second: check that it has an official seal and signature from the issuing authority. Third: submit it to the California Secretary of State in Sacramento with the required state fee of $20. Fourth: receive your apostilled document — ready for international submission.

How Long Does a Criminal Background Check Apostille Take in California?

If you need your Criminal Background Check apostilled urgently, the most time-efficient route is a runner that hand-delivers to the California Secretary of State in Sacramento. Many California Secretary of State offices offer same-day service for walk-in submissions. Our runner uses this option wherever available to get California clients their apostilles within a business week.

The US Department of State operates on a separate schedule for FBI Background Checks and other federal records. Standard mail-in processing to DC for federal apostilles often takes 8 to 12 weeks due to the national volume of federal authentication requests. A physical courier in Washington D.C. gets the federal authentication done in 2 to 5 business days by physically submitting at the federal office.

Knowing where your Criminal Background Check is is a key advantage of using our courier service. Our service includes real-time tracking at every milestone: pickup from your California address, receipt by our team, submission to the California Secretary of State in Sacramento, completion confirmation, and dispatch of the return shipment to California. This level of visibility is not possible with direct mail.

What to Include With Your Submission

Before sending your document to the California Secretary of State, confirm you are sending: the original document or a certified copy, notarization if required for your document type, a completed submission form if required, payment for the state fee of $20, and a prepaid return envelope or shipping label. Leaving out any item will cause rejection.

Some California residents ask whether a cover letter is needed with their apostille submission. For mail-in submissions, including a short cover page is advisable with your contact information and document details. The California Secretary of State processes high volumes of requests and a clear cover letter reduces processing errors.

The California Secretary of State's fee of $20 must be included. Accepted payment methods vary by state but typically include personal check, money order, or credit card for online portals. We handles the fee payment so the submission is never rejected for payment reasons.

Common Apostille Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting to include return shipping is an easily preventable error that delays apostille returns. The California Secretary of State in Sacramento will not return your document without a prepaid return method. Without a prepaid return envelope, your completed apostille could wait weeks to reach you. Our service includes return shipping — you never have to worry about return logistics.

The number one mistake is sending your document to the wrong government authority. People in California sometimes mail state documents like Criminal Background Checks to the US Department of State in DC. Either way, the office will reject the submission and return the document unprocessed. This mistake costs weeks — the round-trip postal time to the wrong office — before you can resubmit correctly.

Mailing irreplaceable originals through the US Postal Service without a tracking number is something we strongly advise against. Uninsured postal shipments can be lost, delayed, or damaged. Original government-issued documents are difficult or expensive to replace. We ship all documents via FedEx for maximum protection from the moment we receive your document to its return to California.

Get Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled in California

Our courier network covers the California Secretary of State in Sacramento, typically returning your apostilled document in 2 to 5 business days. No need to visit any government office.

Frequently Asked Questions — Criminal Background Check Apostille in California