Criminal Background Check Apostille in Colorado

Colorado Apostille Requirements

• Authority: Colorado Secretary of State
• Office Location: Denver
• State Fee: $5
• Important Rule: Documents must be notarized in Colorado.

What Is a Criminal Background Check Apostille?

Criminal Background Checks are one of the most common apostille categories nationally. This is because Criminal Background Checks are routinely required for immigration, employment, international education, and cross-border legal matters. If you are in Colorado, only the Colorado Secretary of State can issue this certification in CO.

An apostille is a standardized government certification established by the Convention of 5 October 1961. Unlike a notarization, an apostille is recognized internationally — meaning your Criminal Background Check will be accepted by overseas institutions without further legalization. If you are in Colorado, Colorado, obtaining this certification requires working with the Colorado Secretary of State.

One critical distinction is that an apostille is not a translation. The majority of Hague member countries additionally ask for a sworn or certified translation in addition to the apostille. Spain, Italy, Portugal, Germany, and the UAE typically require both the apostille and a certified translation. Our service includes comprehensive apostille-plus-translation packages.

Colorado: State vs Federal Authority

A frequent and expensive error is sending your Criminal Background Check to the wrong office. For example, if you mail a Criminal Background Check issued in Colorado to Washington D.C., the federal office will refuse to process it. Similarly, mailing a federal document to a state Secretary of State office results in the same rejection. In both cases, the round-trip postal time adds 2 to 4 weeks to your timeline.

If you have a deadline, rush processing may be available. Some state offices offer walk-in or expedited processing. Our team exploits walk-in submission options by walking documents in, which is typically the only way to access same-day or next-day processing.

The most critical thing to know about the apostille process for your document is knowing which office processes your specific document type. In the United States, there are two parallel systems: state-level and federal-level. State-issued documents — like birth certificates, marriage certificates, and Criminal Background Checks go to the state apostille office. Federally issued records, such as FBI Background Checks, must go to the US Department of State in Washington D.C..

Why Local Offices Cannot Help

Another reason local options fail is that foreign authorities will verify that the apostille came from the correct authority. If your Criminal Background Check is apostilled by the wrong authority, your documents will be rejected at the destination. This could result in an outright rejection from the foreign authority even if you have all other documents in order.

Beyond notaries, county clerks, municipal offices, and city government offices in CO also cannot issue apostilles. Even a trip to any local Colorado government office will not produce an apostille. The sole authority in Colorado authorized to issue apostilles for state documents is the Colorado Secretary of State.

If you are working under a tight deadline, mail-in self-processing is rarely the right option. A courier-assisted submission is the only way to access same-day processing at the Colorado Secretary of State. Our team serves all cities in Colorado with full FedEx tracking and insurance on every submission.

The Colorado Apostille Authority

In CO, the designated apostille authority is the Colorado Secretary of State in Denver. Only the Colorado Secretary of State is authorized to issue Hague Apostille certificates on records from Colorado government agencies. The Colorado Secretary of State is authorized to verify the seals and signatures of all Colorado public officials and is therefore the only authorized source for apostilles on Colorado-issued records.

Once your document arrives at the Colorado Secretary of State, an authorized state officer verifies the seals and signatures and checks that signatures are from known, authorized officials. If everything checks out, the apostille is issued as a cover page or attachment. The completed document is then mailed back to you. Our courier retrieves it and ships it back to Colorado.

The Colorado Secretary of State in Denver is accessible for walk-in and mail-in submissions during standard business hours. Turnaround times for mail-in submissions generally range from 5 business days to 4 weeks depending on submission backlog. If you are in Colorado and need it faster, an in-person submission via a runner service gets the apostille in 2 to 5 business days.

How to Get Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled in Colorado

Once we have your documents, our team reviews it for any issues that could cause rejection. This intake review catches common problems like missing seals, uncertified copies, outdated notarizations, or incorrect fees. Finding problems upfront saves days or weeks — rejection from the Colorado Secretary of State that restarts the whole process.

Getting an apostille on your Criminal Background Check follows a clear sequence of steps. Step one: ensure your Criminal Background Check is in its original, certified form. Second: verify the document carries an authentic official seal. Third: send it to the correct authority along with the applicable state fee. Fourth: receive your apostilled document — ready for international submission.

Something many applicants miss is verifying that your document is current enough for the destination country. Federal background checks, for example, have a shelf life of six months or less at the time of submission to the foreign authority. If your document is past its useful window, you will need to obtain a fresh copy before apostilling. We check document dates as part of our intake process to avoid submitting documents that will be refused.

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

The US Department of State has its own processing timeline for FBI Background Checks and other federal records. Standard mail-in processing to DC for federal apostilles often takes 8 to 12 weeks because of the volume of requests from all 50 states. A physical courier in Washington D.C. gets the federal authentication done in 2 to 4 business days by walking documents in directly.

Knowing where your Criminal Background Check is is a key advantage of using our courier service. We provide status updates at each step: initial pickup, receipt by our team, delivery to the government office, completion confirmation, and dispatch of the return shipment to Colorado. This end-to-end tracking is unavailable with standard postal submission.

Processing times for a Criminal Background Check apostille vary depending on how the document is submitted and the Colorado Secretary of State's current workload. Documents sent by postal mail from Colorado to the Colorado Secretary of State in Denver typically take 4 to 8 weeks in total — accounting for shipping each way plus processing. At busy times, particularly during visa application seasons, backlogs can push timelines to 8 to 12 weeks.

What to Include With Your Submission

Some Colorado residents ask whether a cover letter is needed with their apostille submission. For direct submissions to the Colorado Secretary of State, including a short cover page is advisable stating your name, document type, document count, and return address. The Colorado Secretary of State processes high volumes of requests and a simple cover sheet helps the office handle your request correctly and quickly.

Payment for the state fee must accompany your submission. Accepted payment methods vary by state but generally 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.

An easy-to-miss detail: for non-English documents, some Colorado Secretary of State offices may require a certified English translation before apostilling. Alternatively, the Colorado Secretary of State apostilles the foreign-language document as-is and translation is handled separately after the apostille. We advise you on this when you submit your request.

Common Apostille Mistakes to Avoid

The number one mistake is sending your document to the wrong government authority. People in Colorado sometimes mail state documents like Criminal Background Checks to the US Department of State in DC. In both cases, the documents come back with a rejection notice. This mistake costs weeks — the round-trip postal time to the wrong office — before you can resubmit correctly.

Sending original documents through standard postal mail without insurance 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 Colorado.

Submitting a photocopy instead of an original or certified copy is a frequent cause of delays at the Colorado Secretary of State. The Colorado Secretary of State in Denver will only apostille documents with an authentic original seal and signature. Sending a photocopy will be returned immediately. Obtain an original certified copy from the issuing agency before starting the apostille process.

Get Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled in Colorado

Our courier network covers the Colorado Secretary of State in Denver, 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 Colorado