Criminal Background Check Apostille in North Star, DE

How to Legalize Your Criminal Background Check from North Star

If you are applying for a foreign visa, an apostille from the Delaware Secretary of State is required. Residents of North Star use our courier service to get this done quickly and correctly.

Unlike a standard notary stamp, Criminal Background Checks cannot be authenticated at a local notary. They must be processed at the Delaware Secretary of State in Dover.

Our nationwide courier service picks up the entire submission process for residents of North Star. You ship your originals to us via FedEx or UPS. We hand-deliver them to the Delaware Secretary of State, secure the apostille, and ship everything back within 2 to 5 business days. All shipments are fully insured and tracked.

What is an Apostille?

The Hague Apostille Convention currently includes more than 120 countries — spanning all EU member states, most of Latin America, and key expat destinations worldwide. If you are applying for a foreign residency visa, a work permit, or citizenship documentation, Hague certification is almost certainly a requirement. The Global Apostille Network handles Delaware-based orders for all 124 member countries.

Criminal Background Checks are regularly among the highest-volume apostille requests. This is because Criminal Background Checks come up in many international processes including visa applications, residency permits, citizenship documentation, employment verification, and foreign legal proceedings. If you are in Delaware, the apostille for a Criminal Background Check must come from the Delaware Secretary of State.

The Hague Apostille Convention streamlined the old multi-step embassy legalization process that existed before 1961. Previously, getting an American document accepted overseas required multiple rounds of authentication at different government levels followed by embassy stamps. The apostille replaced this with a single certificate issued by one designated authority. For Criminal Background Checks issued in Delaware, the designated office is the Delaware Secretary of State.

State vs. Federal Apostille: Which Applies to Your Criminal Background Check?

Our courier service handles both: and. Once you submit your documents, we identify whether your Criminal Background Check is state or federal and route it to the right office. Residents of North Star never have to figure out which office handles their specific document type.

Your Criminal Background Check is classified as a Delaware-issued public record. Therefore, the apostille must come from the Delaware Secretary of State in Dover. Sending it to any office other than the Delaware Secretary of State will cause it to be refused and add weeks to your timeline.

Why this two-track system exists reflects the federal structure of the United States. A state Secretary of State has authority only over records originating from within its state. It cannot certify over documents from the FBI, DHS, or other federal offices. That authority falls under the US Department of State.

Why a Local Notary in North Star Cannot Apostille Your Document

The reason a North Star notary cannot apostille your Criminal Background Check comes down to what a notary public is legally empowered to do. A notary is a licensed state officer authorized solely to witness signatures, administer oaths, and certify copies. Notaries are not a government authentication authority. Apostilles require the specific authority vested in the Delaware Secretary of State — something no local notary possesses.

The consequences of submitting documents to the wrong office are costly: you receive your documents back with a rejection notice. This wastes significant time because you must then start the submission process over. In the meantime, a visa appointment, consulate deadline, or employment start date may pass. Getting the routing right on the first try is critical.

You may have seen document preparation companies in DE claiming to offer apostilles. These are document preparation services, not government offices. What they do is act as couriers to the Delaware Secretary of State. Our service does exactly this but with runners physically at the Delaware Secretary of State in Dover and in DC.

The Correct Authority: Delaware Secretary of State in Dover

Something important to know is that the Delaware Secretary of State in Dover cannot correct errors on your document. If your Criminal Background Check contains errors, you must correct them at the issuing agency before submitting for an apostille. Submitting a document with errors will result in rejection abroad even if the apostille itself is technically correct.

The Delaware Secretary of State assesses a state fee for processing the apostille. Fees vary by state but are generally between $5 and $25 per apostille. For DE, Delaware charges $30 per document. This fee covers the government's cost of issuing the certificate. Our service fee is charged separately and covers the physical courier work, round-trip logistics, tracking, and insurance.

The Delaware Secretary of State in Dover handles all Hague legalization for documents originating from Delaware courts, vital records offices, and state agencies. This includes birth certificates, death certificates, marriage and divorce records, court documents, corporate filings, and educational records issued by Delaware institutions. FBI Background Checks and other federal records are handled separately the federal authentication office in DC.

Step-by-Step: Getting Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled from North Star

Depending on your document type require notarization before they can be apostilled. When your document is a private document — such as an affidavit, power of attorney, or diploma, a notarization is usually required by a licensed notary before the Delaware Secretary of State will accept it. We manages the full notarization and apostille process so you never have to navigate this alone.

Something many applicants miss is ensuring the document is not expired. Federal background checks, for example, are typically required to be dated within 6 months 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 a standard step to flag any potential rejections early.

Getting a Criminal Background Check apostilled follows a clear sequence of steps. Step one: ensure your Criminal Background Check is in its original, certified form. Step two: check that it has an official seal and signature from the issuing authority. Third: send it to the correct authority with the required state fee of $30. Fourth: receive your apostilled document — ready for international submission.

How Long Does a Criminal Background Check Apostille Take from North Star?

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 can take 6 to 11 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 physically submitting at the federal office.

Knowing where your Criminal Background Check is is one of the most valued aspects of a physical courier over postal mail. We provide real-time tracking at each step: initial pickup, receipt by our team, delivery to the government office, apostille issuance notification, and outbound FedEx tracking back to North Star. This level of visibility is unavailable with standard postal submission.

When timing is critical — such as a visa appointment, consulate date, or employment start — starting early is essential. Budget 2 to 4 weeks lead time for postal submission and at least 5 to 7 business days for courier service. Rush options may be available depending on availability at the time of order.

What to Include with Your Criminal Background Check Apostille Submission

When apostilling more than one document, every document needs a separate apostille and its own state fee of $30. One apostille cannot cover multiple documents. We handle multi-document packages and ensures every document is individually apostilled and returned.

For North Star clients using our courier service, the process is simple: package your original Criminal Background Check securely, add your contact details and any specific instructions, and send it to our processing hub via FedEx or UPS. Our team takes care of the intake review, fee payment to the Delaware Secretary of State, physical delivery, and return shipment.

The Delaware Secretary of State in Dover requires the original document or a certified copy. Uncertified photocopies or digital prints will be rejected. If you do not have the original, you will need to request a new certified copy from the issuing agency before the apostille process can begin. For vital records, the issuing state or county office can provide certified copies.

Common Apostille Mistakes North Star Residents Make

Incorrect payment is a surprisingly common cause of delays. The Delaware Secretary of State in Dover charges $30 per apostille document. Underpaying or overpaying will cause rejection. We submit the correct fee for each document so this error never happens.

A subtle but costly error is sending a document with any handwritten corrections. If your Criminal Background Check shows any signs of modification or handwritten additions, the Delaware Secretary of State may reject it. Any corrections, have to go through the official amendment process at the source. We check each document before submission catches this type of problem before submission happens, saving you time and avoiding first-attempt rejection.

The number one mistake is sending your document to the wrong government authority. North Star residents sometimes send state documents like Criminal Background Checks to the US Department of State in DC. In both cases, the office will reject the submission and return the document unprocessed. This adds 2 to 4 weeks — the round-trip postal time to the wrong office — before you are even back to square one.

Shipping Your Criminal Background Check from North Star — What to Know

The most important rule when sending original documents like your Criminal Background Check is always use a tracked, insured service. Sending documents without tracking or insurance creates unnecessary risk: documents can be lost or delayed with no recourse. FedEx Priority or UPS both offer door-to-door tracking and insurance options. For originals that cannot be easily replaced, the peace of mind is worth the extra cost.

When your document arrives at our processing center, our team reviews it within one business day. This review looks at: document type and certification status, whether the official seals and signatures are present and readable, whether the document needs prior notarization, and whether the document version is current enough for the destination country. If any issues are found, we contact you immediately before submitting to the Delaware Secretary of State.

How we return your apostilled Criminal Background Check is covered by our flat-rate service fee. Once the government office issues the apostille, we returns it to your address via FedEx with priority shipping with full insurance and end-to-end tracking. Most return shipments take 1 to 3 business days depending on destination. Rush return shipping is available on request.

After the Apostille: Using Your Criminal Background Check Abroad

Something many North Star residents overlook after apostilling is how long your apostilled Criminal Background Check remains valid. Apostilles do not have a formal expiration date — but the receiving country may require that the apostilled document was issued recently. Federal criminal documents, for example, must often be dated within 6 months of consulate submission. Plan accordingly by apostilling as close to your consulate appointment as possible.

For business and corporate use, the post-apostille process often differs from individual visa applications. Corporations using an apostilled Criminal Background Check for overseas legal and regulatory purposes often also require country-specific additional certification steps. For non-Hague countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE pre-2024, and China, the apostille does not satisfy authentication requirements — embassy legalization is required instead.

After getting your Criminal Background Check back with the apostille attached, review the apostille certificate before sending it to the foreign authority. Verify that: the certificate is properly affixed, your name and document details appear correctly on the apostille, and the Delaware Secretary of State's seal and signature are on the certificate. Problems with the certificate itself are uncommon but should be caught before you submit to the foreign authority.

Why North Star Residents Use Our Apostille Courier Service

Residents of North Star choose our courier service for a straightforward reason: speed. Mail-in self-processing from North Star takes 4 to 8 weeks on average. Our courier hand-delivers to the Delaware Secretary of State in Dover, skipping the mail backlog entirely, and brings your apostilled document back to you in under a week. When timing is critical, that difference matters enormously.

Thousands of US residents have used our service for visa applications, foreign work permits, citizenship by descent, and international corporate transactions. Our process is as simple as possible: ship your original Criminal Background Check to us, we manage the Delaware Secretary of State submission, and return it to North Star with the certificate attached. No travel required. No bureaucracy for you to navigate. Just your apostilled Criminal Background Check, delivered to North Star.

Handling the Criminal Background Check apostille process without help means determining the correct government authority, ensuring your document is in the correct form, managing the transit to and from Dover, paying the correct state fee of $30, and coordinating return shipment to North Star. We manage all of this for a single flat fee. You send us your Criminal Background Check and get it back ready for international use — without having to navigate any government office directly.

Not sure what an apostille is? Read our complete guide.