Criminal Background Check Apostille in South Carolina

South Carolina Apostille Requirements

• Authority: South Carolina Secretary of State
• Office Location: Columbia
• State Fee: $2
• Important Rule: Very low fee.

What Is a Criminal Background Check Apostille?

The Hague Apostille Convention streamlined a previously complex chain of certifications that was required before the Convention. Under the old system, getting a US document recognized abroad required notarization, state-level certification, federal certification, and then embassy legalization. The apostille replaced this with a single certificate from the appropriate government office. In South Carolina, the designated office is the South Carolina Secretary of State.

Criminal Background Checks are regularly among the highest-volume apostille requests. 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 South Carolina, only the South Carolina Secretary of State can issue this certification in SC.

An apostille is a type of international document authentication created under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Unlike standard document certification, an apostille is recognized internationally — meaning your Criminal Background Check is recognized by international authorities without additional authentication. For residents of South Carolina, obtaining this certification means submitting your document to the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia.

South Carolina: State vs Federal Authority

For documents issued by South Carolina government agencies, the apostille is only available from the South Carolina Secretary of State's office. Before submission, the document must carry an original official seal or notarization. The South Carolina Secretary of State verifies the document's origin and seal and issues the Hague certificate typically in 1 to 3 weeks.

The most common apostille mistake is submitting documents to the incorrect government authority. If you send a state Criminal Background Check to Washington D.C., it will be rejected and returned. In reverse, sending an FBI Background Check to the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia results in the same rejection. Either way, the round-trip postal time adds 2 to 4 weeks to your timeline.

For urgent submissions, expedited apostille service is available in many cases. The South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia provide same-day service for in-person deliveries. Our courier uses these expedited tracks by walking documents in, getting you the fastest possible turnaround from South Carolina.

Why Local Offices Cannot Help

First-time applicants in South Carolina mistakenly believe they can obtain Hague legalization at a local UPS Store or notary. Unfortunately, this is not how it works. A local notary is authorized only to witness signatures and administer oaths. They cannot issue an apostille certificate — only designated government offices hold this power.

Something else to consider is that the receiving country check whether the apostille was issued by the proper office. If your Criminal Background Check is apostilled by the wrong authority, the foreign embassy or government office will reject it. This could trigger a visa denial even if everything else in your application is correct.

Beyond notaries, local government offices in South Carolina in SC also cannot issue apostilles. Even visiting any local South Carolina government office would not produce an apostille. The only office in SC that can attach the Hague certificate for state documents is the South Carolina Secretary of State.

The South Carolina Apostille Authority

Before your document can be submitted to the South Carolina Secretary of State: it may need to be notarized or certified first. Educational records and private documents often must be notarized before the South Carolina Secretary of State will apostille them. We identifies whether any notarization is needed before starting the submission so you are not surprised by a rejection.

For Criminal Background Checks issued in South Carolina, the designated apostille authority is the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia. Only the South Carolina Secretary of State is authorized to grant Hague Apostille certificates on records from South Carolina government agencies. The South Carolina Secretary of State holds the official seals of South Carolina government officials and is consequently the only entity capable of certifying their authenticity.

Once your document arrives at the South Carolina Secretary of State, an authorized state officer reviews the document and checks that signatures are from known, authorized officials. Once verified, the apostille is issued as a cover page or attachment. The apostilled document is then mailed back to you. Our runner collects it same-day or next-day.

How to Get Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled in South Carolina

Certain Criminal Background Checks must be notarized before they can be apostilled. If your Criminal Background Check is a private document — such as an affidavit, power of attorney, or diploma, a notarization is usually required by a licensed notary before submission to the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia. Our service coordinates any required pre-notarization so there are no surprises at the South Carolina Secretary of State.

Once we have your documents, we inspect each document for any issues that could cause rejection. 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 — rejection from the South Carolina Secretary of State that restarts the whole process.

Getting a Criminal Background Check apostilled follows a clear sequence of steps. Step one: 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 South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia along with the applicable state fee. Step four: collect the completed apostille — ready for any Hague member country.

How Long Does a Criminal Background Check Apostille Take in South Carolina?

For South Carolina residents in a rush, the fastest path is a runner that hand-delivers to the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia. Many South Carolina Secretary of State offices offer same-day service for walk-in submissions. Our courier uses this option wherever available to return apostilled documents to South Carolina within a business week.

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

Knowing where your Criminal Background Check is is one of the most valued aspects of a physical courier over postal mail. Our service includes status updates at every milestone: pickup from your South Carolina address, arrival at our processing hub, delivery to the government office, completion confirmation, and dispatch of the return shipment to South Carolina. This end-to-end tracking is unavailable with standard postal submission.

What to Include With Your Submission

Before sending your document to the South Carolina Secretary of State, make sure you include: the original document or a certified copy, any required notarization, a completed submission form if required, correct fee payment for the state apostille, and a prepaid return envelope or shipping label. Missing any of these will delay your apostille.

Some South Carolina residents ask whether a cover letter is needed with their apostille submission. For direct submissions to the South Carolina Secretary of State, a brief cover letter is recommended with your contact information and document details. The South Carolina Secretary of State handles many submissions daily and a clear cover letter reduces processing errors.

The South Carolina Secretary of State's fee of $2 is required. Forms of payment differ at each South Carolina Secretary of State but typically include money order, certified check, or online payment. Our courier service pays the South Carolina Secretary of State fee as part of the service so you never worry about wrong payment forms.

Common Apostille Mistakes to Avoid

Forgetting to include return shipping is an easily preventable error that delays apostille returns. The South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia does not automatically return documents. Without a prepaid return envelope, your apostilled document may sit uncollected for days. Our service includes return shipping — you never have to worry about return logistics.

The single most expensive apostille error is sending your document to the wrong government authority. People in South Carolina sometimes mail federal records to their state Secretary of State. 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 are even back to square one.

Mailing irreplaceable originals through the US Postal Service without a tracking number is a significant risk. Uninsured postal shipments are vulnerable to loss with no recourse. Original government-issued documents are difficult or expensive to replace. We use FedEx with full insurance and tracking for maximum protection from the moment we receive your document to its return to South Carolina.

Get Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled in South Carolina

Our courier network covers the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia, 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 South Carolina