Criminal Background Check Apostille in Wedgewood, SC

How to Legalize Your Criminal Background Check from Wedgewood

If you are in South Carolina and need a Criminal Background Check apostilled for overseas use, the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia is the only authorized office: the South Carolina Secretary of State. No local office in Wedgewood can issue an apostille.

Stop wasting your time looking for a local shortcut. These documents must be handled by the official state authority in Columbia. Only the state capital has this authority.

The South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia handles all Hague certifications for South Carolina. Without a courier service, standard mail submissions can take 3 to 6 weeks. Our courier cuts that to 3 to 7 business days.

What is an Apostille?

Only certain documents are eligible for Hague legalization. Only public documents — those issued or certified by a government authority — are eligible. A Criminal Background Check is considered a public document because it originates from a state or federal authority. Business agreements and private records typically do not qualify unless a government official has first certified them.

What the apostille issuing office actually verifies is verify that the official who signed and sealed your document had the authority to do so. This certification does not confirm whether the information in your document is correct. Understanding this distinction matters because you are still responsible for ensuring your document is accurate.

An apostille is a standardized international document authentication formalized by the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. Unlike a local notary stamp, an apostille is accepted by all 124 Hague member countries — meaning your Criminal Background Check is recognized by overseas institutions without further legalization. If you are in Wedgewood, South Carolina, obtaining this certification requires working with the South Carolina Secretary of State.

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

Why this two-track system exists comes down to how US government agencies are structured. The South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia only has jurisdiction over records originating from within its state. It has no jurisdiction over records issued by federal agencies. The certification of federal documents falls under the US Department of State.

Your Criminal Background Check is a state-issued document. Therefore, the apostille is handled by the South Carolina Secretary of State. Submitting it to any other office — including local notaries, county clerks, or the US Department of State in DC will result in rejection and significantly delay your application.

Our courier service manages both state and federal apostille submissions: state-level apostilles through the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia. When you place an order, we identify whether your Criminal Background Check is state or federal and route it to the right office. Residents of Wedgewood do not need to navigate the state vs federal distinction themselves.

Why a Local Notary in Wedgewood Cannot Apostille Your Document

To understand why a Wedgewood notary cannot apostille your Criminal Background Check relates to what a notary public can and cannot do. A notary is a licensed state officer authorized solely to witness signatures, administer oaths, and certify copies. A notary is not empowered to issue Hague certificates. Apostilles require the signing power of the South Carolina Secretary of State — a power not delegated to notaries.

The consequences of submitting documents to an unauthorized office are clear: the office will reject the submission. This wastes significant time because you still have to submit to the correct office anyway. During this delay, a visa appointment, consulate deadline, or employment start date may pass. A correctly routed first submission is critical.

Some people encounter businesses advertising apostille services in Wedgewood. These businesses are intermediaries — they cannot issue apostilles directly. Their role is act as couriers to the South Carolina Secretary of State. The Global Apostille Network operates the same way but with runners physically at the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia and in DC.

The Correct Authority: South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia

One detail many Wedgewood residents overlook is that the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia does not edit the underlying document. If there are mistakes in your document, those errors must be fixed at the source before submitting for an apostille. Submitting a document with errors will cause it to be refused by the receiving foreign authority even if the apostille itself is technically correct.

The South Carolina Secretary of State charges a fee for processing the apostille. State fees differ but typically range from $5 to $25 per document. For SC, South Carolina charges $2 per document. The state fee is paid directly to the South Carolina Secretary of State. Our courier fee is charged separately and covers all aspects of the submission and return process from Wedgewood.

The South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia handles all Hague legalization for documents originating from South Carolina courts, vital records offices, and state agencies. Documents covered include vital records, judicial documents, and corporate and educational records. FBI Background Checks and other federal records go to a different office the US Department of State in DC.

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

Getting an apostille on your Criminal Background Check involves a defined process. First: ensure your Criminal Background Check is in its original, certified form. 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. Fourth: collect the completed apostille — ready for international submission.

One of the most overlooked steps 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 consulate or visa submission. If your Criminal Background Check is past its useful window, a new document must be requested before submission to the South Carolina Secretary of State. Our team verifies document currency as a standard step to flag any potential rejections early.

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, it will typically need to be notarized by a licensed notary prior to 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.

How Long Does a Criminal Background Check Apostille Take from Wedgewood?

The US Department of State operates on a separate schedule for federal documents. Regular postal submissions to the Office of Authentications often takes 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 5 business days by physically submitting at the federal office.

Tracking your apostille is one of the most valued aspects of using our courier service. We provide status updates at every milestone: initial pickup, receipt by our team, submission to the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia, apostille issuance notification, and outbound FedEx tracking back to Wedgewood. This level of visibility is unavailable with standard postal submission.

If you have a specific deadline — such as a visa appointment, consulate date, or employment start — beginning the process as soon as you know you need it is strongly recommended. We recommend allowing at least 2 to 3 weeks for mail-in service and 5 to 7 business days for our expedited track. Expedited processing is sometimes possible on shorter notice depending on availability at the time of order.

What to Include with Your Criminal Background Check Apostille Submission

When submitting your Criminal Background Check for apostille, make sure you include: 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 $2, and a prepaid return envelope or shipping label. Leaving out any item will result in your documents being returned unprocessed.

An easy-to-miss detail: if your Criminal Background Check was issued in a language other than English, additional steps may be required depending on the South Carolina Secretary of State. In other cases, the South Carolina Secretary of State apostilles the foreign-language document as-is and the destination country receives a translated copy alongside the apostille. Our team clarifies document-specific requirements when you submit your request.

Payment for the state fee is required. Accepted payment methods vary by state but generally include personal check, money order, or credit card for online portals. We includes fee payment in our all-in-one courier package so the submission is never rejected for payment reasons.

Common Apostille Mistakes Wedgewood Residents Make

Not including the correct state fee is a surprisingly common cause of delays. The South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia charges a specific state fee per apostille document. Sending an incorrect amount will cause rejection. We submit the correct fee for each document so this error never happens.

An often-missed issue is submitting a document that has been altered. If there are any corrections on your document, it will likely be turned away. If changes are needed, 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 most common and costly apostille mistake is sending your document to the wrong government authority. Wedgewood residents sometimes send federal records to their state Secretary of State. Either way, the documents come back with a rejection notice. This adds 2 to 4 weeks — the time lost in transit to and from the wrong authority — before you are even back to square one.

Shipping Your Criminal Background Check from Wedgewood — What to Know

The most important rule when mailing irreplaceable records like your Criminal Background Check is always use a tracked, insured service. Standard postal mail without tracking creates unnecessary risk: documents can be lost or delayed with no recourse. FedEx Priority and UPS provide 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, we inspect 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 any pre-apostille notarization is required, and whether the document version is current enough for the destination country. If a problem is identified, we contact you immediately before proceeding.

Return shipping is included in our flat-rate service fee. After the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia attaches the apostille, we ships your Criminal Background Check back to Wedgewood via FedEx Priority with full insurance and end-to-end tracking. Most return shipments arrive within 1 to 2 business days. Overnight return shipping is available on request.

After the Apostille: Using Your Criminal Background Check Abroad

When you receive your returned apostilled Criminal Background Check, review the apostille certificate before submitting it abroad. Verify that: the apostille is physically attached to the original document, the information on the certificate matches your document, and the South Carolina Secretary of State's seal and signature are on the certificate. Errors in apostille certificates are rare but should be caught before you submit to the foreign authority.

One detail worth understanding is that the apostille authenticates the document's official origin. If the underlying document contains incorrect information — errors in the dates, names, or other details — the apostille does not fix it. Foreign authorities may still reject an apostilled Criminal Background Check if there are errors in the document itself. Fixing errors must go back to the issuing authority — not at the apostille stage.

Once you have the apostille back from Wedgewood, you can submit it to the foreign consulate, embassy, immigration authority, or employer. Submission requirements vary by country and institution: some require in-person delivery, others accept mailed or digital submissions. Check the exact requirements with the foreign consulate or employer in advance to ensure your submission is accepted.

Why Wedgewood Residents Use Our Apostille Courier Service

All documents handled by our service travel via FedEx with full insurance and tracking in both directions: from Wedgewood to our hub, from our hub to the South Carolina Secretary of State in Columbia, and from the South Carolina Secretary of State back to you. Every shipment carries insurance for the full document replacement value. In the unlikely event of any problem, we handle it end to end. Original documents that cannot easily be replaced should never be sent without full insurance and tracking.

Our straightforward flat-rate fee for Wedgewood apostille orders is all-inclusive: pre-submission document inspection, state fee payment to the South Carolina Secretary of State, courier delivery to Columbia, retrieval of the completed certificate, and insured FedEx return shipment to your Wedgewood address. There are no hidden charges — what you pay upfront covers the complete process. For Wedgewood clients on a fixed budget, this pricing model provides full upfront clarity.

{Our service is US-based|Our team is entirely US-based}. We work directly with state Secretary of State offices across South Carolina and the US Department of State in Washington D.C. — not through intermediaries. All certifications we secure comes directly from the correct government authority with no additional intermediary certifications. This means your document carries only the official Hague certificate from the correct authority — which is all any foreign government will need.

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