Criminal Background Check Apostille in Virginia

Virginia Apostille Requirements

• Authority: Secretary of the Commonwealth
• Office Location: Richmond
• State Fee: $10
• Important Rule: Requires county clerk certification for some documents.

What Is a Criminal Background Check Apostille?

Criminal Background Checks are among the most frequently apostilled documents in the United States. This is because Criminal Background Checks come up in many international processes including immigration, employment, international education, and cross-border legal matters. For residents of Virginia, only the Secretary of the Commonwealth can issue this certification in VA.

An apostille is a type of international document authentication formalized by the Hague Convention of 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 Virginia, Virginia, obtaining this certification means submitting your document to the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Richmond.

An important point is that the apostille does not translate your document. The majority of Hague member countries additionally ask for a notarized translation in addition to the apostille. Most EU countries and many Middle Eastern authorities typically require both the apostille and a certified translation. Our service includes complete packages that cover both apostille and certified translation.

Virginia: State vs Federal Authority

One of the most costly apostille mistakes is submitting your Criminal Background Check to the incorrect government authority. For example, if you mail a Criminal Background Check issued in Virginia to the US Department of State in DC, it will be rejected and returned. In reverse, sending an FBI Background Check to a state Secretary of State office results in the same rejection. In both cases, the wasted transit time adds 2 to 4 weeks to your timeline.

For urgent submissions, same-day processing is offered by our courier service. Some state offices offer walk-in or expedited processing. Our courier takes advantage of in-person processing by submitting in person rather than by mail, which is typically the only way to access same-day or next-day processing.

The most commonly misunderstood thing to know about getting a Criminal Background Check apostilled is knowing which government authority handles your specific document type. In the United States, there are two parallel systems: state and federal. Documents issued by Virginia, including Criminal Background Checks go to the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Richmond. Federally issued records, like FBI Identity History Summaries and federal agency documents, must go to the US Department of State in Washington D.C..

Why Local Offices Cannot Help

Something else to consider is that the receiving country 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 may trigger a visa denial even if you have all other documents in order.

Beyond notaries, local government offices in Virginia are equally unable to apostille documents. Even visiting the Virginia city hall, county courthouse, or register of deeds would not produce a Hague certificate. The sole authority in Virginia authorized to issue apostilles for state documents is the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

If you are working under a tight deadline, relying on postal mail to the Secretary of the Commonwealth is risky. A courier-assisted submission cuts the timeline from 3 to 6 weeks down to 2 to 5 business days. Our courier service serves all cities in Virginia with complete end-to-end shipment tracking on every submission.

The Virginia Apostille Authority

For Criminal Background Checks issued in Virginia, the designated apostille authority is the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Richmond. This is the only office in Virginia authorized to attach Hague Apostille certificates on records from Virginia government agencies. The Secretary of the Commonwealth maintains the official registry of state seals and is consequently the only entity capable of certifying their authenticity.

Once your document arrives at the Secretary of the Commonwealth, an authorized state officer verifies the seals and signatures and confirms that the issuing official's seals match the registry. Once verified, the apostille is issued as a cover page or attachment. The completed document is then mailed back to you. Our runner collects it same-day or next-day.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth in Richmond is accessible for walk-in and mail-in submissions during standard business hours. Turnaround times for mail-in submissions typically run 1 to 3 weeks depending on current volume. If you are in Virginia and need it faster, a physical courier gets the apostille in 2 to 5 business days.

How to Get Your Criminal Background Check Apostilled in Virginia

After we receive your Criminal Background Check, we inspect each document for any issues that could cause rejection. This intake review identifies issues like missing seals, uncertified copies, outdated notarizations, or incorrect fees. Finding problems upfront saves days or weeks — rejection from the Secretary of the Commonwealth that restarts the whole process.

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. Second: check that it has an official seal and signature from the issuing authority. Third: submit it to the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Richmond with the required state fee of $10. Fourth: collect the completed apostille — ready for international submission.

One of the most overlooked steps is ensuring the document is not expired. FBI 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, a new document must be requested before apostilling. Our team verifies document currency as a standard step to flag any potential rejections early.

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

The US Department of State operates on a separate schedule for federal documents. Regular postal submissions to the Office of Authentications often takes 8 to 12 weeks because of the national volume of federal authentication requests. A DC-based courier 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 a physical courier over postal mail. We provide real-time tracking at every milestone: initial pickup, arrival at our processing hub, submission to the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Richmond, completion confirmation, and outbound FedEx tracking back to Virginia. This end-to-end tracking is unavailable with standard postal submission.

Turnaround for a Criminal Background Check apostille depend on the submission method and current government backlog. Documents sent by postal mail from Virginia to the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Richmond typically take 4 to 8 weeks in total — accounting for shipping each way plus processing. At busy times, such as spring and summer immigration seasons, government processing alone can take 4 to 6 weeks.

What to Include With Your Submission

Some Virginia residents ask whether a cover letter is needed with their apostille submission. For direct submissions to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, a brief cover letter is recommended with your contact information and document details. The Secretary of the Commonwealth handles many submissions daily and a simple cover sheet helps the office handle your request correctly and quickly.

The Secretary of the Commonwealth's fee of $10 is required. Forms of payment differ at each Secretary of the Commonwealth 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 you never worry about wrong payment forms.

One detail that matters: if your Criminal Background Check was issued in a language other than English, some Secretary of the Commonwealth offices may require a certified English translation before apostilling. Alternatively, the apostille is issued without requiring a translation and translation is handled separately after the apostille. Our team clarifies document-specific requirements when you submit your request.

Common Apostille Mistakes to Avoid

The most common and costly apostille mistake is sending your document to the wrong government authority. Virginia residents sometimes send federal records to their state Secretary of State. 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 standard postal mail without insurance is a significant risk. Uninsured postal shipments can be lost, delayed, or damaged. Original government-issued documents are sometimes time-consuming and costly to replace. We use FedEx with full insurance and tracking for maximum protection from the moment we receive your document to its return to Virginia.

Submitting a photocopy instead of an original or certified copy is a common rejection reason. The Secretary of the Commonwealth in Richmond requires the original document or a properly certified copy. 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 Virginia

Our courier network covers the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Richmond, 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 Virginia