Moving to Colombia or applying for a visa? Your FBI background check needs an apostille for many visa and residency applications. We personally walk your documents into the U.S. Department of State for the fastest turnaround in the country: 7 to 10 business days.
Colombia requires an apostilled FBI background check for most long-term visa and residency pathways. Here are the most common reasons people need this service.
Colombia's digital nomad visa for remote workers. An apostilled FBI background check is required as part of the application.
Colombia's retirement visa for those receiving foreign pension or retirement income. An apostilled FBI background check is a core requirement.
Foreign investors establishing businesses or making qualifying investments in Colombia need an apostilled FBI background check for the visa process.
Foreign nationals employed by Colombian companies must submit an apostilled FBI background check as part of their work authorization.
Colombia's foreign ID card, required for everything from banking to SIM cards. The application process for long-term residents requires an apostilled FBI background check.
After qualifying years on an M visa, applicants for Colombia's permanent residency visa need an apostilled FBI background check.
Colombian authorities require the FBI background check to be issued within 3 months of submission. That is a tight window.
If you mail your document to the Department of State, the standard timeline is 5 to 12 weeks. That could burn your entire validity window before the apostille comes back. And Colombian immigration also requires a Spanish translation after apostille.
Our 7 to 10 business day turnaround preserves your validity window. You get your apostilled document back with enough time to complete the translation and submit your visa application before the 3-month deadline.
FBI background checks are federal documents. Only the U.S. Department of State can apostille them. Your state's Secretary of State cannot do this. If someone tells you to go to your state, they are wrong.
After your FBI background check is apostilled, Colombia requires a certified Spanish translation. The translation must be done after the apostille, not before. Some Colombian immigration offices require the translation to be done by an official translator registered in Colombia.
The Department of State attaches the apostille to your document with a staple and grommet. Colombian authorities will reject your documents if the staple shows signs of tampering. Do not remove, rebind, or laminate it.
In Virginia? Get fingerprinted at one of our three locations (results in as low as 30 minutes). Anywhere else in the U.S.? Get ink fingerprints on an FD-258 card locally and mail the card to us. Already have your FBI background check? Skip straight to step 2.
Upload your completed FBI background check through our website, email the PDF to us, or drop it off in person at our Alexandria office. Americans living abroad can email it from anywhere in the world.
We personally walk your documents into the U.S. Department of State. Your apostilled FBI background check is returned with 2-day shipping included. International return shipping is available when you provide your own label.
After you order, you receive tracking texts, emails, and a personal tracking page so you always know exactly where your documents are. You know the ready date as soon as we drop your documents off at the Department of State. No waiting in the dark, no chasing updates. And if anything comes up, you have a dedicated point of contact who can help.
Need an apostille for a different country? We handle FBI background check apostilles for all Hague Convention member countries.
Yes. Colombia is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. An apostille from the U.S. Department of State authenticates your FBI background check for use with Colombian immigration authorities.
7 to 10 business days. We personally walk documents into the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. instead of mailing them. The standard timeline by mail is 5 to 12 weeks.
Yes. Colombian authorities require the FBI background check to be issued within 3 months of submission. Our 7 to 10 business day turnaround gives you the maximum usable window.
Yes. Colombia requires a certified Spanish translation of your apostilled FBI background check. The translation should be completed after the apostille. Some Colombian immigration offices require the translation to be done by an official translator registered in Colombia.
If you are in the Washington, D.C. metro area, yes. Get fingerprinted at one of our three Virginia locations, receive your FBI background check (results in as low as 30 minutes), and we begin the apostille process immediately.
Yes. If you already have your FBI background check, you can send it to us from anywhere in the world. We handle the apostille and ship it back to you. International shipping is available when the customer provides their own shipping label.
Yes. If you already have your FBI background check, email the PDF to us and we handle the apostille. For return shipping outside the United States, you provide your own shipping label.
You do not need to be in Virginia. If you already have your FBI background check, email it to us from anywhere. If you need fingerprints, you can get ink fingerprints done on an FD-258 card at any fingerprinting location near you and mail the card to us. We will process your FBI background check and start the apostille. Visit our mail-in fingerprinting page for details.
No. Some visa categories, such as marriage visas, do not require a criminal background check. However, most long-term visa types including digital nomad, retirement, investor, and work visas do require one. Confirm with your immigration attorney or the Colombian consulate handling your application.
No. The Department of State attaches the apostille to your document with a staple and grommet. If the staple shows signs of tampering, Colombian authorities will reject your documents. Do not remove, rebind, or laminate it.
Don't Have Your FBI Background Check Yet?
You do not need to arrive with your FBI background check in hand. We handle the entire process from fingerprints to apostille under one roof. Get fingerprinted at one of our three Virginia locations, receive your results in as low as 30 minutes, and we take it straight to the Department of State.
Book an appointment, get fingerprinted, and walk out. We handle everything from there. Your apostilled FBI background check arrives at your door.
Visa consultants, relocation companies, immigration attorneys, and fingerprinting businesses: add FBI background check apostilles to your services without building the process yourself.
Colombia requires a certified Spanish translation of your apostilled FBI background check. Get the apostille first, then translate the entire packet. We recommend Rush Translate for fast, affordable certified translations in 65+ languages.
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7 to 10 business days. 2-day return shipping included. We walk your documents into the Department of State personally so you do not have to wait months.