Moving to Italy or claiming Italian citizenship? Your FBI background check needs an apostille. We personally walk your documents into the U.S. Department of State for the fastest turnaround in the country: 7 to 10 business days.
"From the beginning to delivering of my documents, Fingerprints & Apostilles took control and kept me informed every step of the way. I will without a doubt be a repeat customer for all my federal apostilles."
Akin O. · Google Review
You can absolutely do that. Here is what the experience looks like compared to using our service.
| Mail It Yourself | Fingerprints & Apostilles | |
|---|---|---|
| Turnaround | 5 to 12+ weeks | 7 to 10 business days |
| Paperwork | You fill out every form | We handle everything |
| Cost | $20 apostille fee + your shipping | $120 all-in (shipping included) |
| Tracking | None | Status updates throughout |
| Risk of Rejection | High (incorrect forms, missing items) | We catch issues before submission |
| Return Shipping | Extra cost, you arrange | 2-day shipping included |
Italy requires an apostilled FBI background check for visa, residency, and citizenship applications. Here are the most common reasons people need this service.
The most common reason Americans need an FBI apostille for Italy. Whether applying through your Italian consulate in the U.S. or directly at a comune in Italy, an apostilled FBI background check is required. Many applicants also need their U.S. naturalization certificate apostilled. We handle both documents at the Department of State.
Italy's visa for retirees and financially independent individuals who want to live in Italy. An apostilled FBI background check is required as part of the application at your Italian consulate.
Italy's visa for remote workers employed by non-Italian companies. An apostilled FBI background check proves a clean criminal record as part of your application.
Required for study abroad programs and university enrollment in Italy when the program exceeds 90 days. Your apostilled FBI background check proves a clean record for the visa application.
Employment in Italy requires an apostilled FBI background check as part of the work visa process. This applies to both employed (lavoro subordinato) and self-employed (lavoro autonomo) categories.
Married to an Italian citizen and applying for citizenship? An apostilled FBI background check is required as part of the naturalization application, whether you apply in Italy or through your consulate.
This is the part most people get wrong. Italy does not just require an FBI background check. It requires an FBI background check that has been apostilled and then translated, in that specific order. Here is the full sequence.
The original hard copy of your FBI Identity History Summary with the FBI Section Chief's original wet signature and official seal. Digital copies and printouts are not accepted. Must be issued within 6 months (3 months at some consulates).
The apostille must come from the U.S. Department of State because the FBI is a federal agency. State-level apostilles will not work on FBI documents. This is a federal apostille only. We walk yours into the Department of State personally for 7 to 10 business day turnaround.
The translation must cover both the FBI background check text and the apostille page. It must be completed after the apostille is attached. If the translation is done before the apostille or does not include the apostille page, Italian authorities will reject it.
We handle steps 1 and 2. If you need the FBI background check, get fingerprinted at one of our Virginia locations. If you already have it, send it to us and we handle the apostille. Translation is the final step and must be arranged after we return your apostilled document.
If you handle Italian dual citizenship, immigration, or relocation cases, your clients almost certainly need an apostilled FBI background check as part of their application. This is required for jure sanguinis citizenship, elective residency visas, student visas, work visas, and citizenship by marriage. Every one of these pathways requires it.
Many firms handle the legal eligibility, genealogy, and consulate coordination but leave the apostille to the client. The client then spends weeks trying to figure out the process, mails their documents to the Department of State, and waits 5 to 12 weeks with no visibility. Meanwhile your case timeline slips, your client calls you for updates you cannot provide, and their FBI background check risks expiring before the apostille even comes back.
Our Partner Program lets you offer FBI apostille fulfillment under your own brand. Your clients see your company name on every email, tracking page, and shipping notification. They never see ours. You upload the document to a branded portal and we handle everything else: all Department of State paperwork, personal walk-in submission, and 2-day return shipping directly to your client or your office.
Partner Rate
$120 first document
$95 each additional. Return shipping included.
What You Get
White-label branded portal. Automated client communication under your name. Real-time tracking. No monthly fees, no minimums, no contracts.
Effective May 24, 2025, Italy's Tajani Decree changed how citizenship by descent works. Automatic transmission of citizenship is now limited to applicants with a parent or grandparent born in Italy who held only Italian citizenship at the time of the applicant's birth. Applicants tracing lineage through great-grandparents or further back are no longer eligible under the automatic pathway.
For applicants who still qualify, the process is more time-sensitive than ever. Waiting 5 to 12 weeks for an apostille by mail can mean missing a consulate appointment, losing a comune slot, or having your FBI background check expire before your documents are submitted. Italian consulates typically require the FBI background check to be issued within 6 months, and some comuni require 3 months. Our 7 to 10 business day turnaround exists specifically for situations where every week counts.
Many jure sanguinis applicants also need their U.S. naturalization certificate apostilled alongside their FBI background check. We handle both documents at the Department of State, in the same trip, with the same turnaround.
Get fingerprinted at one of our three Virginia locations in Alexandria, Fredericksburg, or Montclair, Virginia. FBI background check results are available in as low as 30 minutes.
Upload your completed FBI background check through our website, email it, or drop it off in person at our Alexandria office.
We personally walk your documents into the U.S. Department of State. Your apostilled FBI background check is returned with 2-day shipping included in the price.
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. Italy requires an apostilled FBI background check for most visa, residency, and citizenship applications. As a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, Italy accepts apostilles issued by the U.S. Department of State on federal documents like FBI background checks.
7 to 10 business days. We personally walk documents into the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. instead of mailing them. This is the only way to get expedited processing. The standard timeline by mail is 5 to 12 weeks.
Yes. Italian authorities typically require the FBI background check to be issued within 6 months of your application. Some consulates and comuni have stricter requirements of 3 months. Confirm the specific timeframe with your Italian consulate or local comune before applying.
Yes. Italy requires a certified translation into Italian that covers both the FBI background check and the apostille page. This is important: the translation must be completed after the apostille is attached, not before. The correct order is FBI background check first, then apostille at the Department of State, then translation of the entire package including the apostille page. If the translation is done before the apostille, Italian authorities will reject it.
Yes. Whether you are applying through your Italian consulate in the United States or directly at a comune in Italy, an apostilled FBI background check is required as part of the jure sanguinis citizenship application. This applies to every applicant over the age of criminal responsibility.
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. This is especially useful if you are already in Italy waiting on documents for your comune appointment.
No. The FBI is a federal agency, which means only the U.S. Department of State can issue an apostille for FBI documents. State-level Secretaries of State can only apostille documents issued within their state (birth certificates, marriage certificates, state court documents). An FBI background check with a state apostille will be rejected by Italian authorities. This is a common mistake that causes delays.
Yes. You can send individual clients to this page to place orders directly. If you handle volume or want the process branded to your company, our Partner Program gives you a white-label portal where you upload documents, we handle everything, and all client communication goes out under your company name. No monthly fees, no minimums, no contracts.
The decree changed who qualifies for Italian citizenship by descent, limiting automatic transmission to applicants with a parent or grandparent born in Italy. However, the FBI background check apostille requirement itself has not changed. Every applicant who qualifies still needs an apostilled FBI background check as part of their application, and the same federal apostille from the Department of State is required.
Pursuing citizenship or residency from Italy? Get fingerprinted on an FD-258 card where you are, mail it to us for a $95 FBI background check, and we email you instructions to access your result. Then you upload it to our apostille order form to start the apostille.
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.
Many countries require a certified translation of your apostilled record. We handle certified translations directly, in house. Get your apostille first, then order your translation online with a live price.
Order Your Translation OnlineHandled by our own team, no referrals. Learn more about certified translations.
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.
Birth, marriage, death, and divorce certificates are among the most commonly apostilled documents for visas and citizenship. We apostille vital records from all 50 states, with the same expedited handling and return shipping included.
An FBI background check is a federal document and can only be apostilled by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC. A state apostille on an FBI check gets rejected. Birth, marriage, death, and divorce certificates are state documents, apostilled by the state that issued them. We handle both and route your order correctly.
For an FBI background check, most consulates want it dated within 90 days (some allow 6 months), and that window starts the day it is issued, not the day you apostille it. Vital records like birth and marriage certificates usually do not expire, but many authorities still want a recent certified copy. Either way, our 7 to 10 business day turnaround protects your window.