Moving to the Netherlands on the DAFT visa, a highly skilled migrant permit, to study, or through marriage? When your case calls for a US background check, your FBI check needs an apostille before Dutch authorities will accept it. 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."
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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 |
The Netherlands asks for an apostilled US background check across several residency and registration pathways. Here are the most common reasons people need this service.
The Dutch American Friendship Treaty route for US citizens starting a business in the Netherlands as self-employed. When the IND or your gemeente asks for a US background check, it needs a US apostille.
The employer-sponsored route for skilled professionals. Your recognized sponsor may need an apostilled US background check as part of your residence file.
Studying at a Dutch university or program. Enrollment and residence steps can call for an apostilled US background check depending on the institution and permit type.
Registering a marriage or registered partnership at the gemeente, or applying for a partner residence permit, can require an apostilled US document.
Registering in the Personal Records Database at your gemeente is a first step after arrival. Supporting US documents must carry an apostille to be accepted.
After qualifying time in the Netherlands, permanent residence and long-stay applications can require an apostilled US background check as part of the file.
Dutch authorities generally want a recently issued FBI background check, often one dated within the last six months. That window starts the day the check is issued, not the day you apostille it.
If you mail your document to the Department of State, the standard timeline is 5 to 12 weeks. That can burn your usable window before the apostille comes back.
Our 7 to 10 business day turnaround preserves that window. You get your apostilled document back with time to file with the IND or register at your gemeente.
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.
The IND generally accepts documents in English, so your apostilled FBI background check often does not need translating for a residence permit. Some gemeente civil registration steps may ask for a sworn Dutch translation. Confirm with the office handling your case. We can point you to certified translation help.
The Department of State attaches the apostille to your document with a staple and grommet. Dutch 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. The Netherlands is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, the treaty that takes its name from The Hague. An apostille from the U.S. Department of State authenticates your FBI background check so Dutch authorities will accept it.
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.
Dutch authorities generally want a recently issued FBI background check, often one dated within the last six months. Our 7 to 10 business day turnaround gives you the maximum usable window. Confirm the exact recency window with the IND or the gemeente handling your case.
Often no. The IND generally accepts documents in English, so your apostilled FBI background check usually does not need translating for a residence permit. Some gemeente civil registration steps may ask for a sworn Dutch translation. Confirm with the office handling your case. We can point you to certified translation help if you need it.
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.
The DAFT application centers on your business and investment, but the IND and your gemeente can ask for a US background check as part of the residence permit and registration process. If they do, it needs a US apostille. Confirm the current document list with the IND or an immigration advisor.
No. The Department of State attaches the apostille to your document with a staple and grommet. If the staple shows signs of tampering, Dutch 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.
Some Dutch offices require a sworn 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.
Residency through a Dutch spouse usually needs your US marriage certificate apostilled, and proving parentage for family or citizenship cases, including registering US-born children of a Dutch parent, needs an apostilled birth certificate. 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.