Confirming Polish citizenship, applying for a Karta Pobytu, or taking a job in Poland? Your FBI background check needs an apostille for most residency and work permit 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.
"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 |
Poland requires an apostilled FBI background check for most residency and work permit pathways. Here are the most common reasons people need this service.
Poland's temporary residence permit for people relocating long term. An apostilled FBI background check is commonly required as part of the application.
Foreign nationals taking a job with a Polish employer often need an apostilled FBI background check as part of the work and residence process.
After qualifying time in Poland, applicants for a permanent residence permit commonly need an apostilled FBI background check in their file.
Many Americans confirming Polish citizenship by descent also settle in Poland, where the residence steps call for an apostilled FBI background check. Proving lineage itself runs on apostilled US birth and marriage certificates.
Americans of Polish heritage tracing citizenship through a parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent. The lineage case relies on apostilled US vital records, and related residence filings can require an apostilled FBI background check.
Registering a US marriage in the Polish civil registry, and residence through a Polish spouse, commonly calls for an apostilled FBI background check alongside your apostilled marriage certificate.
Polish authorities generally want a recently issued FBI background check, so the document should still be fresh when you file. 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 usable window before the apostille comes back. And Polish offices also usually require a sworn Polish translation after apostille.
Our 7 to 10 business day turnaround preserves that window. You get your apostilled document back with enough time to complete the sworn translation and submit your application.
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.
Polish is Poland's official language, so after your FBI background check is apostilled, Poland usually requires a sworn translation by a tlumacz przysiegly (a sworn translator). The translation should be done after the apostille, not before. We can point you to certified translation help.
The Department of State attaches the apostille to your document with a staple and grommet. Polish 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. Poland 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 Polish 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.
Polish authorities generally want a recently issued FBI background check, so plan to apostille and submit it without long delays. Our 7 to 10 business day turnaround gives you the maximum usable window. Confirm the exact recency window with the office handling your application.
Usually yes. Polish is Poland's official language, so Poland typically requires a sworn translation by a tlumacz przysiegly (a sworn translator) of your apostilled FBI background check. The translation should be completed after the apostille. We can point you to certified translation help.
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.
Many do. Temporary and permanent residence permits and work permits commonly require an apostilled FBI background check. Confirming Polish citizenship by descent runs mostly on apostilled vital records. Confirm with your immigration attorney or the Polish authority 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, Polish 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.
Poland usually requires a sworn Polish 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 or citizenship through a Polish spouse usually needs your US marriage certificate apostilled, and confirming Polish citizenship by descent needs apostilled US birth certificates to prove your lineage back to a Polish ancestor. 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.