Relocating to Portugal? Your FBI background check needs an apostille for 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.
"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 |
Portugal requires an apostilled FBI background check for nearly every visa and residency pathway. Here are the most common reasons people need this service.
Portugal's most popular visa for retirees and remote workers with passive income. An apostilled FBI background check is required as part of the application at your Portuguese consulate.
Portugal's visa for remote workers earning at least four times the Portuguese minimum wage. Requires an apostilled FBI background check proving a clean criminal record.
Required for study abroad programs and university enrollment in Portugal. Your apostilled FBI background check proves a clean record as part of the student visa application.
Taking employment with a Portuguese company requires an apostilled FBI background check. This applies to both employed and self-employed (trabalhador independente) visa categories.
Portugal's investment-based residency program. Although program requirements have changed over the years, the apostilled FBI background check remains a consistent requirement.
Applying for Portuguese citizenship through naturalization, marriage, or descent requires an apostilled FBI background check to prove a clean criminal record in the United States.
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.
This is one where most people are sold something they do not need. A Portuguese translation is not routinely required for an apostilled FBI background check, and English is widely accepted. If you are specifically asked for one, be aware that under Portuguese law only a Portuguese notary, a registrar, a lawyer or solicitador practising in Portugal, or a Portuguese consulate can certify it, so it is not something a US translator can validly produce.
Order Your Translation OnlineIf someone has asked you for a Portuguese translation, we can arrange a properly certified one. Certified vs sworn translations explained.
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.
Yes. Portugal requires an apostilled FBI background check for most visa and residency applications. As a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, Portugal 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. Portuguese authorities typically require the FBI background check to be issued within 3 months of your application. Some consulates allow up to 6 months. Confirm the specific requirement with your consulate or AIMA (the Portuguese immigration authority) before applying.
Yes. Portugal requires a certified translation of your apostilled FBI background check into Portuguese. The apostille itself does not need to be translated because it follows a standardized format recognized by all Hague Convention countries.
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. This is the fastest way to go from fingerprints to apostille.
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 quoted live at checkout with real-time FedEx and DHL rates for the destination, and we ship it.
Yes. Outside the U.S., an FBI background check for Portugal is often called a criminal record, a police clearance certificate, or a certificate of good conduct. If Portugal’s immigration, visa, or residency office asked you for an apostilled criminal record from the United States, this is exactly what we handle: your FBI background check, apostilled by the U.S. Department of State.
A marriage certificate is apostilled by the authority in the place that issued it, not by the U.S. Department of State. We apostille Washington DC marriage certificates at $175 for the first document and $125 for each additional, with return shipping included. If yours was issued by another state, it has to go to that state. Most people do not need a translation for Portugal: AIMA states that documents presented in English, French or Spanish do not require one, citing article 49 number 8 of the Codigo de Registo Civil. If a specific office does ask for Portuguese, a translation certified in the United States is not accepted, because Portuguese law limits certification to a Portuguese notary, registrar, a lawyer practising in Portugal, or a Portuguese consulate. We handle the federal FBI apostille and the state marriage certificate apostille in the same order.
On the ground for your D7 or digital nomad visa? 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.
Need an apostille for a different country? We handle FBI background check apostilles for all Hague Convention member countries.
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.