Your FBI background check apostille can take 5 to 12 weeks by mail, or 7 to 10 business days with our expedited service. We personally walk your documents into the Department of State in Washington, D.C.
Every FBI background check apostille must be issued by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. There is no other agency authorized to apostille federal documents. That means there are only two ways to get one: mail your document to the Department of State yourself, or have someone submit it in person.
Walking documents into the Department of State in person is the only way to expedite an FBI background check apostille. There is no online submission option, no express mail tier, and no way to pay extra for faster processing by mail.
Most people who need an FBI background check apostille have a deadline. Visa applications, work permits, residency requirements, and university enrollment all come with time pressure. Waiting 5 to 12 weeks for the mail to go back and forth is usually not an option.
Our office is located in the Washington, D.C. area, which gives us direct access to the Department of State. We submit documents in person and pick them up as soon as they are ready. That is how we deliver a 7 to 10 business day turnaround consistently.
Don't have your FBI background check yet? We also provide FBI background check fingerprinting at our Virginia locations. Get fingerprinted and apostilled in one place.
While we consistently deliver within 7 to 10 business days, a few factors can influence where your order falls in that range.
The Department of State processes thousands of apostille requests. Even with in-person submission, there is a processing queue. We cannot control how quickly they move through it, but in-person submission puts you at the front of the line compared to mail-in requests sitting in an unopened stack.
If your FBI background check has issues (expired, incorrect personal information, incomplete), the Department of State will reject it. We review every document before submission to catch problems early. If something needs to be corrected, we will let you know before we submit rather than having your document rejected and delayed.
Spring and summer are the busiest seasons for apostille requests. This is when most visa deadlines hit, study abroad programs require documentation, and people finalize international relocation plans. The Department of State sees higher volume during these months, which can push processing toward the longer end of the range. If you know you will need an apostille for a summer deadline, plan ahead and submit your order early.
The 7 to 10 day timeline is measured in business days, not calendar days. The Department of State is closed on weekends and federal holidays. Orders submitted before a holiday weekend may see a slightly longer calendar timeline, though the business day count stays the same.
Here is exactly what happens from the moment you submit your FBI background check to the moment you receive your apostilled document back.
You send us your FBI background check. We review it for completeness, verify all information is correct, and confirm there are no issues that would cause the Department of State to reject it.
We prepare all required forms and documentation. Then we personally walk your FBI background check into the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. for in-person submission. No mailing, no waiting in a queue of envelopes.
The Department of State reviews and processes your document. They verify the authenticity of your FBI background check and prepare the apostille certificate. This is the step we cannot speed up because it is controlled by the federal government.
As soon as your apostille is ready, we pick it up from the Department of State. Your apostilled FBI background check is shipped back to you with 2-day shipping included in the price. You can also arrange to pick it up in person at our Alexandria, VA office if you prefer.
Need to understand the apostille process in more detail? Our complete apostille guide covers what an apostille is, who needs one, and how the entire process works from start to finish.
Straightforward pricing with everything included. No hidden fees, no surprises.
When you add it up, doing it yourself costs $66 to $76 in fees and shipping alone. But the real cost is everything else. You wait 5 to 12 weeks with no tracking, no status updates, and no way to check on your documents. If the Department of State rejects your paperwork, you will not find out until it is mailed back to you, and then you start the entire process over. If you are on a visa deadline, that is a risk you cannot afford to take. With us, everything is handled for $120. You get tracking texts, emails, and a tracking page so you always know the status. You know the ready date as soon as we drop your documents off. And you have a real point of contact if anything comes up.
Sending multiple documents? The $95 rate for additional documents makes it even more cost effective when you need more than one FBI background check apostilled. This is common for couples relocating together or families with multiple members applying for visas.
Want to compare us against other expedited services? See our guide to choosing an apostille provider for what to look for and what to avoid.
Answers to the most common questions about FBI background check apostille processing time and cost.
If you mail your FBI background check to the U.S. Department of State yourself, expect 5 to 12 weeks for processing and return. If you use our expedited apostille service, processing takes 7 to 10 business days. We personally walk your documents into the Department of State in Washington, D.C., which is the only way to get faster processing. There is no online submission option and no way to pay the government for faster mail processing.
Yes. The only way to expedite an FBI background check apostille is to submit it in person at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. The Department of State does not offer a rush or priority option for mailed requests. Fingerprints and Apostilles is located in the D.C. area and personally walks documents into the Department of State for a 7 to 10 business day turnaround. This is the fastest available processing for FBI apostilles.
Our FBI background check apostille service costs $120 for the first document and $95 for each additional document (up to 10). This includes all paperwork preparation, the $20 Department of State apostille fee, in-person submission, pickup, 2-day return shipping, and full tracking with text and email updates. There are no hidden fees. If you do it yourself by mail, you will pay $66 to $76 in fees and shipping, wait 5 to 12+ weeks with no tracking or status updates, and handle all paperwork yourself with no help if your application is rejected.
No. Our apostille service is available nationwide. You send us your FBI background check, and we handle everything from there: paperwork preparation, in-person submission to the Department of State, pickup, and return shipping. You never need to visit Washington, D.C. yourself. We ship your completed apostille back to you with 2-day shipping included in the price, no matter where you are in the country.
7 to 10 business days is the fastest turnaround available for FBI background check apostilles. The Department of State controls processing speed once documents are submitted, and there is no way to pay for faster processing at the federal level. We submit your documents as quickly as possible and pick them up as soon as they are ready. If you are working against a tight deadline, we recommend placing your order as soon as you have your FBI background check in hand.
The apostille certificate itself does not expire. However, many countries require that the underlying FBI background check be recent, typically issued within the last 6 to 12 months. The recency requirement comes from the receiving country, not from the apostille. Always check with the requesting institution or consulate for their specific requirements before ordering. If your FBI background check is older than what the receiving country accepts, you will need to get a new one before we can apostille it.
Skip the 5 to 12 week wait. We will walk your FBI background check into the Department of State and have it back to you in 7 to 10 business days. $120, shipping included.