Moving to Spain? 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 |
Spain requires an apostilled FBI background check for nearly every visa and residency pathway. Here are the most common reasons people need this service.
Spain's most popular residency visa for retirees, early retirees, and financially independent individuals. An apostilled FBI background check is a core requirement of the application.
Spain's visa for remote workers employed by non-Spanish companies. Requires proof of a clean criminal record through an apostilled FBI background check.
Required for study abroad programs and university enrollment in Spain when the program exceeds 90 days. Your apostilled FBI background check proves a clean record.
Whether you are taking employment with a Spanish company or registering as self-employed (autónomo), Spain requires an apostilled FBI background check as part of the work authorization process.
Spain's investment-based residency program for those making qualifying real estate or business investments. Background check with apostille is part of the application.
Applying for Spanish citizenship or dual nationality requires an apostilled FBI background check to prove a clean criminal record in the United States.
North American language assistants placed in Spanish schools need an apostilled FBI background check for the student visa. It is one of the most common reasons Americans need this service, and the validity window is tight, so start early.
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.
After your FBI background check is apostilled, Spain requires a sworn translation by a Traductor Jurado: a translator officially recognized by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC). Regular certified translations are not accepted.
The Department of State attaches the apostille to your document with a staple and grommet. Spanish consulates will reject your application 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 quoted live at checkout with real FedEx and DHL rates, and we ship it.
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.
Spain does not accept an ordinary US certified translation. It requires a Traductor-Intérprete Jurado appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the MAEC. The good news is that MAEC-appointed sworn translators do practise in the United States, and the Spanish Consulate General in Los Angeles publishes a list for its district, so this rarely slows you down. We apostille first and include the apostille page in the translated set, so nothing has to be redone.
Order Your Translation OnlineSworn translation handled by us, no referrals and no second vendor. Certified vs sworn translations explained.
Yes. Spain requires an apostilled FBI background check for most visa and residency applications. As a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, Spain 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.
Most Spanish consulates require the FBI background check to be issued within 3 to 6 months of your visa application date. Requirements vary by consulate, so confirm the specific timeframe with yours before applying.
Yes. Spain typically requires a sworn translation (traduccion jurada) of your apostilled FBI background check into Spanish. 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.
Most Spanish consulates require your FBI background check to be issued within 90 days of your appointment. Some consulates allow up to 6 months. Always confirm with your specific consulate, but plan for 90 days to be safe. Our 7 to 10 business day turnaround gives you the maximum validity window.
A Traductor Jurado is a sworn translator officially certified by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC). Spain requires your apostilled FBI background check to be translated by one of these certified translators. A regular "certified" translation will not be accepted.
No. The Department of State attaches the apostille to your document with a staple and grommet. If the staple shows any signs of tampering, Spanish consulates will reject your application. Do not remove, rebind, or laminate it.
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.
Yes. If you already have your FBI background check, email the PDF to us and we handle the apostille. If you do not have it yet, get fingerprinted on an FD-258 card in Spain, mail it to us, and order our $95 mail-in FBI background check so we can run it ASAP. We email you instructions to access and download your result, then you upload it to our apostille order form to start the apostille. For return shipping outside the United States, live FedEx and DHL rates are quoted at checkout and we ship it.
BLS International is the third-party visa application center that processes Spain visa applications in the United States. You do not submit your visa application directly to the Spanish consulate. Instead, you submit through BLS, which forwards everything to the consulate. Your apostilled FBI background check is part of the package you submit to BLS.
Yes. Outside the U.S., an FBI background check for Spain is often called a criminal record, a police clearance certificate, or a certificate of good conduct. If Spain’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.
The FBI apostille step for language assistants headed to Spain.
Get your FBI background check by mail without flying home.
Where the apostilled FBI check fits in your NLV file.
The FBI apostille checklist item for remote workers.
You do not have to fly back to the United States. If you are already in Spain as an auxiliar, student, digital nomad, or NLV holder and you do not have your FBI background check yet, we can run it from a mailed fingerprint card. Then you handle the apostille online.
Have your fingerprints taken on a standard FD-258 fingerprint card. A local police station, a private ink-fingerprinting service, or in some cases a U.S. consulate can do this for you.
Mail the fingerprint card to us and order our mail-in FBI background check for $95. We submit it to the FBI right away so your result comes back as fast as possible. See the mail-in card service.
We email you instructions to access and download your FBI background check yourself. Then you upload that background check into our apostille order form to start the apostille. No flight home, no embassy runaround.
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.
Most Spanish consulates require your FBI background check to be issued within 90 days of your consulate appointment. Some say 3 months. Some say 6. The safest number is 90 days.
Here is the problem. If you mail your document to the Department of State for apostille processing, the standard timeline is 5 to 12 weeks. That burns more than half your validity window before the apostille even comes back. And you still need a sworn translation after that.
Our 7 to 10 business day turnaround preserves your validity window. You get your apostilled document back with enough time to complete the translation, gather the rest of your paperwork, and submit to BLS without the clock running out.
Visa consultants, relocation companies, immigration attorneys, and fingerprinting businesses: add FBI background check apostilles to your services without building the process yourself.
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.