FBI Background Check & Apostille for a Spanish Visa

One document, three offices, and a sequence that punishes guessing. This is the part of a US application most likely to cost you a month.

The mistake almost everyone makes

The correct sequence

1. Request the FBI Identity History Summary. Either directly through the FBI (edo.cjis.gov) or through an FBI-approved channeler. Channelers usually return results far faster and are the pragmatic choice when you have an appointment date. Make sure you request a version suitable for apostille — you need the official result, not an informal copy.
2. Send it for federal apostille to the Office of Authentications. Include the correct fee, a cover letter naming Spain as the destination country, and a prepaid return envelope with tracking. Processing has historically run from a few weeks to a couple of months depending on backlog — check current times before you plan around it.
3. Then translate. A sworn translation by a MAEC-certified translator, covering the document and the apostille. Translating first is a classic way to pay twice.

The 90-day clock — count backwards, not forwards

Spanish consulates generally want criminal record certificates issued within the last 90 days at the time of your appointment. Applicants often rush to get the FBI check first, then lose weeks to the apostille and translation, and arrive with a certificate that is now too old.

Work backwards from your appointment date: translation needs days, the apostille needs weeks, the FBI check needs days to weeks. Start the chain roughly two to three months before your appointment — and do not request the certificate six months early.

The other documents, and who apostilles them

If your documents come from several states, each goes to its own state office — they cannot be batched. Budget time accordingly, especially for a family application.

Practical notes that save weeks

• Name consistency. The name on the FBI report must match your passport. Middle names, hyphens and accents that differ across documents invite requests for clarification.
• Track everything. Use trackable mail both ways; a lost federal document restarts the whole chain.
• State residence rules. Some state offices only process documents for residents or documents issued in that state — check before mailing.
• Documents notarised online (RON). A remotely notarised affidavit can be apostilled by the state only if the notary is registered for online notarisation in that state, and what you send is a printed copy carrying the notary's electronic certificate — otherwise it comes back rejected. And before apostilling a self-sworn affidavit (single status, residence), confirm with your consulate that an affidavit is accepted for that procedure: some want a certificate issued by an authority.
• Do it in parallel, not in series. While the FBI check is in the apostille pipeline, chase the employer letter and health insurance. The applicants who file on time are the ones running tracks simultaneously.

If you are a W-2 employee, this document is only your second problem. The first is the employer authorization letter — start that conversation the same week.

Xpat Spain is a self-help document preparation and information service — not a law firm. Government processing times, fees and procedures change frequently: verified August 2026 — always confirm current requirements with the FBI, the US Department of State and your Spanish consulate before mailing anything. You make all decisions about your application; Spanish authorities decide outcomes.