United States
Miami, FLHouston, TXDallas–Fort Worth, TXAtlanta, GABoston, MASeattle, WALos Angeles, CASan Diego, CAWashington, DCFBI Background Check Apostille for Spain
The flat-rate translation covers the standard two-page FBI report — the length almost every report is. Longer reports are $50 per additional page, confirmed with you before any extra charge.
Pricing
Apostille for your Spain visa — $179 per document
Flat rate, government fees included. We file your FBI Identity History Summary in person at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC — about 10 business days, with same-day scans the moment the apostille is issued. Certified Spanish translation can be added to the same order.
Don't have your FBI report yet? We can run the whole sequence for you — fingerprinting, the FBI submission, the apostille and the certified Spanish translation — as one flat-rate package: full-service FBI background check for Spain.
If you're applying for a Spanish visa or residency, you'll need your FBI Identity History Summary apostilled — and for Spain, a certified Spanish translation as well. Spain is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille (not embassy legalization) is the correct authentication. Federal Apostille™ handles the apostille and the translation together so your file is consulate-ready.
Spain's non-lucrative visa, student visa, work visa, and residency applications routinely require an apostilled FBI background check — and Spanish consulates almost always require a certified Spanish translation of it.
What a Spain visa file needs
Your original FBI Identity History Summary
The report exactly as your FBI channeler issued it — the signed PDF, or the paper original if that is what you hold.
A U.S. Department of State apostille
Federal documents are apostilled by exactly one office in the world, in Washington, DC. A state Secretary of State cannot apostille an FBI report, and neither a US embassy nor a Spain consulate can issue this certificate.
A certified Spanish translation
Produced after the apostille is issued, and covering the apostille certificate as well as the report.
Translation requirements for Spain
Spain draws a line most destinations do not: a certified translation and a sworn (jurada) translation are not the same thing. A sworn translation is produced by a translator appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and some consulates and regional offices will accept nothing else. Certified Spanish translation can be added to your apostille order. If your consulate or regional office specifies a sworn translator, tell us before you order and we will quote that instead — it is a different service at a different price, and the wrong one is a rejected file. Either way the sequence is fixed: apostille first, then translate, because the translation has to cover the apostille certificate as well as the report.
What gets an FBI apostille rejected
Notarizing or translating it before the apostille
Only the original FBI Identity History Summary is eligible for a federal apostille. Notarize it or translate it first and you have created a different document, which the Department of State will not apostille. This is the most expensive mistake on this page, because it is usually discovered after the file has already been sent.
Sending a copy instead of the original
The signed PDF as your channeler delivered it, or the paper original. A re-scan, a screenshot, or a phone photo of a printed page is a different document and is rejected at the counter.
A translation that stops at the report
Many consulates want the apostille certificate itself translated alongside the report. A translation that covers only the report leaves a gap, and the gap is what the file comes back for.
How long it takes, and what comes back
About 10 business days. We file in person at the Department of State counter in Washington, DC rather than by mail — the mail queue runs two to three months, which is the difference between making a consulate appointment and missing it.
The day your apostille is issued we send high-quality scans at no extra cost, which is what most consulate appointments need first. Tracked return shipping of the originals, domestic or international, is available for an additional fee. Same-day handling exists only for documented emergencies such as a death or life-threatening illness abroad, and requires proof.
Already living in Spain?
The one step that has to happen where you are is fingerprinting for the FBI Identity History Summary, and no US embassy or consulate will do it — that misunderstanding costs applicants more time than any other. We capture prints by appointment in 5 cities across Spain, and each city page covers what happens locally afterwards: which office receives the apostilled summary, what translation is expected, and how the finished document comes back to you. Start with your city: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and Marbella.
Spain visa FAQ
Does Spain require an apostille on the FBI background check?+
Yes. Spain is part of the Hague Apostille Convention, so your FBI Identity History Summary must carry a U.S. Department of State apostille. We hand-deliver it in Washington, DC and return it in about 10 business days.
Do I also need a Spanish translation?+
Almost always. Spanish consulates generally require a certified Spanish translation of the apostilled FBI check. We provide certified translations and can bundle them with the apostille so everything matches.
Should the apostille be translated too?+
Often yes — many consulates want the apostille certificate itself translated along with the document. We handle both as part of the translation service so there are no gaps.
Some consulates say "authentication" — is that the same as an apostille?+
For Spain, the apostille is the correct instrument. "Authentication" is the older consular-legalization chain used for countries outside the Hague Convention; Spain is a member, so a U.S. Department of State apostille is what the consulate will accept, and legalization is neither required nor available.
Do I need to notarize or translate the FBI report before the apostille?+
No — and doing so will get it rejected. Only the original FBI Identity History Summary is eligible for a federal apostille. A notarized or translated copy is a different document and the Department of State will not apostille it. The translation happens after the apostille, and covers both the report and the apostille certificate.
Can I send the PDF of my FBI background check instead of the paper copy?+
Yes, and it is faster. We need the original signed PDF exactly as your FBI channeler delivered it — not a scan or a photo of a printout, which the Department of State rejects. If you only have the physical copy, you can ship the original to our Washington, DC address instead; we send the address once your order is placed.
How long does it take, and can it be done same-day?+
About 10 business days, because we file in person at the Department of State counter in Washington, DC rather than by mail — the mail queue runs two to three months. Same-day handling exists only for documented emergencies such as a death or life-threatening illness abroad, and requires proof.
Do I get the original back, or just a scan?+
Both are available. Every order includes high-quality scans of the apostilled documents at no extra cost, sent the day the apostille is issued, which is what most consulate appointments need first. Tracked return shipping of the originals, domestic or international, is available for an additional fee.
Can you handle Spain's sworn translation requirement?+
Yes. Spain distinguishes a certified translation from a sworn (jurada) translation, and some consulates and regional offices insist on the latter. Certified Spanish translation can be added to your apostille order; if your office requires a sworn translator, tell us before you order and we will quote that instead.
Federal Apostille™ is a private, independent courier and document-processing service. We are not affiliated with the FBI, the U.S. Department of State, the government of Spain, or any government agency.