California FBI Background Check Apostille Guide

An FBI Background Check — formally an FBI Identity History Summary, sometimes called an identity history — is a federal record. An apostille on it authenticates the federal seal and signature so the report is accepted in countries that belong to the Hague Apostille Convention. Because the record is federal, it is authenticated only by the U.S. Department of State. A California apostille office, or any state apostille office, cannot apostille an FBI report. This step is the same no matter which state you live in: the authority is federal, so where you are located does not change who issues the apostille.

There are two different reports, and they are not interchangeable, so confirm with your destination or its consulate which one they require before you order. The common requirement is the federal route: the FBI Identity History Summary goes to the U.S. Department of State for the apostille. Most consulates asking for an FBI Identity History Summary require the FEDERAL apostille (DS-4194), NOT a state apostille. The second is the state route: a state criminal-history report goes to the state apostille authority. This is used only when the foreign authority explicitly requests a state-level criminal history. Ordering the wrong one means starting over, so verify the exact wording of what your destination asks for first.

Get your report straight from the source. You have two options:

• A recent report: an FBI Identity History Summary (or a state criminal-history report) — many consulates require it issued within the last 3–6 months.
• An official source: the FBI report comes from the FBI directly or an FBI-approved Channeler (a fingerprint submission with a PCN).
• Unaltered: keep the report unaltered, and do not open a sealed state report where the destination requires it sealed.

Because many consulates will reject a report that is too old or visibly altered, request a fresh copy and leave it exactly as issued.

Mail your FBI Identity History Summary to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications:

1. 1.
   The document

   the original sealed/certified report or copy — not a plain photocopy

2. 2.
   Request form

   Form DS-4194 (Authentication Request) (download: https://eforms.state.gov/Forms/ds4194.pdf), stating the destination country

3. 3.
   Payment

   for the apostille fee (see Fees below)

4. 4.
   Return envelope

   self-addressed; add a prepaid tracked label for return

Prefer same-day service? You can submit in person at:

For a STATE-level criminal history (only when the destination asks for a state report instead of the federal FBI report), request it from the California Department of Justice (DOJ) via Live Scan; the California Secretary of State then apostilles that state report. Use this route only when the foreign authority specifically asks for a state-level check — the California Secretary of State, not the U.S. Department of State, authenticates that state report.

Timelines drift, so treat this as a snapshot as of 2026-06-06: Mail: within about 5 weeks of the date the request is received. Getting the FBI Identity History Summary itself takes its own time before this step, so add that to your plan and check the official page before relying on a date.

Many destination countries require a certified translation of the FBI report and its apostille before they will accept it. The receiving country — not the United States — sets this requirement, and it varies by country and even by the office reviewing your file. Confirm what the destination requires before you submit so the translation is done correctly the first time.