Illinois FBI Background Check Apostille Guide

An FBI Background Check — formally an FBI Identity History Summary, and sometimes called an FBI identity history report — is a federal record. An apostille on it authenticates the federal seal and signature so the document is accepted in countries that are party to the Hague Apostille Convention. Because the record is federal, it is authenticated by the U.S. Department of State. A state apostille office cannot apostille an FBI report, regardless of which state you live in. This makes the process essentially state-independent: the same federal authority handles the FBI report whether you are in Illinois or anywhere else in the country.

There are two different reports people mean by "background check," and they take two different routes. Confirm which one your destination wants before you order, because they are not interchangeable.

• Federal: 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. This is the common requirement.
• State: a state criminal-history report goes to the state apostille authority instead. This route is used only when the foreign authority explicitly requests a state-level criminal history.

Check with the destination country's authority or consulate to confirm whether they want the federal FBI report or a state-level report. Ordering the wrong one means starting over, so settle this first.

Get your FBI Identity History Summary directly from the FBI, or through an FBI-approved Channeler that submits your fingerprints under a PCN. Keep these requirements in mind as you order:

• Recent report: many consulates require the FBI Identity History Summary (or a state criminal-history report) issued within the last 3–6 months, so order it close to when you will use it.
• Official source: the FBI report must come from the FBI directly or from an FBI-approved Channeler (fingerprint submission with a PCN).
• Unaltered: keep the report unaltered, and do not open a sealed state report where the destination requires it sealed.

Many destinations want the report to be both recent and unaltered, so plan to apostille it promptly after it is 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:

If your destination specifically asks for a state-level criminal history instead of the federal FBI report, you take a different path. "For a STATE-level criminal history, request it from the Illinois State Police (ISP); the Illinois Secretary of State then apostilles that state report." In this case the Illinois Secretary of State, not the U.S. Department of State, authenticates the document. Only use this route when the foreign authority explicitly requests a state-level report — for the standard FBI Identity History Summary, the federal route above applies.

As of 2026-06-06, the U.S. Department of State lists processing of "Mail: within about 5 weeks of the date the request is received." Keep in mind that obtaining the FBI Identity History Summary itself takes its own time before this step even begins, so build in time for both. Processing times drift, so check the official page for current timing before you mail.

Many destination countries require a certified translation of both the FBI report and its apostille. The receiving country sets this requirement, not the United States, so confirm what that country expects before you submit. Arranging the translation after the apostille is attached keeps the report and its seal rendered together.