Michigan FBI Background Check Apostille Guide

An FBI Background Check — formally the FBI Identity History Summary, and often called your FBI identity history — is a federal record. An apostille on it authenticates the federal seal and signature so the document 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 Michigan state apostille office cannot apostille an FBI report, no matter where you live. In other words, the authority that handles this is the same nationwide; your home state does not change who places the apostille.

There are two different reports, and they take two different paths, so confirm which one your destination wants before you order anything. The federal route is the common one: you get the FBI report, the FBI Identity History Summary, and send it to the U.S. Department of State for an apostille. Most consulates asking for an FBI Identity History Summary require the FEDERAL apostille (DS-4194), NOT a state apostille. The state route is different: you obtain a state criminal-history report and the state apostille authority authenticates it. That route is used only when the foreign authority explicitly requests a state-level criminal history. The two reports are not interchangeable, so check with the receiving country or its consulate which report they require before you submit a request.

Get your FBI Identity History Summary directly from the FBI or through an FBI-approved Channeler, which is a fingerprint submission tied to a PCN. As you order, keep these requirements in mind:

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

Because of the recency window, plan to order the report shortly before you need the apostille rather than months ahead.

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, and only if, your destination specifically asks for a state-level report, there is a separate Michigan route. For a STATE-level criminal history, request it from the Michigan State Police via the ICHAT system; the Michigan Department of State then apostilles that state report. Note that this is the Michigan state apostille authority authenticating a Michigan report — not the U.S. Department of State, and not the FBI report. Use this path only when the foreign authority has told you it wants a state check rather than the federal FBI Identity History Summary.

As of 2026-06-06, the U.S. Department of State processes mailed requests within about 5 weeks of the date the request is received. That window is just for the apostille; obtaining the FBI Identity History Summary itself takes its own time before this step, so build both into your timeline. Processing times drift, so confirm the current figure on the official page before you mail.

Many destination countries require a certified translation of the FBI report along with its apostille. The receiving country sets that requirement, not the U.S. Department of State, so confirm whether a translation is needed — and in what form — before you submit your documents abroad.