Ohio FBI Background Check Apostille Guide

An FBI Background Check — formally an FBI Identity History Summary, and often called an FBI identity history or FBI background check — 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 issued at the federal level, it is authenticated by the U.S. Department of State. A state apostille office cannot apostille an FBI report, no matter which state you live in, so this process is the same regardless of your location in Ohio.

There are two different reports, and they are not interchangeable. The federal route covers the FBI report going to the U.S. Department of State apostille: most consulates asking for an FBI Identity History Summary require the federal apostille (DS-4194), not a state apostille. The state route covers a state criminal-history report going to the state apostille authority, and it is used only when the foreign authority explicitly requests a state-level criminal history. Confirm with your destination country or its consulate which report they require before you order anything, because an apostille on the wrong type of report will not be accepted.

Get your FBI Identity History Summary directly from the FBI or through an FBI-approved Channeler, which involves a fingerprint submission tied to a PCN. Keep these points in mind:

• Recent report: an FBI Identity History Summary (or a state criminal-history report) is what you need, and 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, and do not open a sealed state report where the destination requires it sealed.

Because the recency window is tight, order the report close to when you plan to submit it for the apostille.

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 rather than the federal FBI check, you take a different path. For a STATE-level criminal history, request it from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) via WebCheck; the Ohio Secretary of State then apostilles that state report. Note that here the state apostille authority — not the U.S. Department of State — authenticates the document, which is the opposite of the federal route above.

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. This is the apostille step only — obtaining the FBI report itself takes its own time before you can submit it, so build that into your planning. Processing times drift, so confirm the current estimate on the official page before you mail.

Many destination countries require a certified translation of both the FBI report and its apostille. The receiving country sets that requirement, not the U.S. Department of State, so confirm what your destination expects before you submit. Where a translation is required, have it prepared so it accompanies the apostilled document.