Federal apostille: FBI checks and other U.S. documents

Which documents are federal

The U.S. Department of State issues the apostille when your document was signed by a U.S. federal official, a U.S. consular officer, a foreign consul registered with the State Department, or a military notary or judge advocate. Florida can't apostille these.

The rule of thumb: look at who signed the document, not where you live.

FBI background checks

The FBI doesn't issue apostilles. It authenticates your results when it processes your request, by adding an FBI watermark and the signature of a division official. That signed result is what the State Department apostilles.

• Request it directly from the FBI if you need an apostille. The FBI's channeler policy says people who need an apostille should use the FBI option, not an FBI-approved channeler.
• Ask for it when you apply. The FBI says it won't authenticate results it has already processed, so an old result can't be fixed later.
• Don't notarize it. The State Department says a federal document is no longer valid for its apostille once it's notarized.
• Printing an electronic result: if you can, get the FBI's mailed paper copy. If you only have the electronic version, confirm with the State Department or ask us before relying on a printout.

Naturalization certificates

Don't photocopy and notarize a naturalization certificate. Federal law restricts copying it. If a foreign office needs an authenticated copy, USCIS can issue a certified true copy at a local USCIS office appointment, and that copy then goes to the State Department. USCIS also offers a special certificate for recognition by a foreign country through Form N-565.

IRS Form 6166 (U.S. tax residency)

Form 6166 is a federal document, so if the receiving country wants an apostille, it comes from the State Department, not Florida. Check with the receiving office whether it needs an apostille at all before you send it.

Translations

If the destination needs a translation, have a professional translate it and notarize the translation, not the original. The notarized translation is a Florida notarial act, so it gets a Florida apostille separately.

Countries outside the Hague Apostille Convention

For countries outside the Convention, the State Department issues an authentication certificate instead of an apostille. You then take it to that country's embassy or consulate for its own legalization. See apostille or consulate for how the two paths differ.

How to submit to the U.S. Department of State

Every request needs Form DS-4194 with the country where you'll use the document, the original document, and a $20 fee per document (not per page). The fee isn't refunded, even if the document can't be authenticated.

Emergency appointments are only for travel within 2 weeks because an immediate family member abroad has died or is seriously ill.

Mistakes that get it rejected

• Notarizing the federal original.
• Sending a federal document to the Florida Department of State.
• Using an FBI channeler, or an old FBI result, when you need an apostille.
• Leaving the destination country off Form DS-4194.
• Sending a copy instead of an original or certified copy with original signatures and seals.
• Paying cash or by check at the walk-in counter, or mailing without a prepaid return envelope.

How LuroDocs handles a federal apostille

1. We check the document first. We confirm it's federal, that it's the right version (for example, an FBI result requested directly from the FBI), and that it hasn't been notarized.
2. We prepare the request. Form DS-4194, the destination country, and any translation or Florida apostille the destination also needs.
3. We submit it in person at the walk-in counter in Washington, D.C., and ship it back to you or onward when it's done. This typically takes 7 to 10 days, compared with up to 5 weeks by mail.