FBI Background Check (Identity History Summary)

Issuing agency

Federal Bureau of Investigation

We can obtain it?

Yes, we retrieve this for you

Certification first?

No prior certification needed

Also known as

FBI clearance, criminal record check, Identity History Summary

An FBI background check — officially the FBI Identity History Summary — is the single most-requested document for use abroad. Foreign governments, employers, immigration authorities and adoption agencies ask for it constantly, because it is the one criminal-history record recognized nationwide rather than state by state. When a foreign authority wants proof of your U.S. criminal history, this is almost always the document they mean.

Using it overseas takes one more step than obtaining it: the report has to be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State, and for some countries, legalized at an embassy on top. This page explains how that works for the FBI check specifically, what makes it different from other federal documents, and how to get it done.

Why it needs an apostille abroad

An FBI Identity History Summary issued in Washington means nothing to a foreign government on its own — they have no way to verify that the document is genuine and not forged. The apostille solves exactly that. It is an internationally recognized certificate, issued by the U.S. Department of State, confirming that the FBI document is authentic and that the official who signed it had the authority to do so.

Once apostilled, the report is accepted in any of the 120-plus Hague Convention member countries without further steps. For countries outside the Convention, the report needs the Department of State authentication followed by legalization at that country’s embassy or consulate — a longer path, but the same underlying document.

How to get FBI Background Check for use overseas

There are two ways people arrive at an apostilled FBI check, and which one applies to you changes the timeline.

If you already have your FBI report

If you have obtained your Identity History Summary yourself — through the FBI or an approved channeler — we take it straight to the Department of State for apostille. Send us the report and we handle the authentication and return.

If you still need the report

If you have not obtained it yet, we can get it for you. This is one of the few federal documents we retrieve directly: we guide you through fingerprinting and the FD-258 card, submit through an FBI-approved channel, and then apostille the completed report in the same order — no second wait, no second shipment. This combined route is our FBI check + apostille bundle.

The fingerprinting step

An FBI background check requires fingerprints, submitted either electronically through an approved channeler or on a physical FD-258 card. This is the step people most often get wrong — smudged prints or the wrong card format cause rejections and delays. If we obtain the report for you, we walk you through it so the submission is accepted the first time.

Common reasons people apostille an FBI check

• Work visas — most countries require a criminal background check as part of a work permit or employment visa application.
• Residency and immigration — permanent residency and long-stay visa applications routinely require an apostilled FBI check.
• Foreign adoption — adoption authorities almost always require it, often with strict recency requirements.
• Professional licensing abroad — teaching, nursing, and other regulated professions frequently require it to practice in another country.
• Citizenship by descent — some countries request it as part of establishing eligibility.

How recent does the report need to be?

Many countries will only accept an FBI check issued within the last three to six months, and some require it be apostilled within a set window of issuance. Because the report itself is fast — typically one to two business days — the smart approach is to obtain it and apostille it together, close to when you actually need it, rather than getting the report early and letting it age. Tell us your deadline and destination and we will time it correctly.