Digital Apostille

FBI report timeline for Spain and Portugal visas

The hard part is having a report that is both apostilled and still recent enough on the day it counts.

Start from your appointment date

Find your consulate's age limit for criminal record certificates. About 90 days is common, and some Spanish and Portuguese consulates allow up to six months. Count back from your appointment to find the earliest useful issue date.

Build your schedule

  1. Request the FBI report. Electronic results through FBI-approved channelers often arrive within days. Mail requests take longer.
  2. Apostille it. Allow about 9 business days through our service. By mail directly to the State Department, the office has quoted a wait of up to several weeks.
  3. Translate it. Allow several days after the apostille is ready.
  4. Keep a margin. Allow for holidays, corrections and courier time if you also need paper.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Getting a state police check when the office asks for the FBI report.
  • Notarizing the report before sending it to the State Department.
  • Translating before the apostille exists.
  • Assuming that a limit counted from the apostille date, when most count from the FBI's issue date.

Order the FBI background check apostille when your dates are set.