Apostille Docs: Apostille for Background Check

The local-level background check--usually called a "letter of clearance" or a "letter of good conduct"--is issued by your local police department. People applying for work or a visa abroad are often required to present a certified, authenticated copy of this type of criminal background check. Please note that a letter of clearance issued by your local police department is valid only at the city level--it does not check for crimes committed elsewhere in the state or violations of federal law. Scroll down to learn about California background checks or FBI background checks.

To obtain a criminal background check from your local police department, proceed to step 2.

Your local police department can issue a letter of clearance for you. The signature of the person issuing the letter needs to be notarized, and police departments rarely have a notary public on hand. Your best bet is to arrange to have a mobile notary meet you at the police office to notarize the signature of the official.

If you're in San Francisco, we can meet you at 850 Bryant, room 475, to notarize the letter of good behavior. If you're in another California city, you can arrange to have a local mobile notary public perform the signing.

For more information about this step or to request a mobile notary, call (877) 710-9493.

If we notarize the document, we will simply bring it with us when we leave. Skip to step 4.

If you're having the document notarized by someone else, proceed to step 3.

If your document has been notarized locally, you can send it to our office to be apostilled. Please include the following information:

We highly recommend using secure mail with tracking to ship us the document. FedEx Priority Overnight, USPS Priority Mail Express, and UPS Next Day Air are all good ways to quickly and securely get the letter of good conduct to us.

For more information about this step or to get a price quote, call (877) 710-9493.

Once the notarized letter of clearance has been sent to us, proceed to step 4.

We will take your signed, notarized letter of clearance to Sacramento to be apostilled. The California Secretary of State's office will check the wording on the notarial certificate and the name and signature of the notary public, and then issue an apostille. For countries that have signed the Hague Convention for Apostilles, no further legalization is needed. For countries that have not signed the Hague Convention, a consular visit will be necessary.

For more information about California apostilles or Hague member countries, call (877) 710-9493.

If the letter of clearance is being authenticated for a country that that has not signed the Hague Convention, proceed to step 5.

If the letter of clearance is being authenticated for one of the countries that has signed the Hague Convention, skip to step 6.

Countries that have not signed the Hague Convention for Apostilles require additional processing for clearance-letter legalization. Typically, this is done at the country's consular office in San Francisco. After we get the letter of clearance apostilled by the California Secretary of State, we will bring it to the relevant consulate for legalization.

For more information about the process for non-Hague countries, call (877) 710-9493.

You're almost done! To decide what to do with the document, proceed to step 6.

Once the letter of clearance has been apostilled/authenticated, we can send it back to you or directly to the receiving country. Shipping within the United States is included in the apostille price. For shipping rates to other countries, click here or call (877) 710-9493 for a quote.

Once you know where the document is going, you're ready to order. Proceed to step 7.

If you know the answers to all of the above questions, you're ready to place an order. You can place your order online or over the phone at (877) 710-9493.

To place your order online, click here.

To obtain your criminal background check from the California Department of Justice, you must submit form BCIA 8016 VISA, along with Live Scan fingerprints. We do not offer this service, but the Office of the Attorney General of California offers detailed information about the process.

Once you have obtained your California fingerprint background check, proceed to step 2.

Unfortunately, the California Department of Justice occasionally sends out unsigned background checks, which cannot be apostilled. If you get an unsigned letter from the California DOJ, email a copy of the letter to [email protected] and include your name, date of birth, and ATI number. Request that they send a background check letter with a SIGNATURE for apostille purposes. They will mail you a new letter.

For more information about background check letter issues, call (877) 710-9493.

Once you have a background check that has been signed by an official at the California Justice Department, proceed to step 3.

You can send your California background check to our office to be apostilled. Please include the following information:

We highly recommend using secure mail with tracking to ship us the document. FedEx Priority Overnight, USPS Priority Mail Express, and UPS Next Day Air are all good ways to quickly and securely get the letter of good conduct to us.

For more information about this step or to get a price quote, call (877) 710-9493.

Once the California background check has been sent to us, proceed to step 4.

We will take your California background check to Sacramento to be apostilled. The California Secretary of State's office will check the name and signature of the official at the California Department of Justice, and then issue an apostille. For countries that have signed the Hague Convention for Apostilles, no further legalization is needed. For countries that have not signed the Hague Convention, a consular visit will be necessary.

For more information about California apostilles or Hague member countries, call (877) 710-9493.

If the California background check is being authenticated for a country that that has not signed the Hague Convention, proceed to step 5.

If the California background check is being authenticated for one of the countries that has signed the Hague Convention, skip to step 6.

Countries that have not signed the Hague Convention for Apostilles require additional processing for California background check legalization. Typically, this is done at the country's consular office in San Francisco. After we get the background check apostilled by the California Secretary of State, we will bring it to the relevant consulate for legalization.

For more information about the process for non-Hague countries, call (877) 710-9493.

You're almost done! To decide what to do with the document, proceed to step 6.

Once the California background check has been apostilled/authenticated, we can send it back to you or directly to the receiving country. Shipping within the United States is included in the apostille price. For shipping rates to other countries, click here or call (877) 710-9493 for a quote.

Once you know where the document is going, you're ready to order. Proceed to step 7.

If you know the answers to all of the above questions, you're ready to place an order. You can place your order online or over the phone at (877) 710-9493.

To place your order online, click here.

The federal-level background check, known as an Identity History Summary, is performed by the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). To obtain your criminal background check from the FBI, you can mail in FBI Form FD-258 with inked fingerprints or submit an electronic request with Live Scan fingerprints. We do not offer these services, but the FBI Electronic Departmental Order website offers detailed information about the process.

Once you have obtained your FBI Identity History Summary, proceed to step 2.

You can send your FBI background check to our office to be apostilled. Please include the following information:

We highly recommend using secure mail with tracking to ship us the document. FedEx Priority Overnight, USPS Priority Mail Express, and UPS Next Day Air are all good ways to quickly and securely get the letter of good conduct to us.

For more information about this step or to get a price quote, call (877) 710-9493.

Once the FBI background check has been sent to us, proceed to step 3.

We will take your FBI background to Washintgon, DC, to be apostilled. The US Secretary of State's office will check the name and signature of the official at the FBI, and then issue an apostille. For countries that have signed the Hague Convention for Apostilles, no further legalization is needed. For countries that have not signed the Hague Convention, an embassy visit will be necessary.

For more information about federal apostilles or Hague member countries, call (877) 710-9493.

If the FBI background check is being authenticated for a country that that has not signed the Hague Convention, proceed to step 4.

If the FBI background check is being authenticated for one of the countries that has signed the Hague Convention, skip to step 5.

Countries that have not signed the Hague Convention for Apostilles require additional processing for FBI background check legalization. Typically, this is done at the country's embassy in Washington, DC. After we get the background check apostilled by the US Secretary of State, we will bring it to the relevant embassy for legalization.

For more information about the process for non-Hague countries, call (877) 710-9493.

You're almost done! To decide what to do with the document, proceed to step 5.

Once the FBI background check has been apostilled/authenticated, we can send it back to you or directly to the receiving country. Shipping within the United States is included in the apostille price. For shipping rates to other countries, click here or call (877) 710-9493 for a quote.

Once you know where the document is going, you're ready to order. Proceed to step 6.

If you know the answers to all of the above questions, you're ready to place an order. You can place your order online or over the phone at (877) 710-9493.

To place your order online, click here.