FbiApostilleLosAngeles.com is an educational publication owned and operated by Anshin Mobile Notary & LiveScan. We explain how FBI background checks are prepared for international use, including the timing and coordination required for a federal apostille.
This article is based on our operational experience helping applicants move from electronic FBI fingerprint submission through federal apostille processing, document retrieval, quality review and return delivery. The purpose is to help applicants plan realistically before an interview, residency filing or overseas document deadline.
“I need an FBI background check and apostille for my visa interview. How quickly can the entire process be completed?”
We hear versions of this question every week. The applicant may have a visa interview approaching, an attorney waiting for documents or a foreign employer asking for an immediate update. Frequently, the applicant does not yet have the FBI background check and does not realize that obtaining the report and obtaining the federal apostille are two separate timing components.
This is where many people become confused.
The first component is obtaining the FBI Identity History Summary. The time required depends heavily on how the fingerprints are submitted. When an applicant completes an electronic FBI background check through Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan, we ordinarily receive the result the same day. That same-day experience should not be treated as the normal timeline for every available method. An applicant who uses a participating Post Office must first navigate the FBI’s electronic request process and arrange the fingerprint submission. An applicant who mails physical fingerprint cards directly to the FBI must also allow for mailing, receipt and manual handling, so that route can take weeks.
The second component is preparing the completed FBI report for international use. The federal apostille requires document intake, verification, preparation in Washington, D.C., submission during a limited window, processing inside the U.S. Department of State, document pickup, final inspection and return delivery.
The Department of State currently publishes a seven-business-day processing period for eligible in-person drop-off requests. From our experience handling these submissions through our Washington, D.C. office, applicants should realistically allow seven to nine business days inside the Department of State process, with many requests taking the full nine business days.
Most importantly, those seven to nine business days are only the middle of the apostille component. They are not the total time required to obtain the FBI report and deliver the completed apostille to the client.
Begin With the Date the Completed Document Must Arrive
People usually begin with today’s date and count forward. A better approach is to begin with the actual deadline and work backward.
Ask yourself:
- When is the visa or residency interview?
- When must the attorney receive the completed document?
- Will the document be uploaded electronically, presented in person or shipped overseas?
- Does it also need translation?
- Does the receiving authority impose a document-age requirement?
The meaningful deadline is not always the interview date. If the completed package must be translated, reviewed by an attorney or delivered internationally before the interview, the working deadline may be considerably earlier.
Applicants who wait until the final days often ask whether the Department of State can simply move their document to the front of the line. A personal deadline does not automatically create an expedited federal process. Realistic planning is therefore one of the most important parts of preparing an FBI background check for international use.
Component One: Obtaining the FBI Background Check
Some applicants contact us before they have an FBI report. Others already possess the correct FBI-issued PDF and only need help with the federal apostille. Those clients begin at different points in the timeline.
When an applicant completes electronic FBI fingerprinting through Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan, the result is ordinarily returned the same day. This is a specific advantage of the electronic workflow we coordinate; it is not a statement that every FBI background check obtained through every method takes one day. Unusual FBI processing issues, fingerprint-quality problems or system interruptions can still affect an individual request.
Electronic Submission Through Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan
For the fastest scenario discussed in this article, the applicant completes electronic fingerprinting through Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan. We submit the fingerprints electronically and ordinarily receive the FBI Identity History Summary the same day. The applicant then must access the FBI-issued result so the correct PDF can move into the apostille workflow.
Electronic Fingerprinting at a Participating Post Office
The FBI also allows an applicant who has completed the FBI’s electronic request to visit a participating U.S. Post Office for electronic fingerprint submission. The FBI states that electronic requests should be processed faster than mailed-card requests, but applicants still must complete the correct registration steps, find a participating location, attend the fingerprint appointment and retrieve the result. This article does not promise a specific Post Office turnaround time because timing can depend on the applicant’s registration, appointment and FBI processing.
Mailing Fingerprint Cards Directly to the FBI
An applicant may also mail physical fingerprint cards to the FBI. That route is not a same-day process. The applicant must obtain acceptable fingerprints, prepare the request, mail the cards, wait for delivery and allow the FBI to process the submission in the order received. In practical terms, an applicant using physical mail should plan in weeks rather than assuming the report will arrive in one day.
The important planning principle is simple: before calculating the apostille timeline, determine how the FBI report will be obtained. A same-day electronic result through Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan and a mailed fingerprint-card request do not create the same starting date.
Receiving the Result Is Not the Same as Accessing the Correct PDF
The FBI sends electronic access information by email. Many applicants are surprised to learn that downloading the correct report can become its own delay. We regularly help people who cannot locate the necessary emails, do not understand the access instructions, have trouble opening the report or send us a screenshot instead of the actual FBI-issued PDF.
If you still need to obtain your report, information about the same-day electronic workflow offered by Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan is available through our FBI background check service.
The apostille preparation stage cannot properly begin until the correct FBI document has been received and verified.
The FBI PDF Must Be the Correct, Unaltered Document
An electronic FBI report is not merely information that can be copied into another file. The PDF itself contains the features used to identify it as the FBI-issued result. It must be handled carefully.
Before sending the report for apostille preparation, avoid:
- Editing the contents of the PDF
- Removing pages
- Combining it with unrelated files
- Converting a screenshot into a new PDF
- Printing and rescanning it unnecessarily
- Adding a notarization to the FBI report
A renamed file may still be usable if the underlying PDF remains intact, but changing the document itself can create a serious submission problem. When there is doubt, the safest approach is to provide the original PDF downloaded through the FBI’s electronic system.
Component Two: Preparing and Apostilling the FBI Report
Once the correct FBI report has been obtained and accessed, the second component begins. The Department of State processing clock does not begin when the applicant calls us, pays for service, receives the FBI email or forwards a file.
First, the document has to go through intake and verification. We confirm that the file is the correct FBI report, that it appears complete and unaltered, and that the destination country and requested service have been identified.
The destination matters because it determines whether the completed federal certificate will be an apostille for a Hague Convention country or an authentication certificate that may require additional embassy or consular legalization for a non-Hague destination.
After verification, the electronic document and case information are securely transferred to our Washington, D.C. office. We do not place the report into the Department of State’s ordinary mail-in queue. Our Washington office prints the FBI PDF, reviews it again and prepares the physical submission package for in-person drop-off.
This preparation stage exists for a reason. A fast submission is not useful if the wrong file, an incomplete document or incorrect destination information causes the request to be rejected or processed incorrectly.
In-Person Submission Happens During a Limited Morning Window
A prepared document is not submitted at any hour of the day. The U.S. Department of State currently accepts eligible walk-in drop-offs during a limited morning window—7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday, excluding federal holidays.
This creates an important timing distinction. A report that reaches Washington after the available submission window may have to wait until the next eligible drop-off period. A Thursday delay may push actual submission into the following week. A federal holiday can affect the schedule further.
Only after the prepared request has actually been submitted to the Department of State should the internal government-processing period be counted.
The Third Clock: Seven to Nine Business Days Inside the Department of State
The Department of State currently publishes a seven-business-day processing period for this type of in-person request. In our operational experience, the realistic processing window is seven to nine business days and frequently reaches the full nine business days.
A business day is not the same as a calendar day.
For this process, Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays do not count as ordinary business days. If the government has the document over two weekends, those weekend dates do not reduce the remaining business-day count. If a federal holiday occurs during the processing period, that date can extend the calendar timeline as well.
For example, nine business days will normally extend across more than one calendar week. Depending on the submission day and federal holiday schedule, the elapsed calendar time may be two weeks or longer.
This is why telling a client “nine business days” does not mean “your document will be back nine days from today.” The document must first be prepared and submitted, and it still must be retrieved and returned after federal processing is complete.
Completion by the Department of State Is Not the End of the Timeline
When federal processing is complete, the apostille is not automatically delivered to the client.
Our Washington office must retrieve the completed package and inspect it. We verify that the certificate corresponds to the correct FBI report, that the country information is correct and that the completed document is intact.
We then confirm the client’s return instructions and shipping address. This matters because the desired delivery location may have changed, the client may already be overseas or an attorney may need to receive the document directly.
After the address is verified, the completed document is packaged and shipped from Washington, D.C. Carrier transit time is additional. Weekends, holidays, weather and the selected delivery service can all affect when the package physically arrives.
The Complete FBI Background Check and Apostille Timeline
The complete workflow generally looks like this:
- Selection of the FBI submission method: electronic submission through Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan, a participating Post Office or mailed fingerprint cards
- Fingerprint submission and FBI processing; the electronic workflow offered by Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan ordinarily produces the result the same day, while other methods require their own timelines
- Applicant access to the FBI-issued PDF
- Document intake and verification
- Secure transfer to the Washington, D.C. office
- Printing and preparation of the submission package
- In-person submission during the permitted Department of State window
- Approximately seven to nine business days of federal processing based on the published estimate and our operational experience
- Pickup and final quality review in Washington
- Address confirmation, packaging and return shipping
- Translation or additional legalization, when required by the receiving authority
Not every applicant needs every step. Someone who already has an acceptable FBI report begins at document verification. A document intended for a non-Hague country may require additional legalization. A foreign authority may also require certified translation of the FBI report and federal certificate.
When translation is part of the assignment, it should be coordinated with the authentication sequence instead of treated as an afterthought. Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan provides information about coordinated international translation and apostille workflows.
Why Dividing the Process Among Several Providers Can Add Time
Some applicants obtain fingerprints from one provider, use another company for the FBI submission, send the apostille somewhere else and arrange translation separately. That approach can work, but every handoff introduces another point where information, files or deadlines can be misunderstood.
From our experience, the greatest delays are not always caused by the government. They frequently occur between stages:
- The applicant does not download the correct FBI PDF
- The apostille provider receives an altered or incomplete file
- The destination country is not identified correctly
- A submission window is missed
- Translation requirements are discovered too late
- The return address is incomplete or no longer appropriate
Coordinating the workflow does not eliminate the Department of State processing period. It does, however, reduce avoidable delays before and after that period.
What If Your Interview Is Approaching?
If your visa, residency or citizenship interview is approaching and the apostille cannot be completed in time, do not assume that the federal process can be shortened.
Contact the embassy, consulate, attorney or requesting authority immediately. Explain that the FBI document has been submitted for federal apostille processing and ask:
- Should I still attend the scheduled interview?
- May I provide proof that the apostille is in process?
- Can the completed document be submitted after the interview?
- Should the appointment be rescheduled?
- Is electronic follow-up accepted, or will the original physical document be required?
Whenever possible, obtain the answer in writing. Some authorities permit a missing document to be supplied later; others require a complete file at the interview. The receiving authority—not the apostille provider—controls that decision.
How to Avoid an Unnecessary Timing Emergency
Start With the Real Delivery Deadline
Determine when the completed document must be in the hands of the receiving authority, not merely when you hope to begin the process.
Confirm the Requirement Before Ordering
Verify that the authority actually requires an FBI Identity History Summary and a federal apostille. Confirm whether translation or embassy legalization will also be necessary.
Download and Preserve the Original FBI PDF
Access the report promptly, save the original file securely and do not alter it.
Account for Weekends and Federal Holidays
Do not count every date on the calendar as a processing day. Review the federal holiday calendar when working against a close deadline.
Allow Time After Federal Processing
Remember that retrieval, inspection, address confirmation, packaging and return shipping occur after the Department of State completes its work.
Do Not Wait to Discuss Translation
If international translation is required, the translator will need a scan of the apostilled document and the apostille itself. That may affect both timing and the proper order of work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to obtain the FBI background check?
The answer depends on the submission method. When an applicant completes an electronic FBI background check through Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan, the result is ordinarily available the same day. A participating Post Office involves the FBI’s electronic request and Post Office fingerprint process. Mailing physical fingerprint cards directly to the FBI requires mailing and manual receipt, so applicants should plan in weeks rather than expect a same-day result.
How long does an FBI apostille take?
The Department of State currently publishes a seven-business-day processing period for eligible in-person submissions. Based on our operational experience, applicants should realistically plan for seven to nine business days inside the Department of State, often the full nine. Document preparation, submission scheduling, pickup and return shipping require additional time.
When does the seven-to-nine-business-day period begin?
It begins after the correctly prepared request is actually submitted to the U.S. Department of State. It does not begin when fingerprints are taken, when the FBI releases the report or when the applicant first sends the PDF to the apostille provider.
Are weekends included in FBI apostille processing time?
No. Saturdays and Sundays are not counted as ordinary federal business days. Federal holidays can also extend the calendar timeline.
Can an electronic FBI background check be used for a federal apostille?
An appropriate FBI-issued electronic report can generally be prepared for federal submission when the original PDF is complete and unaltered. A screenshot, modified PDF or unnecessary notarization can create problems. The document should be reviewed before submission.
Does the Department of State processing estimate include shipping?
No. The processing estimate does not include the time required to prepare the request, transfer it to Washington, submit it during the available window, retrieve it after completion or ship it to the client.
Can an FBI apostille be expedited because I have a visa interview?
A scheduled interview does not automatically create an expedited Department of State process. Contact the requesting authority immediately and ask whether you should attend, provide proof that the apostille is pending, submit the completed document later or reschedule.
Should I count forward from the day I order the service?
No. Begin with the date the completed document must arrive and plan backward. Include FBI report access, verification, Washington preparation, submission timing, federal processing, pickup, shipping and any required translation or legalization.
Plan the Entire Workflow, Not Just the Government Processing Period
When the fingerprints are submitted electronically through Anshin Mobile Notary & Livescan, receiving the FBI result may be the fastest part of the process because the result is ordinarily returned the same day. Applicants using a Post Office or mailed-card route must allow for the separate timeline associated with that method. In every case, the speed of the FBI-result stage can create the false impression that the federal apostille will also happen immediately.
The safest planning assumption is that the published Department of State processing period represents only the time the document spends inside one part of a larger workflow. Before that period, the FBI report must be accessed, verified, transferred to Washington, printed, prepared and submitted. Afterward, it must be retrieved, inspected, packaged and returned.
When an applicant understands those stages at the beginning, the timeline becomes much easier to manage. More importantly, the applicant can make decisions based on the date the completed international document is actually needed—not on the date the FBI email happens to arrive.
This article is part of Timing and Validity, where we cover the parts of the process that never appear in a processing estimate.
Also in this section: Spain: When Does the Six-Month Clock Start? and How Many Times Can I Use the Same Report?.