An FBI background check Apostille is one of the few documents in a Spain digital nomad visa file that cannot be handled by an online notary. The FBI Identity History Summary is a federal document, so its Apostille comes from the US Department of State, not from a state Secretary of State and not from a notary. NotaryPublic24 does not issue FBI reports or federal Apostilles; those are handled by the FBI and the US Department of State. This guide is informational: it walks you through that route and explains which of the remaining documents in your digital nomad visa file we can notarize, Apostille and translate.
This guide explains what the Spanish consulate requires, how to order the FBI report, how the federal Apostille works, why the timeline is the main risk, and which of the other documents in your application can be notarized and Apostilled online instead.
What Spain requires from US applicants
The Spanish consulate in Washington publishes the rule for the telework (digital nomad) visa in plain terms. The criminal record check must be issued by the US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. State or local police background checks are not accepted.
The report must be issued within the six months before you submit the application, and it must carry a Hague Apostille. The consulate does not accept a report without one.
The Apostille must certify the signature on the FBI report itself. An Apostille that certifies a notary’s signature stamped onto the report is refused. The report must also be undamaged, which includes not removing staples to scan it.
You submit the original and a photocopy of the report, the Apostille and an official Spanish translation. If you spent more than 180 days in another country during the past two years, you need a certificate from that country as well, Apostilled unless it was issued in the EU.
Step 1: Order the FBI Identity History Summary
The Identity History Summary, often called an FBI background check or rap sheet, is requested from the FBI directly or through an FBI-approved channeler. Both routes need your fingerprints. The FBI fee is US$18 per request. Electronic requests through the FBI eDO system or an FBI-approved channeler are usually returned within a few business days once the FBI has your fingerprints, and channelers are available to US citizens and lawful permanent residents. Requests by post take several weeks.
Applying directly, you submit the request online, mail or scan your fingerprint card, and receive the result electronically or by post. Channelers collect fingerprints electronically and usually return the report within days, which matters when the six-month clock is running.
Ask for the response in the format the Department of State can authenticate. A report with the FBI’s signature and seal is what the Apostille will certify, so keep the original untouched: no staples removed, no notes, no folds beyond what the envelope needs.
Step 2: The FBI background check Apostille from the US Department of State
The Hague Apostille Convention assigns one or more competent authorities per country. In the United States, state-issued documents are Apostilled by the Secretary of State of that state, while federal documents are Apostilled by the US Department of State’s Office of Authentications in Washington, DC.
Because the FBI report is federal, only the Department of State can Apostille it. A state Apostille, or an Apostille attached to a notarized copy, does not certify the FBI signature and is exactly what the consulate says it refuses.
You mail the original report with the Department of State’s request form and fee, stating Spain as the destination country, and the office returns the report with the Apostille attached. The fee is US$20 per document, requested with form DS-4194, and the Department of State currently quotes around ten to twelve business days of processing, excluding mailing time in each direction. By post, allow several weeks door to door. Check the current processing time on the Department of State website before you order the FBI report, because the two steps together determine whether you stay inside the six-month window.
Some FBI channelers and Apostille agencies offer to handle the Department of State step for you. That can save weeks of postal time, but the Apostille is still issued by the Department of State; nobody else can issue it.
Step 3: The sworn Spanish translation
Once the Apostille is attached, the report and the Apostille are translated together by a sworn translator. The consulate in Washington accepts translators listed by the American Translators Association as well as sworn translators recognised by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The translation does not need its own Apostille, and the Apostille does not need a separate translation. Translating before the Apostille is a common mistake, because the translation then misses the Apostille text and has to be redone. Our guide on sworn vs certified translation explains what the consulate means by an official translation.
Plan the timeline backwards from your appointment
The report must be less than six months old on the day you submit. Several consulates and advisers work to a 90-day rule in practice, so treat 90 days as the safe target.
- Book or estimate your BLS appointment date first.
- Count back the current Department of State processing time plus mailing both ways.
- Count back the FBI or channeler turnaround.
- Add one to two weeks for the sworn translation.
- Order the FBI report so that it is issued as late as possible while still leaving time for steps 2 to 4.
Order the report too early and it expires before the appointment. Order it too late and the Apostille is not back in time. Everything else in the file, from the company certificate to your degree, can be prepared well ahead, because those documents have no six-month limit.
| Step | Typical time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FBI report via channeler | 3–5 business days | US citizens and permanent residents only |
| FBI report via eDO or post | 1–6 weeks | Depends on how fingerprints are sent |
| Department of State Apostille | 10–12 business days plus mailing | Several weeks door to door by post |
| Sworn Spanish translation | A few days to a week | After the Apostille |
| Total | Roughly 6–10 weeks | Inside the 6-month validity if you start promptly |
Mistakes that get FBI reports refused
- State or local background check instead of the FBI Identity History Summary.
- State Apostille from a Secretary of State on a federal document.
- Apostille on a notarized copy rather than on the FBI signature.
- Report older than six months at submission.
- Staples removed or pages damaged when scanning.
- Translation made before the Apostille, or by a translator the consulate does not recognise.
- Missing photocopies of the report, Apostille and translation.
The rest of your file can be Apostilled online
To be clear, NotaryPublic24 does not process FBI Identity History Summaries or issue federal Apostilles. The FBI report is the exception in the application, not the rule. The company registration certificate, your degree, powers of attorney and family civil status documents are state or private documents, and those can be notarized and Apostilled through our Apostille service without visiting an office.
Which documents need what is set out in our document checklist for the Spain digital nomad visa, and the full eligibility and income rules are in our main guide. For criminal record documents that are not federal, such as a notarized declaration or a state certificate needed for another purpose, see the criminal records check notarization guide.
Whether a country accepts an Apostille at all is listed in the Hague Convention countries list 2026. Spain and the United States are both parties, which is why the Apostille route applies here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a notary Apostille an FBI background check?
No. A notary can only notarize a signature or a copy, and an Apostille placed on that notarization certifies the notary, not the FBI. The Spanish consulate refuses Apostilles that certify a notary’s signature on the report. The Apostille must come from the US Department of State.
Where do I get an Apostille for an FBI background check?
The FBI background check Apostille comes from the Office of Authentications at the US Department of State in Washington, DC, by mailing the original FBI report with the request form and fee. State Secretaries of State cannot Apostille federal documents.
Does Spain accept a state police background check for the digital nomad visa?
No. The consulate in Washington states that only the FBI Identity History Summary is accepted for US applicants and that state or local checks are refused.
How long is an FBI background check valid for the Spain visa?
Six months from the issue date, counted to the day you submit the application. Many applicants work to 90 days to leave room for the Apostille and translation.
Does the FBI report need to be translated into Spanish?
Yes. The report and its Apostille need an official translation into Spanish by a sworn or certified translator, submitted as original and copy. The translation itself does not need an Apostille.
How long does an FBI background check Apostille take?
Ordering the FBI report takes three to five business days through a channeler or several weeks by post. The Department of State Apostille adds around ten to twelve business days plus mailing in each direction. Allow roughly six to ten weeks for the whole chain, including the sworn Spanish translation.
Can NotaryPublic24 Apostille my FBI background check?
No. Federal Apostilles are issued only by the US Department of State, and we do not process FBI reports. We can notarize and Apostille the other documents in your Spain digital nomad visa file, such as company registration, degree, power of attorney and family certificates, and arrange the sworn Spanish translation, including of your Apostilled FBI report.