Requesting the FBI Check for a Spanish Visa
Almost every long-stay Spanish visa asks adults for a criminal record certificate. For an American, the only version Spanish consulates accept is the FBI background check, and it has to be recent, apostilled and translated into Spanish.
Below we explain which document to request, who apostilles it and how the translation works. For the other papers in a visa file, see our guide to documents for moving to Spain.
The Document Spain Requires
The FBI calls the document an Identity History Summary. Everyone else calls it an FBI background check, and both names mean the same thing. Spanish consulates require it from every applicant aged 18 and older.
Federal is the key word. The Consulate General of Spain in Miami states that it accepts only federal certificates, never local or state ones, and the consulates in Washington, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco say the same. A letter from your state police or county sheriff will be sent back.
If you have lived in another country during the last five years, the consulate may also ask for a criminal record certificate from that country.
How to Request the FBI Check
You can request the summary directly from the FBI or through an FBI-approved Channeler, a private company authorized to submit requests on your behalf. Both routes are based on your fingerprints, so plan a fingerprinting appointment before anything else.
Consulates set a validity window counted from the date of issue. The Washington embassy and the Houston consulate both want the check issued within the last six months, and the Miami consulate treats it as valid for six months. Order it too early and it may expire before your appointment.
Who Apostilles an FBI Check
The FBI background check is a federal document, so the apostille comes from the US Department of State's Office of Authentications. A state secretary of state cannot apostille it, and sending it to one only costs you time.
The apostille must certify the signature of the FBI official on the check itself. The Embassy of Spain in Washington rejects apostilles that certify a local notary's signature instead, so do not have the check notarized and then apostilled at state level.
The Spanish Translation
Once apostilled, the FBI check needs an official translation into Spanish. The Consulate of Spain in Houston asks for a translation by a certified translator, and the Washington embassy accepts a sworn or certified translator. Authorities inside Spain usually expect a traductor jurado, a translator appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Washington embassy adds that the apostille itself needs no translation. Other consulates may ask for every page, so check the list of the consulate that covers your state before you order.
A Simple Timeline
- Check your consulate's visa page and note its validity window for the FBI check.
- Get fingerprinted and request the FBI background check, directly or through a Channeler.
- Send the check to the US Department of State for the apostille.
- Have the check translated into Spanish in the form your consulate accepts.
- Book your visa appointment while the check is still inside the validity window.
How BeTranslated Can Help
Our Spanish translation team translates FBI background checks for visa and residence files, together with the birth certificate translations and the other records the consulate requires. We can also arrange the apostille, so the check, its apostille and its translation come back to you as one file.
When a Spanish authority asks for a traductor jurado, we work with translators appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Tell us which consulate will receive your file, and we will prepare the translation in the form it accepts.
Send us your FBI check for a free translation quote. We reply with a price and delivery date within 12 hours.
Moving to Valencia?
If Valencia is where you are headed, our relocation partner ValenciaMove helps Americans with the rest of the move: visas, the NIE, finding a home and the paperwork after you arrive. Read their guide to moving to Valencia from the USA.
FAQs
Can I Use a State or Local Police Check?
No. The Spanish consulates we checked in Washington, Houston, Miami, Chicago and San Francisco accept only the federal FBI background check.
How Recent Must the FBI Check Be?
At the consulates we checked, the check must be issued within the last six months. Count from the date on the check to the date of your visa appointment.
Can a State Office Apostille My FBI Check?
No. The FBI check is a federal document, so only the US Department of State can apostille it.
Does the Apostille Need a Translation Too?
The Embassy of Spain in Washington says it does not. If your consulate's checklist asks for it, follow the checklist.
