Do you need Apostille for your FBI background check ?


If you have a FBI Background Background Check, a Criminal History Search or a Certificate of Free Sale and you need an Apostille, your first thought, I'll send it to my local Secretary of State to be processed. However, when you get it back it will probalbly be rejected because the states Secretary of State can not authenticate document that were signed or created by the Federal government or its agencies.

Documents that are created by Federal agencies such as a FBI Background Check, Free Sale Certificate and those listed below will not be acceptable by your local Secretary of State Apostille Office. If you have a document that is signed by a U.S. Embassy Officer in a foreign country or any person who works for the a Federal agency their signature must be authenticated by a U.S. Secretary of State at the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC.
Your local state agency (Secretary of State or Department of Treasury) is not authorized to apostille documents that are created by or signed by a federal agency employee. These type of documet must be processed by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC.

The following documents are created by the Federal Agencies & must receive a Federal Apostille from the U.S. Department of State

  • FBI Background Check
  • Sanitation certificate,
  • Certificate of Free Sale issued by the FDA
  • BSE- Free Certificate
  • Certificate of Exportability
  • Certificate to Foreign Government (CFG)
  • Certificate of Pharmaceutical Products (CPP)
  • Certificate of Non-Clinical Research Use Only
  • Specified Risk Materials of Bovine Origin Certificate
  • Certificate of Pharmaceutical Products CPP - Foreign Manufacturer
  • Naturalization Certificate
  • USDA Animal Health Certificate
  • Phytosanitary Certificate or Plant Certificate
  • USPTO Trademark Certificate
  • USPTO Patent Certificate
  • Form 6166- US Tax Residency Certificate
  • Export Certificate for Animal Products


Documents issued by the State Government (e.g., birth certificate, death certificate, marriage record, notarized affidavit or power of attorney), must be certified by the Secretary of the State in your state before they can be presented to the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC for authentication.