Do you need to apostille your California background check?

If you are planning to move, start a new job, get married, adopt, obtain dual citizenship, or continue education in a foreign country (outside of the US), you will be asked to obtain an apostille on your background check.    In most cases, you will also be asked to obtain an apostille on your FBI Background check.  More information here: FBI background check apostille

We can apostille criminal background checks issued from all 50 U.S. states, District of Columbia, and the FBI. For countries who are non-members of the Hague Apostille Convention, we can also process your background check through the U.S. Department of State and the Embassy or Consulate office.

In the state of California, the first step is to contact a private fingerprinting service who will digitally scan your fingerprints and submit them to the California Department of Justice for processing.  The results you receive in the mail will not have an official signature from the California Department of Justice.  In order to obtain a signed letter (see example below), you will need to contact the California Department of Justice and ask to speak to Anthony Molina.

Here is an example of a letter signed by Anthony Molina who is a Crime Analyst for the California Department of Justice:

The letter signed by Anthony Molina above can receive the California Apostille through the California Secretary of State’s office because his signature is on file with the state.

In the State of California, we have offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Cost: As low as $75 for each apostille.
Office Hours: Monday – Saturday 9am – 6pm
Customer Support: 1-800-850-3441
Email: California@apostilleservices.com
Download Forms: California Apostille Order Forms

Note: Obtaining a background check from the FBI is the most popular option and accepted by all countries.  FBI Apostille

Background check issued from the local Police, Sheriff, or State office can only be authenticated from the State of issue.  The Secretary of State does not have the authority to authenticate documents issued from another State. For example, if your background check is from the State of California, the State of California is the only State that can issue the apostille.  Another example is if your background check is from New York, only the State of New York can issue the apostille.

Local Police Station Background Check – If the requesting country is requesting a local Police background check, then all you need to do is have a letter drafted and notarized by the local police department.  Once your background check is ready to be picked-up, you will need to contact a local traveling notary to meet with the Officer to notarize his/her signature on the document.  The notary will also need to use the correct notarial wording for the State.  Once complete, mail the notarized background check with our order forms to our office for processing.

Local Sheriff’s Department Background Check – If the requesting country is requesting a local Sheriff’s Department background check, then all you need to do is have a letter drafted and notarized by the local Sheriff’s department.  Once your background check is ready to be picked-up, you will need to contact a local traveling notary to meet with the Deputy to notarize his/her signature on the document.  The notary will also need to use the correct notarial wording for the State.  .  Once complete, mail the notarized background check with our order forms to our office for processing.

Department of Justice Background Check(DOJ) – Office of the Attorney General – Obtaining a background check from the State’s Department of Justice can be a little more complicated.  For example, if you are in California, you’ll need to contact the California Department of Justice (DOJ).  The Office of the Attorney General or the local Police Department of your State will provide you step-by-step directions.

FBI Background check – The first step in obtaining your FBI Background Check is to contact an FBI Approved Channeler. An FBI channeler will provide you step by step instructions including sending you a fingerprint card. Once you receive your background check, you can then mail-in this document to our Washington DC apostille office for processing.  If you are located outside of the country and need to obtain your FBI background check, the FBI approved channeler will provide you instructions on how to obtain a digital copy of your FBI background check.  Once you receive the digital copy, you can email it to our office with our FBI apostille order forms for processing.

Obtaining an apostille can be complicated. Don’t leave this process to untrained employees or non-professionals who do not fully understand the apostille process and the unique requirements of certain countries. Your paperwork could be rejected costing you time and money. Don’t let this happen to you!

Our staff is available Monday-Saturday from 9am to 6pm to answer your questions and provide you easy to follow-step-by-step instructions.  Please call us at 1-800-850-3441.

Click on the download image to your left to get started. Our apostille service is fast, convenient, and saves you time and money.