Expedited FBI Apostille Services in Michigan
If you live in Michigan and a foreign authority wants your FBI background check with an apostille, Lansing is not where that apostille comes from. It is issued in Washington, DC. Apostille Authentications receives your FBI result by email, has it hand-carried to the U.S. Department of State, and returns the apostilled document to your Michigan address by FedEx in 10 business days.
Call (971) 514-3743 or request a quote.
- Ensure your documents are processed without delay
- Speak with our experts for personalized assistance
- Discover how we can expedite your apostille process
Why Lansing cannot apostille your FBI background check
Michigan apostilles are issued by the Michigan Department of State, Office of the Great Seal, in the Richard H. Austin Building at 430 W. Allegan Street in Lansing. The office lists the documents it accepts: papers notarized by a Michigan notary public, certified copies of Michigan birth, marriage, divorce and death records, and certified articles of incorporation from the state licensing agency.
An FBI Identity History Summary is a federal record, so it is outside that list. The office that apostilles it is the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, DC.
Two points that trip up Michigan clients:
- ICHAT is not an FBI check. The Michigan State Police run the Internet Criminal History Access Tool, a name-based search of public records held by the MSP Criminal Justice Information Center. MSP states that ICHAT does not include federal records, tribal records, traffic records, juvenile records, local misdemeanors or criminal history from other states. A consulate that asks for an FBI or national check will not take it.
- A Secretary of State branch counter does not change the answer. Michigan also offers document authentication at several Secretary of State offices, including Detroit, Grand Rapids, Flint, Livonia, Pontiac, Clinton Township and Marquette. They certify the same Michigan documents as Lansing. A trip to one of them with an FBI report is a wasted trip.
For Michigan vital records or notarized documents, see state apostille services.
How it works from Michigan
- Get fingerprinted near home. Either have an ink FD-1164 card rolled at a police department, sheriff’s office or fingerprinting vendor, or register on the FBI’s eDO site and give electronic prints at a participating U.S. Post Office. Then request your FBI Identity History Summary. The FBI fee is $18.
- Receive the FBI result. It arrives as a PDF carrying the FBI watermark and the signature of a division official.
- Email us the PDF. Send the photo page of your passport with it. We compare the name and date of birth on both before anything is filed.
- Hand delivery in Washington. We prepare Form DS-4194 and our Herndon, Virginia office carries the request to the Department of State Office of Authentications. There is no DOJ certification step for an FBI result.
- Return shipping. FedEx to your Michigan address, or FedEx or DHL directly to you overseas.
We have no office in Michigan and we do not take fingerprints there. Our work starts once you have the FBI PDF.
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Certified translation and discounted shipping.
Michigan pricing and turnaround
| Service | Price | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Expedited FBI apostille (you already have the FBI result) | $390 | 10 business days |
| Standard FBI apostille | $195 | 7–8 weeks |
The 10 business days run from the day we receive your FBI PDF. Hand delivery by our Herndon office is what separates the expedited service from the standard one.
Where we serve Michigan clients
Everywhere in the state, by email and FedEx. Clients write to us from Detroit and the suburbs of Warren, Sterling Heights and Dearborn, from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo on the west side, from Ann Arbor, Lansing and Flint, and from Traverse City and Marquette up north. The Upper Peninsula gets the same turnaround as Wayne County, because no part of the process requires a visit.
Why Michiganders need an apostilled FBI check
Common destinations for our Michigan clients include Mexico, China and Germany for work assignments and residence permits, and South Korea and Japan for teaching and work visas. Italy comes up for citizenship by descent and residency, India for employment and family visas, and Spain, Portugal and Panama for study, retirement and residency.
Many of these countries want the document in their own language. Certified translation can be added to the same order. Immigration offices often accept only an FBI check issued within the last 3 to 6 months, so plan your fingerprinting date around your application date.
Our FBI apostille services page explains the federal process in more detail.
FAQ
Can the Michigan Office of the Great Seal apostille an FBI background check?
No. The Office of the Great Seal in Lansing certifies Michigan notarized documents, certified Michigan vital records and certified articles of incorporation. An FBI background check is a federal document and is apostilled by the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC.
How fast is an expedited FBI apostille in Michigan?
10 business days from the day your FBI result reaches us. The standard service takes 7–8 weeks.
Will a Michigan State Police ICHAT report work instead?
Not if the request is for an FBI check. ICHAT is a name-based search of Michigan public criminal history and, according to MSP, leaves out federal records and records from other states. Use it only when the foreign authority asked for a state-level check.
I live in Detroit or Grand Rapids. Is there an office I should visit?
No. We have no Michigan office, and the state authentication counters in Detroit and Grand Rapids do not handle FBI reports. Everything is done by email, with the apostille delivered by FedEx.
Can you send the apostille straight to another country?
Yes. We ship by FedEx or DHL to an overseas address if you have already left Michigan.
Start your Michigan FBI apostille
Call (971) 514-3743, message us on WhatsApp, or request a quote and tell us the destination country and your deadline.
