Expedited FBI Apostille Services in Alabama
If you live in Alabama and a foreign government wants your FBI background check apostilled, the paperwork does not go through Montgomery. It goes through 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 Alabama 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 Montgomery cannot apostille your FBI background check
In Alabama, apostilles are issued by the Authentication Division of the Office of the Secretary of State in Montgomery. The division lists the documents it handles: birth certificates, marriage certificates, statements of marital status, articles of incorporation, corporate bylaws, certificates of merger, powers of attorney, diplomas, school transcripts, deeds and ABI background checks.
On federal paperwork the Secretary of State is direct. Its authentications page says federal documents are not authenticated at the state level and refers people to the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office. An FBI Identity History Summary is a federal document, so the Office of Authentications in Washington, DC is the only place it can be apostilled.
Two points that trip up Alabama clients:
- The “background check” Montgomery authenticates is the state one. The Secretary of State’s list mentions ABI background checks, meaning the Alabama state record. That record is requested from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) Criminal Records and Identification Unit on its Application to Review Alabama Criminal History Record Information, with fingerprints and a $25 fee. It is an Alabama agency document with an Alabama apostille. When a consulate writes FBI, federal or national, it is asking for the FBI Identity History Summary with a U.S. Department of State apostille, and the state document does not replace it.
- Notarizing the FBI PDF does not turn it into a state document. An Alabama notary can certify a copy and Montgomery can authenticate the notary, but what you end up with is a state certificate attached to a federal record. Foreign authorities generally want the federal apostille.
For Alabama birth certificates, marriage certificates or diplomas, see state apostille services.
How it works from Alabama
- Get fingerprinted near home. Use an ink FD-1164 card taken 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. Either way you request the 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. We check the name and date of birth against your passport before anything is filed, so send the passport photo page too.
- Hand delivery in Washington. We prepare Form DS-4194 and our Herndon, Virginia office hand-carries the request to the Office of Authentications. There is no DOJ certification step. The FBI result goes straight to the Department of State.
- Return shipping. FedEx to your Alabama address, or FedEx or DHL straight to your address overseas.
Apostille Authentications has no office in Alabama and does not take fingerprints there. Our work starts once you have the FBI PDF.
Avoid Rejections
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Expedite Your Documents
State agents for same-day apostille service.
Security
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Translations/ Intl. Shipping
Certified translation and discounted shipping.
Alabama 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. What you pay for with the expedited service is the hand-carry in Washington.
Where we serve Alabama clients
Everywhere in the state, by email and FedEx. Clients write to us from Birmingham and Hoover, from Huntsville and Madison in the north, from Mobile on the Gulf Coast, and from the college towns of Tuscaloosa and Auburn. The process is identical for Montgomery, Dothan and Decatur. Because the file moves by email, distance from the capital has no effect on timing.
Why Alabamians need an apostilled FBI check
Common destinations for our Alabama clients include South Korea and Japan for teaching and work visas, and Germany for work and residence permits. Spain and Italy come up for study, residency and citizenship by descent files. Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica ask for the document with retirement and residency applications.
Where the receiving country does not work in English, expect to supply a translation. Certified translation can be ordered together with the apostille. Many authorities accept only an FBI check issued in the last 3 to 6 months, so plan your fingerprinting date around your application date.
Our FBI apostille services page covers the federal process in more detail.
FAQ
Can the Alabama Secretary of State apostille an FBI background check?
No. The Authentication Division in Montgomery states that federal documents are not authenticated at the state level and refers them to the U.S. Department of State Authentications Office.
How fast is an expedited FBI apostille in Alabama?
10 business days from the day we receive your FBI result. The standard service takes 7–8 weeks.
Is an ALEA background check the same as an FBI background check?
No. The Alabama record is requested from the ALEA Criminal Records and Identification Unit and is authenticated by the Alabama Secretary of State. The FBI Identity History Summary is issued by the FBI and apostilled by the U.S. Department of State. Use the one your destination authority names.
I live in Huntsville or Mobile. Do I have to travel to Montgomery?
No. Nothing in an FBI apostille happens in Montgomery, and we have no Alabama office to visit. You email the FBI PDF and the apostille comes back by FedEx.
Can you ship the apostille overseas if I have already left Alabama?
Yes. We send by FedEx or DHL to an address abroad, and you can email the FBI PDF from anywhere.
Start your Alabama FBI apostille
Call (971) 514-3743, message us on WhatsApp, or request a quote and tell us your destination country and deadline.
