Expedited South Carolina FBI Apostille Services
An apostille on an FBI background check is issued in Washington, DC, whichever state you live in. For South Carolina residents that means the document never passes through Columbia. Apostille Authentications receives your FBI result by email, has it hand-carried to the U.S. Department of State, and sends it back to South Carolina by FedEx. The whole job takes 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 Columbia cannot apostille your FBI background check
South Carolina apostilles come from the Secretary of State’s Office, Authentications, at 1205 Pendleton Street in Columbia. The office certifies the signature of an official who has signed a South Carolina public document, and it certifies documents notarized by a commissioned South Carolina notary public. In practice that covers certified birth and death certificates, marriage licenses from a county Probate Court, divorce decrees from a County Clerk of Court, and notarized paperwork.
An FBI Identity History Summary is signed by a federal official, not a South Carolina one. Its apostille is issued by the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications in Washington, DC.
Two mistakes we see from South Carolina clients:
- A SLED CATCH report is not an FBI check. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division states that SLED CATCH shows criminal records information from South Carolina only, and that it is a name-based search. SLED also notes that CATCH results can differ from those of a fingerprint-based search. A foreign authority that asks for an FBI, federal or national check is asking for something else.
- A notary stamp on the FBI PDF does not solve it. Since Columbia certifies South Carolina notarizations, some applicants have the FBI result notarized and send it to the Secretary of State. The certificate they receive covers the notary’s signature only. It is a state certificate on a federal record, and foreign immigration offices tend to return it.
If you also need a South Carolina birth certificate or marriage license apostilled, see state apostille services.
How it works from South Carolina
- Local fingerprinting. Choose an ink FD-1164 card taken by a police department, sheriff’s office or fingerprinting vendor, or register with the FBI’s eDO site and submit electronic prints at a participating U.S. Post Office. Either way you request the FBI Identity History Summary and pay the FBI’s $18 fee.
- FBI response. Your result is issued as a PDF bearing the FBI watermark and a division official’s signature.
- Email it to us. Send the PDF with a copy of your passport photo page. We match the name and date of birth before filing so a discrepancy is caught first.
- Department of State. Form DS-4194 is prepared and the file is hand-carried to the Office of Authentications by our Herndon, Virginia office. No DOJ certification is needed in between. The FBI result goes directly to the Department of State.
- Shipping. FedEx to your South Carolina address, or FedEx or DHL to wherever you are abroad.
We do not have a South Carolina office and we do not fingerprint anyone in the state. Our role starts when the FBI PDF lands in our inbox.
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South Carolina 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 |
We count the 10 business days from receipt of your FBI PDF. What you pay extra for is in-person delivery at the Department of State.
Where we serve South Carolina clients
Statewide, entirely by email and courier. In the Lowcountry that means Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Summerville and Hilton Head Island. In the Midlands it means Columbia. Upstate, it means Greenville, Spartanburg and Clemson. Add Rock Hill near the North Carolina line and Myrtle Beach on the Grand Strand. No part of the state is closer to us than another, so the timeline does not change with your ZIP code.
Why South Carolinians need an apostilled FBI check
Common destinations for our South Carolina clients include Spain, Portugal and Italy for residency, retirement and citizenship files, and Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico for residency. Germany asks for the FBI check in some work and residence permit cases. South Korea and Japan require it for teaching and work visas, and Colombia for several visa categories.
Most of these countries will want the document translated. Certified translation can be included in your order. Check how recent the FBI check has to be. Many authorities set a limit of 3 to 6 months from the issue date.
For the federal process step by step, see FBI apostille services.
FAQ
Can the South Carolina Secretary of State apostille an FBI background check?
No. The Authentications office in Columbia certifies signatures of South Carolina officials and South Carolina notaries. An FBI background check is a federal document, and its apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC.
How fast is an expedited FBI apostille in South Carolina?
10 business days after we receive your FBI result. Standard processing is 7–8 weeks.
Can I use a SLED CATCH background check instead?
Not for a request that specifies an FBI check. SLED CATCH is a name-based search of South Carolina records only. It is suitable only where the foreign authority wants a state-level check.
I am in Charleston or Greenville. Do I have to go to Columbia?
No. Nothing about an FBI apostille is handled in Columbia, and we have no office in South Carolina. The process runs by email, with FedEx delivery at the end.
What happens if my passport name does not match the FBI report?
Tell us when you send the PDF. We compare the two before filing, since a mismatch in name or date of birth can cause a foreign authority to refuse the document.
Start your South Carolina FBI apostille
Call (971) 514-3743, message us on WhatsApp, or request a quote, giving your destination country and the date you need the document.
