Passport and apostilled FBI report prepared for a Costa Rica pensionado residency application
Apostilled in about 9 to 12 business days San Jose · FBI apostille for Costa Rica · Atendemos en español

FBI Apostille for Costa Rica
fingerprints to seal in San Jose

Every Costa Rica residency category — pensionado, rentista, and inversionista — requires an apostilled FBI background check with a certified Spanish translation. The DGME won’t process your file without the complete package, and it no longer accepts state-level checks. We fingerprint you, pull the report through an FBI-approved channeler partner, add the federal seal, and coordinate the certified Spanish translation, in Spanish, at one San Jose office — before you move.

Need an apostilled FBI report for a job, residency, or marriage in Costa Rica? We take your fingerprints and handle the federal apostille from our San Jose office.

Call (408) 766-3528 Book prints + apostille
In by Wednesday: 9 business days Certified Spanish translation Walk-In Welcome
See it in action

From fingerprint to federal seal for Costa Rica

Walk-in fingerprinting for a U.S. FBI background check used in a Costa Rica residency application
FBI report with a federal apostille prepared for Costa Rica immigration
Approved federal apostille attached to an FBI report ready for certified Spanish translation
~90 days
FBI report validity (most cases)
9–12 days
Business days, by Wednesday cutoff
One visit
Prints + federal seal
Español
Spanish-Speaking Office
What you actually need

What an FBI apostille for Costa Rica is

Costa Rica has one of the strictest rules in Latin America: every residency category asks for a federal criminal record check — your FBI Identity History Summary — apostilled and translated into Spanish. The DGME no longer accepts a state background check.

An FBI background check apostille is the certificate that makes the federal report valid in Costa Rica. Because the report is a federal document, it requires a federal apostille issued by the U.S. Department of State — a California state apostille won’t be accepted.

Then the report needs a certified Spanish translation, done after the apostille. We get the FBI report, apostille it, and coordinate the translation — the same way we handle every FBI apostille in San Jose, so your package is ready before you move.

FBI apostille for Costa Rica pricing

Simple FBI apostille pricing
Two clear options

This is the federal apostille for your FBI background check — not a California state apostille. Any required translation and government fees are quoted separately. Both options take 9 business days when your report is in our office by Wednesday, or 12 business days if it arrives after Wednesday.

Already have your FBI report

Apostille only

$350flat
Federal apostille on the report you bring
  • You already have your FBI report
  • Priority federal submission
  • Fast-tracked federal apostille seal
  • Tracked return shipping included
Order online
Most Popular All-in-one visit

Fingerprints + apostille

$450all-in
Fingerprinting, FBI report, and federal apostille
  • Walk-in fingerprinting in San Jose
  • FBI result via Channeler, often in hours
  • Sent straight for the federal apostille
  • Tracked return shipping included
Book prints + apostille
Local walk-in or nationwide mail-in

In the Bay Area or anywhere in the U.S.,
we apostille your FBI background check for Costa Rica

Local? Walk into our San Jose office at 434 Blossom Hill Rd, Mon–Fri 9–6. Out of state? Order online, upload your FBI report or mail it, and we ship the apostilled report back to you. Spanish-speaking front desk serving San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and the wider Bay Area.

Call (408) 766-3528 Book Appointment
How the process works

From walk-in to DGME-ready
Four steps

1

Bring or skip your FBI report

Have your FBI Identity History Summary? Bring it. If not, the expedited package starts here with walk-in Live Scan fingerprinting.

2

FBI Channeler submission

We submit prints through an FBI-approved channeler partner, so your FBI background check often returns within hours.

3

Federal apostille

We submit your FBI report for the federal apostille seal the DGME requires — a state apostille is not accepted.

4

Certified Spanish translation

After the apostille, we coordinate the certified Spanish translation, then hand back the complete package or ship it tracked.

Apostilled FBI report with certified Spanish translation packed for a Costa Rica residency file
Costa Rica residency essentials

One complete package
Ready for the DGME

The DGME wants the full set: the FBI report, a federal apostille, and a certified Spanish translation. Bringing birth or marriage certificates? Those also need an apostille and translation, which our apostille services handle. Keep these in mind:

Federal apostille, not state
Required for every residency category
Valid ~90 days
Pensionado (retirement)
Rentista (passive income)
Inversionista (investor)
Certified Spanish translation
Translation after the apostille
Why applicants choose us

The Bay Area’s one-stop FBI apostille office

Most FBI apostille San Jose services are mail-only and never touch the report or the translation. We handle both ends in Spanish — with help from our partner TruPoint Legal for clients who need extended legal-document support.

One Stop, One Receipt

We apostille FBI reports in-house: walk-in fingerprinting, federal authentication, and coordinated certified Spanish translation.

Prints and seal in one place

We take your fingerprints, get your FBI report, and handle the federal apostille, so you deal with one office instead of three.

Atendemos en Español

A Spanish-speaking front desk that knows what the DGME wants — pensionado, rentista, and inversionista residency.

Walk-In, Not Mail-In

Real San Jose office at 434 Blossom Hill Rd. English, Vietnamese, Cantonese, and Spanish spoken at the desk.

Common questions

Costa Rica apostille questions
answered straight

Does Costa Rica require an apostilled FBI background check for residency?
Yes — for every residency category, including pensionado, rentista and inversionista. The DGME requires a federal FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille and no longer accepts state-level checks.
Do I need a Spanish translation of my FBI check for Costa Rica?
Yes. The DGME requires a certified Spanish translation, completed after the apostille. We coordinate the certified translation so you hand in the complete package — FBI report, federal apostille, and Spanish translation together.
How recent must my FBI report be for Costa Rica?
The DGME commonly wants the FBI report issued within about 90 days of submission, counted from the issue date, though some cases allow longer. Because the report itself takes weeks, expedited processing matters once your move is set.
Which Costa Rica residency categories require an apostilled FBI check?
All of them — pensionado (retirement), rentista (passive income), inversionista (investor), and temporary and permanent residency. Short tourist stays do not require it.
Do I need a state apostille or a federal apostille for my FBI check?
Federal. Because the FBI report is a federal document, it needs a federal apostille, and the DGME does not accept state-level background checks or state apostilles on a federal report.
Can you do the whole thing in San Jose, in Spanish, before I move?
Yes. You walk into our San Jose office, we fingerprint you and pull the FBI report through a channeler partner, handle the federal apostille, and coordinate the Spanish translation — so your package is ready before you leave the U.S.
How long does an FBI apostille for Costa Rica take, and what does it cost?
The FBI apostille for Costa Rica is $350 when you bring your own FBI report, or $450 including fingerprinting at our San Jose office. It takes 9 business days when your report is in our office by Wednesday, or 12 if it arrives after Wednesday. Any required translation is quoted separately.
Can you apostille my birth or marriage certificate for Costa Rica too?
Yes. Birth and marriage certificates also need an apostille and Spanish translation for residency, which our apostille services handle alongside your federal FBI report — so your whole Costa Rica package is done in one place. See our Costa Rica apostille page for the state-side detail.
My documents keep expiring before I file. How do I stop that?
This is the defining problem with Costa Rican residency files. Several documents, the FBI report among them, are treated as valid only for a limited window from issue, and slow processing eats it — so people order early, wait, and find the report has aged out before the file is complete. The fix is sequencing: start the report close to when you will file, not months ahead.
What is the real timeline, start to finish?
Two clocks, not one. The FBI report has to come back first, then the federal apostille runs 9 to 12 business days on the expedited route. If we take the prints here, both start the day you walk in. Tell us your filing date and we will tell you honestly whether it holds.
Can I open the envelope to check the report?
Better not to. An opened or home-printed report can be questioned, and re-ordering costs the weeks you are trying to protect — which matters more here than almost anywhere, given the expiry window.
Something came back on my report. Can you still apostille it?
Yes. The apostille authenticates the document, not its contents, and we do not assess what it says. What Costa Rican immigration does with the information is their decision — and if it concerns you, one to raise with an immigration attorney before filing.
I already have my report. Do I pay the $450?
No. If your report is recent and unopened, the expedited apostille alone is $350. The $450 bundle only makes sense when prints still need taking. Given the expiry window, though, check the issue date before assuming an older report is still usable.
Does the translation have to be done in Costa Rica?
Often yes — many Costa Rican offices require a traductor oficial registered there. Ask the office handling your file before paying for a translation here. Either way the order is fixed: apostille first, translate second, because a translation attached beforehand is not covered by the seal.
My spouse and children are applying with me.
Adults generally each need their own FBI report and apostille; children usually do not. Everyone needs the birth and marriage certificates that connect the family, and those are state records. We handle the packet together so the dates line up and nothing ages out waiting on the rest.
Can you also apostille a power of attorney for Costa Rica?
Yes. A power of attorney signed in California takes a state apostille, not a federal one. We notarize and apostille it at our San Jose office, and our in-office partner TruPoint Legal can prepare it. See our power of attorney apostille page.
I live outside California. Can you still handle it?
Yes. The federal apostille is not tied to California, so mail or upload your FBI report and we return the apostilled packet. Only fingerprinting needs a San Jose visit, and if you already hold your report you do not need that step.
Ready to start?

Get your Costa Rica residency apostille
started this week

Bring your FBI report for the $350 apostille, or let us take your fingerprints and handle everything for $450. Call or book a visit at our San Jose office.

Call (408) 766-3528 Book Appointment
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