Apostille authentication certificate prepared for a U.S. applicant's Mexico residency visa file
Apostilled in about 9 to 12 business days San Jose · FBI apostille for Mexico · Atendemos en español

FBI Apostille for Mexico
fingerprints to seal in San Jose

Mexico requires an apostilled FBI background check for most Residente Temporal and Residente Permanente visas, carrying a federal apostille — not a state office. We fingerprint you, pull the report through an FBI-approved channeler partner, and add the federal seal, with certified Spanish translation if your consulate needs it.

Need an apostilled FBI report for a job, residency, or marriage in Mexico? 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 Spanish translation available Walk-In Welcome
See it in action

From fingerprint to federal seal for Mexico

Walk-in fingerprinting for a U.S. FBI background check used in a Mexico residency application
FBI background check undergoing federal apostille authentication for use in Mexico
Approved apostille with the federal seal attached to an FBI report for a Mexico visa
6–12 months
FBI report validity (by consulate)
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 Mexico is

For most Mexican residency visas, the consulate or INM asks for a federal criminal record check — your FBI Identity History Summary — with an apostille attached, and often a certified Spanish translation.

An FBI background check apostille is the certificate that makes the federal report valid in Mexico under the Hague Convention. Because the FBI report is a federal document, it requires a federal apostille issued by the U.S. Department of State — a California state apostille is routinely rejected, which means starting over.

Two parts to the job: getting the FBI report, then authenticating it. Most providers handle only one. We do both — the same way we handle every FBI apostille in San Jose.

FBI apostille for Mexico 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 Mexico

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 apostilled report
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, adding a certified Spanish translation if needed.

4

Ready for your consulate

Collect it in San Jose or have it shipped tracked, apostilled and translated, ready for the Mexican consulate or INM.

Apostilled and translated FBI report packed for a client's Mexico residency consulate appointment
Mexico residency essentials

One federal seal
Ready for the consulate

A federally apostilled FBI background check is what the Mexican consulate and INM ask for. Many also want a certified Spanish translation, which we add. Keep these in mind:

Federal apostille, not state
Valid 6–12 months by consulate
Residente Temporal
Residente Permanente
Certified Spanish translation
Marriage & dual citizenship
Shipped or consulate-ready
English & Spanish service
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 Spanish translation under one roof.

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 real Spanish-speaking front desk that knows what the Mexican consulate and INM ask for — no farming out the language work.

Walk-In, Not Mail-In

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

En español

Apostilla del FBI para México, explicada en español

¿Le piden su carta de antecedentes del FBI apostillada para la residencia, un trabajo u otro trámite en México? Tomamos sus huellas en San Jose, el resultado del FBI llega casi siempre el mismo día y tramitamos la apostilla federal del Departamento de Estado. Con su informe en nuestra oficina a más tardar el miércoles, la apostilla toma unos 9 días hábiles.

Antecedentes del FBI en españolLlame en español
Common questions

Mexico apostille questions
answered straight

Does Mexico require an apostilled FBI background check for residency?
For most Residente Temporal and Residente Permanente visas, yes — the consulate or INM asks for a federal FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille. A state or local police check does not satisfy it.
Do I need a Spanish translation of my FBI background check for Mexico?
Often yes — many Mexican consulates and INM offices require a certified Spanish translation of the apostilled FBI report. We add an ATA-certified Spanish translation and can apostille it together with your report as one package.
How recent does my FBI report need to be for Mexico?
Most Mexican consulates accept an FBI report issued within 6 to 12 months, counted from the FBI issue date. Requirements vary by consulate, so confirm with the one handling your application before you submit.
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 — a California state apostille won’t be accepted. A state-level apostille on an FBI report is routinely rejected.
Can you do the whole thing in San Jose, in Spanish?
Yes. You walk into our San Jose office, we fingerprint you and pull the FBI report through a channeler partner, then handle the federal apostille and add a Spanish translation — all explained in Spanish or English.
How long does an FBI apostille for Mexico take?
The federal apostille takes 9 business days when your FBI report is in our office by Wednesday, or 12 business days if it arrives after Wednesday. If we also take your fingerprints, add the time to receive your FBI report, which often arrives within hours.
What does the FBI apostille for Mexico cost?
The FBI apostille for Mexico 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 other documents for my Mexico file too?
Yes. Birth and marriage certificates, powers of attorney, and other state documents get a state-level apostille, which our apostille services handle alongside your federal FBI report — so your whole Mexico packet is done in one place. See our Mexico apostille page for the state-side detail.
My consulate appointment is booked. What is the real timeline?
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 the appointment date before ordering and we will say 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 exactly the weeks you are protecting. Bring it as it arrived and we take it from there.
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 the Mexican consulate or INM 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 — we will not charge for a step you do not need.
Does the Spanish translation have to be done in Mexico?
Often yes — many Mexican offices require a perito traductor authorised in that state. Ask the office receiving 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.
They usually need apostilled marriage and birth certificates rather than their own FBI reports. Those are state records and go the California route, which we handle in the same visit so the family file stays together and carries the same dates.
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.
Which option should I pick?
If you already have a recent FBI report, the $350 apostille is all you need. If you still need fingerprints, the $450 package covers the prints, the report, and the federal apostille in one visit.
Ready to start?

Get your Mexico 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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