Marta L.
Chicago, IL
“They translated the report and the apostille page together and explained which order to do things in. The consulate took the packet without questions.”
Spain residency · Apostille attached
Consulate accepted
Certified FBI Background Check Translation
Certified translation of your FBI Identity History Summary for foreign visas, residency, licensing, and apostille packets.
Ready within 24 hours
Federal record
Identity and record details preserved
FBI wording · identifiers · result text · dates · authentication pages
Certified package
Signed and Stamped Certificate of Accuracy
Company letterhead · translator signature · company stamp
APOSTILLE · FOREIGN USECertified translation for submissionDestination-specific legalization remains a separate step
Calculate your FBI-report price
1
any length · no word capone or more · PDF, image · up to 25 MB ea.
Your total$24.95
We check your files and confirm the total before you pay
4.9/5 · 2,400+ reviews65+ languages240,000+ documents since 2014
Your finished package
What you receive with a certified FBI report translation
Your delivery includes the source-document scan, a complete English translation, and a signed and stamped Certificate of Translation Accuracy.
- Every field, stamp, seal, signature, and notation translated
- The result line rendered exactly — “No Arrest Data” is reproduced, never softened or paraphrased
- Identity fields, the request date, and the FBI reference number copied character-for-character
- Certificate of Translation Accuracy signed and stamped on company letterhead
- Review the translation and request corrections before certification
Get my certified translation
Files checked and total confirmed before payment
Before you order
Where are you sending it?
The report is already in English, so what varies is the destination — the language it must arrive in, and whether that authority wants the apostille translated with it.
🇪🇸SpainESSpanish residency and long-stay processes often require translated criminal-background evidence plus apostille when the source document was issued in the United States.
Spanish residency and long-stay processes often require translated criminal-background evidence plus apostille when the source document was issued in the United States.
Spain is a Hague Apostille Convention member, so a U.S.-issued FBI report is usually legalized with apostille rather than consular legalization.
Spain is one of our highest-volume destinations for this document type, and we regularly align result-line wording to residencia-file expectations.
Applicants usually avoid delays by translating the same final FBI report that will be filed, rather than translating a draft copy and replacing it later.
Report date, name formatting, and result language should remain exact because those fields are commonly checked against passport and appointment records.
🇮🇹ItalyITItalian visa and civil-registration files may request an FBI background report with apostille and local-language translation, depending on the authority and filing type.
Italian visa and civil-registration files may request an FBI background report with apostille and local-language translation, depending on the authority and filing type.
Italy is a Hague Apostille Convention member, which usually means apostille is accepted as the core legalization step for U.S.-issued records.
Italy is also a frequent destination in our FBI-report queue, so we routinely verify terminology consistency for citizenship and family-status filings.
Terminology in identity and status sections should stay precise, especially when the report is used in citizenship, family, or legal proceedings.
If your packet includes birth, marriage, or name-change records, translating the full set together helps keep identity history consistent across documents.
🇩🇪GermanyDEGerman work, study, and residence pathways can involve criminal-record documentation where clear certified translation supports administrative review.
German work, study, and residence pathways can involve criminal-record documentation where clear certified translation supports administrative review.
Germany is a Hague Apostille Convention member, so apostille is generally used instead of consular legalization for U.S.-origin FBI records.
Germany remains a high-volume destination for background-report translation orders, especially for work and study residence pathways.
The translated FBI file should preserve section order and report wording so reviewers can map translated text back to the original record quickly.
If an authority requests sworn-format adaptation after submission, revision support helps you update layout without re-translating from zero.
“When the destination asks for an FBI report, submit the final version once and translate that exact file. Replacing report versions mid-process causes preventable rework.”
Michael ChenLead Immigration Document Translator
Real casework
Real FBI background check translation cases we've handled
Anonymized FBI background check translations we've delivered. Each case shows the specific issue in the original and how the certified translation addressed it.
How it works
How to get your FBI background check translated, step by step
Upload once. We check the files and confirm the total before payment. Then our team translates, reviews, and certifies the complete package to the AcceptReady™ standard we publish.
- 01
Upload the full document set
Send every page of the summary, including the cover letter and any apostille or authentication certificate already attached. Tell us the destination country and language.
Files checked · total confirmed before payment - 02
We translate and cross-check
A translator renders the report into the destination language. A second reviewer checks the identity fields, the request date, and the result line against the source.
Translated · independently checked
- 03CertTranslateCertifiedTranslation
Review and receive your certified files
Corrections are free at this stage. Your approved set arrives as a searchable PDF that keeps the report and its certificate together as one packet.
Certified · typically within 24 hours
One physical page means one billed page.
No 250-word cap and no dense-page rebilling.
Certified price
$24.95/ page
Get my certified translation
No payment until file review
Cost
How much does an FBI background check translation cost?
A certified FBI background check translation costs $24.95 per physical page. A clear “No Arrest Data” result is usually one page, so the common total is $24.95 to $49.90.
Start my FBI report order| What you are sending | Certified total |
|---|---|
| Summary only, 1 page | $24.95the usual “No Arrest Data” result |
| Summary plus apostille sheet | $49.90when the destination wants the apostille translated too |
| 3 pages | $74.85reports carrying arrest-cycle or disposition entries |
| 4 or more pages | $24.95 per pagelonger record histories and attached response letters |
Optional add-ons
- Notarization — $19.95 per order
- Requested by some consulates alongside the certified translation.
- Rush — about 12 hours
- Add $12 per page. Super Rush runs about 6 hours at $24 per page.
- Mailed hard copy — $20
- USPS tracked, 2–5 business days. The PDF still arrives first.
- Second destination language
- Filing in two countries? Both language versions are billed per page at the same rate.
What we do and do not do about the apostille
We translate an apostille; we do not issue one. And a federal document is not apostilled by a state office — the FBI summary goes to the U.S. Department of State, while a state Secretary of State handles records that state issued. Get the apostille first, then send us both sheets together.
Client reviews
Federal records prepared for the office abroad.
4.9 / 52,400+ client reviews
Google Trustpilot Direct feedback
Verified order
Tobias R.
Austin, TX
“The translator kept it as an FBI summary instead of renaming it to the German equivalent, and added a note explaining what the document is. That was exactly right.”
German registration · Result wording
Kept as the US report
Chiara D.
Boston, MA
“I needed the same report in two languages for two authorities. Both came back with matching identity fields and the same certificate format.”
Italian licensing · Two languages
Both versions delivered
Questions before ordering
Clear answers, before you upload.
If your document does not match one of these situations, send it anyway. Support replies in 15–30 minutes during support hours.
How much does a certified FBI background check translation cost?+−
A certified FBI background check translation costs $24.95 per physical page. A one-page “No Arrest Data” summary is $24.95, and adding the apostille sheet makes it $49.90. There is no word cap, and we confirm the total before you pay.
How long does an FBI background check translation take?+−
A one- or two-page summary is usually delivered within 24 hours of a clear upload. Reports carrying arrest-cycle entries or an attached response letter take longer, and we name the delivery window before work begins.
Will the receiving authority abroad accept the translation?+−
Consulates and ministries ask for a complete translation of the whole document with a signed certification, and that is what we deliver alongside the source scan. If a receiving authority rejects the translation for a translation-related reason, we revise it free. If it is still rejected, we refund the translation cost.
Does USCIS need my FBI background check translated?+−
Usually not. The Identity History Summary is issued in English, and the translation requirement applies to foreign-language documents. Translation is normally requested by authorities outside the United States, so check what your destination actually asks for before ordering.
Which language should it be translated into?+−
The one the receiving office works in — Spanish for most Spanish consulates, Italian for Italian civil registration, German for German registration offices. Tell us the destination and we confirm the pair before starting.
Do you obtain the apostille for me?+−
No. We translate an apostille once you have it, and our apostille add-on covers records issued by a state, which this is not. A federal document such as the FBI summary is authenticated by the U.S. Department of State rather than by any state office.
Should I apostille the report before or after translation?+−
Apostille first, then translate. The apostille is attached to the FBI report itself, and most authorities want that sheet translated as part of the same packet. Translating first usually means paying twice.
How is “No Arrest Data” translated?+−
Literally, as the result the FBI printed. Reviewers read that line as the finding of the check, so it is rendered exactly rather than rewritten into a phrase like “clean record” that the source never states.
Do you translate the apostille and cover pages too?+−
Yes, when you upload them and the destination wants them. They are counted as pages because they carry text a reviewer reads. If an authority only wants the summary itself, say so and we translate that alone.
My report lists arrest entries. Is that handled differently?+−
The process is identical and the entries are translated in full, including dispositions. Nothing is summarised or omitted, because a certification states the translation is complete and the receiving authority reads the disposition, not just the charge.
Is there a word cap on a page?+−
No. A page is one physical page of the source document. A summary with several arrest cycles is dense, and a 250-word page definition would rebill that single sheet as two or three.
Can I review the translation before it is certified?+−
Yes. You can read the finished translation and request unlimited free corrections before we certify it. If an authority later asks for a translation-related change, we correct the certified file at no charge.
What can I check on my FBI background check translation before I send it?+−
Four things, and you can check all four yourself. Compare any line of the original FBI background check with the translation, including the text inside stamps. Put the two documents side by side — same page count, same order, tables and stamps in the same places. Read the Certificate of Accuracy for the complete-and-accurate statement, the competence statement, the signature, date, and company stamp. Then confirm the wording matches what your receiving office publishes. Those four checks are the AcceptReady™ standard, and CertTranslate publishes it in full. Read the AcceptReady™ standard.
Most frequent problems we correct
What gets a translated FBI report questioned — and how we prevent it
These four recur in packets headed abroad, both in files we translate and in translations clients send us to review.
01
The report is renamed to the destination country’s own certificate
Our check: We keep it as the US federal document it is and add a translator note naming the issuing agency, because calling it the local equivalent misdescribes what the reader is holding.
02
Translation is done before the apostille is attached
Our check: We ask where you are in the apostille sequence before starting, since the certificate is fixed to the report and most offices expect both sheets translated together.
03
The result line is paraphrased into a friendlier phrase
Our check: We reproduce the printed result exactly, because the reviewing officer treats that line as the finding and any rewording invites a query.
04
Only the result page is submitted, without the cover and identity pages
Our check: We ask for the complete summary, since the identity fields and request date are what tie the result to the applicant.
The standard behind these checks
AcceptReady™ is CertTranslate's published standard for certified translations: complete word-for-word translation, mirrored page layout, signed and stamped Certificate of Accuracy on letterhead, and matched to the receiver's published requirements.
How to check each one yourselfChecked before certification. If an authority later requests a translation-related correction, revisions remain free.
Start my translationCommon filing contexts
When you need a certified FBI report translation
The report answers one question for a foreign authority: does this applicant have a US criminal record. Because it arrives in English from a US agency, the office abroad usually needs both a translation and proof that the document is genuine.
The key is sequence: obtain the report, have it authenticated, then translate both sheets together so the packet reaches the office complete.
Visa
Residency and long-stay applications
Consulates reviewing a residency file read the result line and the issue date to confirm the check is recent enough.
Licensing
Professional registration abroad
Medical, nursing, teaching, and legal boards request it before admitting a foreign-trained applicant to their register.
Civil registry
Citizenship and civil registration
Citizenship-by-descent and naturalization files abroad often include a background check from every country of residence.
Employer
Employment and adoption files
Overseas employers and adoption authorities ask for it as part of a vetting package assembled in the local language.
Document glossary
FBI background check terms, defined
The parts of a US federal criminal-history record that decide how a certified translation is built.
- Certified translation
- A certified translation is a complete English translation accompanied by the translator’s signed statement that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is competent to translate.
- Identity History Summary
- The FBI’s own name for the document, sometimes called a rap sheet or FBI clearance. The translation uses the official name and notes the informal one where a destination expects it.
- “No Arrest Data”
- The printed result when the fingerprint search returns no record. It is reproduced word for word rather than rewritten, because it is the finding the reviewer reads.
- Federal vs. state authentication
- A federal document is authenticated by the U.S. Department of State; a record issued by a state goes to that state’s Secretary of State. Sending the FBI summary to the wrong office is the most common delay we see.
- FBI-approved channeler
- A private company authorised to submit fingerprints and return the summary faster than the FBI direct route. The report reads the same either way and is translated identically.
- Arrest cycle
- One recorded event in the history: the arresting agency, the charge, and its disposition. Every cycle is translated in full, disposition included.
- Certificate of Translation Accuracy
- The signed and stamped statement on company letterhead that carries the translator’s name, credentials, contact details, and the date. It travels with the translation.
- Apostille
- An apostille authenticates the signature or seal on a document for use in another Hague Convention country. For a translation, it certifies the notarization — which is why our apostille add-on includes one.
Reference library
Helpful pages and official sources
Guidance and source links last rechecked .
More from CertTranslate
Ready when you are
Tell us the destination. We will confirm the rest.
Upload the summary with any apostille sheet, and say which country and language it is going to. Page count, price, and delivery time are confirmed before payment.
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No payment until file review