Need an FBI Background Check for Spanish Immigration on a Tight Deadline?
Updated by the Blueprint Spain team in Madrid
An FBI background check with an apostille and a sworn translation takes about 4 weeks. That's too long if you've received a requerimiento, which usually gives you 10 business days to respond, or if your visa application is due before your documents are ready. What has worked for our clients: get fingerprinted right away and give the immigration office a certificate, signed and stamped by a gestora, confirming that your fingerprints have been taken and your FBI request is underway.
Why your FBI check can't be ready in time
Sometimes the timing doesn't work out. It usually happens in one of two ways:
- You get a requerimiento. The immigration office asks you for more documents and usually gives you 10 business days to respond.
- Your visa application is due. You have a deadline coming up and need to apply before your FBI background check, apostille and translation are ready.
Each step takes a set amount of time. We expedite everything as quickly as we can, but there's no way to get the FBI check, apostille and translation done in 10 business days:
| Step | Typical time |
|---|---|
| FBI background check | 4–5 business days once the FBI receives your fingerprints |
| Apostille | 10 business days at the U.S. Department of State |
| Sworn translation | 2–3 business days |
| Total | About 4 weeks for digital copies, plus an additional week if you need the original documents mailed to you in Spain |
What has worked: a certificate of FBI submission
A certificate of FBI submission is a document, signed and stamped by a licensed gestora (administrative agent) in Spain, confirming that your fingerprints have been taken and your FBI background check request is underway. It's what has worked for our clients when their FBI check, apostille and translation couldn't be ready in time.
We take your fingerprints and submit your FBI background check request. Then our gestora signs and stamps the certificate. We can give it to you right after your appointment.
You submit the certificate to the immigration office as proof that the process has started. Immigration offices know that an FBI check with apostille and translation takes about 4 weeks, so this often buys you extra time. This is not a guarantee, but it has worked for many of our clients.
How to use a certificate of FBI submission, step by step
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Book your fingerprint appointment
Do it as soon as you know about the deadline. Appointments are at our Madrid office.
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We take your prints and submit your FBI request
We take your fingerprints digitally and ship them to the FBI right away.
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Get your certificate of FBI submission
Our gestora signs and stamps it, and we give it to you right after your appointment.
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Submit the certificate to the immigration office
Send it with your response or your application, before your deadline, as proof that the process has started.
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Send your FBI check when it's ready
As soon as your apostilled, translated FBI background check is ready, submit it to the immigration office to complete your application.
When a certificate of FBI submission won't work
This will most likely not work if you're applying for a Non-Lucrative Visa through BLS. BLS is very strict about having all your documents ready on application day, so start your FBI check well before your appointment.
Immigration procedures within Spain are different. When answering a requerimiento from extranjería, for example, we've had success buying clients time until their FBI background check, apostille and translation are finished.
Have a deadline coming up?
Book your fingerprint appointment as soon as possible to get the process started. We take your prints digitally, ship them to the U.S. right away, and give you a certificate of FBI submission you can give to extranjería.
Paseo de las Delicias, 30, Planta 2, 28045 Madrid. Monday to Friday, by appointment.
Common questions
What is a requerimiento?
A requerimiento is a formal request from a Spanish immigration office (extranjería) for missing or extra documents. It usually gives you 10 business days to respond.
What happens if I miss the requerimiento deadline?
If you don't respond in time, the immigration office can treat your application as withdrawn (desistimiento). That's why it's worth responding before the deadline with what you have, including the certificate of FBI submission.
Can I ask for more time to answer a requerimiento?
You can ask. Spanish law lets the office extend the 10-day deadline, but it depends on the application and office.
How much does the certificate of FBI submission cost?
It costs €40 plus 21% VAT (€48.40 in total). Ask about it at your appointment.
Can Blueprint Spain take my FBI fingerprints outside Madrid?
We do home visits for an extra fee, and from time to time we hold pop-up fingerprinting events in other cities, such as Valencia, Barcelona, and Málaga. Contact us to ask about a home visit or our next pop-up.
