Colombia document guide
An FBI background check, a federal apostille, and an official Spanish translation do three different jobs. Depending on where you submit your paperwork, you may need one, two, or all three.
FBI report
Shows information, if any, associated with your fingerprints in FBI records.
Federal apostille
Authenticates the signature or seal on the federal document for use abroad.
Spanish translation
Makes the document readable in Spanish in the form the recipient requires.
1. The FBI background check: the underlying record
The official name is an FBI Identity History Summary. The FBI searches its records using your fingerprints and issues the result. People also call it an FBI criminal record check, background check, or “rap sheet.” A fingerprinting provider may help collect prints or submit an eligible request, but the provider does not create the FBI record. See the FBI’s Identity History Summary FAQs.
Think of this as the document containing the information. It is not the apostille, and it is not the translation. A U.S. state criminal record or Colombian police certificate is also a different document. If your recipient says “police clearance,” ask which issuing authority it expects.
Already living in Colombia? Our step-by-step guide to obtaining an FBI background check from Colombia covers fingerprinting and submission routes in more detail.
2. The federal apostille: authentication for use abroad
An apostille establishes the authenticity of the relevant official signature, the capacity in which the person signed, and, where applicable, the seal or stamp. It does not certify that everything written in the document is true, translate the document, or decide whether the receiving organization will accept it. That distinction comes from the Hague Apostille Convention.
The FBI says its search results carry an FBI watermark and an official’s signature. If an apostille is needed, the authenticated FBI result may be submitted to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications. The FBI itself does not issue apostilles. Follow the State Department’s current instructions for eligible documents, Form DS-4194, fees, and return delivery.
An FBI Identity History Summary is a federal document. A birth certificate issued by a U.S. state follows a different apostille route. Do not substitute a state apostille on a notarized copy for the federal apostille requested on an FBI report.
An apostille also does not give the FBI report an indefinite usable life. The receiving institution can set its own rule for how recently the report must have been issued. Ask about that rule before ordering a report far ahead of your filing date.
3. The official Spanish translation: the language requirement
A translation renders the content into Spanish. It does not replace the FBI report or authenticate the issuing official’s signature. If your Colombian recipient requires a translation, ask whether it wants the FBI report and the apostille certificate translated together, and what qualifications it requires of the translator.
Colombia’s Cancillería guidance says an official translation prepared in Colombia for use in Colombia does not itself need a Colombian apostille. The underlying foreign document may still need an apostille from its country of origin. It recommends apostilling the original underlying document before translating it. Translations made abroad can have different legalization requirements.
“Do you require the FBI result, its U.S. federal apostille, and an official Spanish translation of both pages? How recent must the FBI result be?” This single question can prevent ordering the wrong package.
What is the usual order?
- Check the recipient’s instructions. Identify the exact record, issue-date limit, apostille requirement, translation standard, and accepted delivery format.
- Obtain the FBI result. Submit current fingerprints through an eligible route and retain the FBI-issued document.
- Obtain the federal apostille, if required. Use the U.S. Department of State route appropriate to the issued FBI document.
- Translate the complete required package, if required. Confirm whether the apostille page must be translated along with the FBI result.
- Submit what the recipient requested. Check whether it needs digital files, physical originals, or both.
That order is a useful planning framework, not a universal requirement. A specific Colombian authority, employer, university, or other recipient may give different instructions. Following its current instructions matters more than following a generic checklist.
Where Fingerprint In Colombia fits
Fingerprint In Colombia assists with fingerprinting, FBI report requests, apostille coordination, and Spanish translations. Our related businesses Tu Apostilla and Idiomatic Affiliates support document apostilles and translations. These are private services: the FBI issues the report, and the U.S. Department of State issues its federal apostille.
Frequently asked questions
Does the FBI report automatically include an apostille?
No. The FBI issues the report. A federal apostille, if required, is a separate U.S. Department of State process.
Can I get the apostille before the FBI result?
No. You need the issued FBI document before its official signature can be authenticated.
Is an apostille the same as a Spanish translation?
No. An apostille authenticates the relevant signature or seal; a translation renders the document’s text in another language.
Do all Colombian visa applications require all three?
No. Requirements depend on the visa category and the instructions issued for your specific application. Confirm them before ordering.
Does the apostille make an old FBI report current again?
No. The receiving organization decides how recent the underlying report must be.
About this guide: Prepared for Fingerprint In Colombia and reviewed in September 2026 against FBI, U.S. Department of State, Hague Conference, and Colombian Cancillería guidance. Requirements can change. Confirm the current rules with the issuing and receiving authorities. Fingerprint In Colombia is a private service provider, not a government agency.