Step · Legal

Get a criminal record certificate from every country you lived in

Adults applying for a long-stay visa usually need a criminal record certificate from each country they lived in during the last five years, with a Hague Apostille and a sworn Spanish translation. Americans use the FBI check.

Why it matters: Americans who lived abroad in recent years, and applicants of any nationality, need one certificate per country, each with its own issuing office, apostille and translation, so this takes the longest to line up.
When: Your consulate’s list asks for a criminal record certificate and you are over 18.
How long it takes: Los Ángeles FAQ: an apostille takes between 1 day and 3 weeks.
Last checked: 23 Oct 2026

What you need

Applicants over 18; issued by each country where the applicant lived in the five years before the application (San Francisco, London, Houston).
Age: no more than 6 months at all seven US consulates (San Francisco, Houston, Washington, New York, Chicago, Miami, Boston); 3 months at London and Los Ángeles unless the certificate states another expiry.
United States: the FBI certificate based on fingerprints with a federal apostille from the State Department in Washington DC; Houston, Chicago and New York say local or state police checks are not accepted; at Los Ángeles an FBI Approved Channeler or the state justice department is accepted.
Apostille on the criminal record is required, unless the certificate comes from an EU member state, which the Washington consulate says needs none.
Translation into Spanish by a sworn/certified translator; Washington, Miami and Boston say the translation needs no apostille and the apostille needs no translation.
United Kingdom: the London consulate asks for the ACRO certificate.
Canada: Ottawa accepts only the RCMP certificate with the applicant’s fingerprints, issued within 6 months before the application, with the Hague apostille and an official Spanish translation (the apostille on the translation is optional); Toronto also says only the RCMP certificate is accepted, apostilled by Global Affairs Canada only and translated into Spanish. Local police certificates are not accepted at Ottawa.
Australia: Canberra asks for a check of full name and fingerprints covering the past five years, apostilled or legalized, with an official translation where applicable; Sydney asks for the same five years with no age limit or fingerprints mentioned; Melbourne says certificates must be no older than 3 months (6 in exceptional cases) and presented in their simplest form, without fingerprints.
United Kingdom: Edinburgh accepts only the ACRO police certificate, issued within six months before the application unless it states another expiry, legalized or apostilled with a Spanish translation by a registered sworn translator; Disclosure Scotland is not accepted. Manchester gives no age limit.
Montreal: only the RCMP certificate with the applicant’s fingerprints is accepted, local police certificates are not, with the apostille from Global Affairs Canada and a Spanish translation; no age limit is stated. Dublin: the five-year certificate with apostille or legalization and translation where applicable; the page states no age limit, fingerprints or issuing agency (its Digital Nomad page gives 6 months for that visa only).
South Africa: Pretoria asks for the certificate from your country or countries of residence for the past 5 years, original and copy, legalized or apostilled and translated where applicable; no age limit stated. India: New Delhi asks for the same, valid for 6 months.
Mexico: the page asks for original and copy from your country or countries of residence for the last 5 years, printed in color and apostilled before you bring it; no age limit is stated.
Argentina: Buenos Aires asks for it issued within the last 3 months and apostilled by the Foreign Ministry or the Colegios de Escribanos.
Brazil: São Paulo asks for the Federal Police certificate for applicants over 18, apostilled by a notary, original and A4 copy; certificates issued online must show your passport number plus your RG or CPF (Brazilians) or RNE (foreigners). If you lived outside Brazil in the last 5 years, bring the certificate from each country or state too, with the apostilled original, a copy, a Spanish translation and a copy of it.
Colombia: the Bogotá page asks for the antecedentes penales issued "con fines migratorios" (for migration purposes) with the Hague Apostille, and says all public documents must be apostilled. New Zealand, Chile and Switzerland: the Wellington, Santiago and Bern pages ask for the certificate from your country or countries of residence for the last 5 years, with no issuing agency, fingerprints or age limit given.
Peru: the Lima page asks for it no more than 3 months old, with the apostille or legalization (for Peruvian documents, at Peru’s Foreign Ministry). Brazil, Brasília: translated into Spanish by a sworn translator and carrying the Hague Apostille from a cartório. Philippines, Morocco and South Africa: the Manila, Rabat, Cape Town and Pretoria pages give only the ministry’s general wording (last 5 years, no issuing agency, fingerprints or age limit).

Steps

Count your countries
List every country where you lived in the last five years. The Los Ángeles consulate says to contact the embassy of your country in the country where you lived to learn how to get the certificate.
Request each certificate
Americans request the FBI Identity History Summary (see the FBI card). Houston, Chicago and New York do not accept local or state police checks. UK residents give the London consulate the ACRO certificate. Canadian residents ask for the RCMP certificate; Edinburgh accepts only ACRO. Argentina residents ask for it within the last 3 months; Brazil residents ask the Federal Police. In Colombia, ask for the certificate issued for migration purposes ("con fines migratorios").
Get the apostille
Apostille it with the authority that issued it. The seven US consulates say the FBI check needs the federal apostille from the State Department in Washington DC. The Los Ángeles FAQ says an apostille takes between 1 day and 3 weeks.
Do not separate the pages
Houston says not to remove the staples, rivets or security seals. Los Ángeles says the certificate comes as two pages (apostille, then certificate) that must never be separated.
Translate and copy
Have the certificate translated into Spanish by a sworn/certified translator. Washington, Miami and Boston say the translation needs no apostille. Los Ángeles asks for four items: the original with apostille, its translation, and a copy of each.
Time the order
Order it so the certificate is still inside your consulate’s age limit on appointment day: 6 months at the seven US consulates, 3 months at London and Los Ángeles. Ottawa and Edinburgh say 6 months; Melbourne says 3 months, 6 in exceptional cases. Buenos Aires says 3 months, New Delhi 6 months. Lima says 3 months.

Official sources

Do these first

See this in your plan. Your steps in order, for your passport and visa.

Open the guide