Criminal Background Checks in the US Explained

An apostille is a stamp of authentication. It is used in countries that have signed the Apostille convention. An apostille shows that the signature of a document is valid in a foreign country. In the United States, for example, an apostille would be required before documents can be sent to another country for use in legal proceedings there.

A criminal background check is used to determine whether someone has been convicted of a crime and has been released from prison or placed on probation or parole. The person requesting the criminal background check may be an employer, landlord or other individual who wants to know if it is safe to hire or rent to a particular person. A criminal background check may also be required as part of an application process for a professional license or other type of employment opportunity where trustworthiness is important.

Apostilles are issued by Secretary of State offices in each state in America and each country worldwide that has signed on to the Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. For example, if you live in Texas but need to send your birth certificate or marriage certificate to France for some reason, you will need an apostille stamped on these documents at your local Secretary of State office before they can be sent to France. The process is the same for any state in America, and the United States Department of State has a comprehensive list of all the countries that have signed on to the convention.

If all this sounds too complicated, you can always hire apostille services and apostille FBI criminal record check services from a professional apostille company. They will take care of all the paperwork for you, so all you have to do is provide them with your documents and wait for them to return back to you ready for international legalization.