FBI Apostille for Costa Rica
residency, done in San Jose
Every Costa Rica residency category — pensionado, rentista, and inversionista — requires an apostilled FBI background check with a certified Spanish translation. The DGME won’t process your file without the complete package, and it no longer accepts state-level checks. We fingerprint you, pull the report through an FBI-approved channeler partner, add the federal seal, and coordinate the certified Spanish translation, in Spanish, at one San Jose office — before you move.
Retiring or relocating to Costa Rica? Get the whole FBI apostille for Costa Rica handled in person, in Spanish, before you leave the U.S.
From fingerprint to federal seal for Costa Rica
What an FBI apostille for Costa Rica is
Costa Rica has one of the strictest rules in Latin America: every residency category asks for a federal criminal record check — your FBI Identity History Summary — apostilled and translated into Spanish. The DGME no longer accepts a state background check.
An FBI background check apostille is the certificate that makes the federal report valid in Costa Rica. Because the report is a federal document, it requires a federal apostille issued by the U.S. Department of State — a California state apostille won’t be accepted.
Then the report needs a certified Spanish translation, done after the apostille. We get the FBI report, apostille it, and coordinate the translation — the same way we handle every FBI apostille in San Jose, so your package is ready before you move.
Transparent Costa Rica apostille pricing
Three clear options
This is the federal apostille for your FBI background check — not a California state apostille. Any required translation and government fees are quoted separately.
Standard
- You bring or mail in your FBI report
- Submitted for the federal apostille
- Federal apostille seal applied
- Tracked return to you
Expedited
- You already have your FBI report
- Priority federal submission
- Fast-tracked federal apostille seal
- Tracked return shipping included
Bundle
- Walk-in fingerprinting in San Jose
- FBI result via Channeler, often in hours
- Routed straight to expedited apostille
- Tracked return shipping included
From walk-in to DGME-ready
Four steps
Bring or skip your FBI report
Have your FBI Identity History Summary? Bring it. If not, the expedited package starts here with walk-in Live Scan fingerprinting.
FBI Channeler submission
We submit prints through an FBI-approved channeler partner, so your FBI background check often returns within hours.
Federal apostille
We submit your FBI report for the federal apostille seal the DGME requires — a state apostille is not accepted.
Certified Spanish translation
After the apostille, we coordinate the certified Spanish translation, then hand back the complete package or ship it tracked.
One complete package
Ready for the DGME
The DGME wants the full set: the FBI report, a federal apostille, and a certified Spanish translation. Bringing birth or marriage certificates? Those also need an apostille and translation, which our apostille services handle. Keep these in mind:
The Bay Area’s one-stop FBI apostille office
Most FBI apostille San Jose services are mail-only and never touch the report or the translation. We handle both ends in Spanish — with help from our partner TruPoint Legal for clients who need extended legal-document support.
One Stop, One Receipt
We apostille FBI reports in-house: walk-in fingerprinting, federal authentication, and coordinated certified Spanish translation.
Best Standard Price
$200 standard is well below market — competitors charge $295 to $475 for the same federal apostille.
Atendemos en Español
A Spanish-speaking front desk that knows what the DGME wants — pensionado, rentista, and inversionista residency.
Walk-In, Not Mail-In
Real San Jose office at 434 Blossom Hill Rd. English, Spanish, and Vietnamese spoken at the desk.
Costa Rica apostille questions
answered straight
Does Costa Rica require an apostilled FBI background check for residency?
Do I need a Spanish translation of my FBI check for Costa Rica?
How recent must my FBI report be for Costa Rica?
Which Costa Rica residency categories require an apostilled FBI check?
Do I need a state apostille or a federal apostille for my FBI check?
Can you do the whole thing in San Jose, in Spanish, before I move?
How long does an FBI apostille for Costa Rica take, and what does it cost?
Can you apostille my birth or marriage certificate for Costa Rica too?
Get your Costa Rica residency apostille
started this week
Bring your FBI report or start fresh with the expedited package. From $200 standard (about 6 weeks); $350 expedited (14 business days, no fingerprinting); $450 bundle with fingerprinting. San Jose office, Spanish spoken, translation coordinated.