FBI-Approved Channelers › National Credit Reporting (National Background Information)
Apostille an FBI Background Check from National Credit Reporting (National Background Information)
National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) is an FBI-approved Departmental Order channeler. This page explains exactly what it delivers, whether that format can be apostilled, and how to get a U.S. Department of State apostille on your FBI Identity History Summary in 7 business days for a $120 flat rate.
Mailed hard copy availableFBI-approved Departmental Order channelerU.S. addresses only
National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) is one of the twelve channelers the FBI approves to submit Departmental Order fingerprint requests. It exists to get your FBI Identity History Summary back to you quickly once your fingerprints are captured. What it does not do, as part of a standard report order, is attach the apostille. That is a separate step at the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications, and it is the step we handle: $120 flat, ready in 7 business days, from our Washington, D.C. office.
Have your FBI report in hand?
Mail the original to our Washington, D.C. office and we handle the U.S. Department of State step for you. $120 flat per document, including the government fee. Documents that meet the requirements are apostilled and back to you in 7 business days.
Start my federal apostille — $120 flat Call (760) 469-2997- Who National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) is
- What they send you, and whether it can be apostilled
- How to apostille a National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) report
- Cost and timeline
- Strengths and watch-outs
- What we do once it arrives
- Apostille or embassy legalization?
- Why FBI reports get rejected
- Frequently asked questions
- Official sources
Who National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) is
National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) is listed by the FBI as National Credit Reporting, doing business as National Background Information, one of twelve companies authorized to submit Departmental Order fingerprint requests on behalf of individuals under 28 CFR 16.30–16.34. A channeler does not decide what your record says and does not hold your record. It collects your fingerprints and identifying information, transmits them to the FBI CJIS Division, and returns to you what the FBI sends back.
| Legal name on the FBI list | National Credit Reporting, doing business as National Background Information |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | San Jose, California |
| Website | nbinformation.com — visit site |
| Where individuals order | www.nbinformation.com/order.php |
| Phone | 800-441-1661 or 408-993-1000 |
| How they collect prints | A nationwide network of preferred live scan locations for electronic capture, plus ink-rolled FD-258 fingerprint cards submitted by mail. |
| Fingerprint card format | FD-258 ink cards accepted by mail |
| Stated turnaround | The online access code is usually available 24 to 48 hours after the fingerprints are received. Printed copies take 5 to 7 days standard, 2 to 3 days by USPS Priority, or overnight by FedEx for additional fees. The stated outside limit is 21 days from your request. |
| Published price | $39.95 for the FBI Criminal Report. The fingerprint collection fee is separate and runs $5 to $40 depending on the location and method. Expedited shipping costs extra. |
| Who is eligible | U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Everyone else is directed to submit directly to FBI CJIS. |
| Applicants outside the U.S. | National Credit Reporting states that the FBI does not allow CJIS channelers to disseminate FBI criminal report information outside of the United States. Online access is restricted to U.S. IP addresses. |
| Apostille service? | National Credit Reporting does not mention apostilles and does not offer an apostille service, but it is the channeler whose standard product is closest to what the apostille step requires. |
What National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) sends you, and whether it can be apostilled
This is the part that decides whether your order was money well spent. National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) delivers results in the following ways:
- Hard copy by U.S. Mail (standard)
- Hard copy by USPS Priority Mail
- Hard copy by FedEx overnight
- Online access through an emailed code, available from U.S. IP addresses only
Good news for apostille applicants. The mailed hard copy is the default product here rather than an upsell. National Credit Reporting describes the mailed copies as the official FBI Criminal Report. Order that mailed copy, leave the envelope’s contents untouched, and send the original to our D.C. office. In most cases that saves you from placing a second order with the FBI. If you are unsure what actually arrived in the envelope, photograph it and ask us before you ship — we answer that for free.
Why the format matters so much
The FBI no longer places its seal on Departmental Order fingerprint search results. Instead, in the FBI’s own words, it “will authenticate all fingerprint search results by placing the FBI watermark and the signature of a division official on the results at the time of submission.” The FBI then says plainly that “documents authenticated by the FBI may then be sent to the U.S. Department of State by the requestor to obtain an apostille if necessary.”
The U.S. Department of State, for its part, instructs applicants to submit an original or certified copy and to make sure seals and signatures are originals. It does not publish a rule on printed PDFs one way or the other, which is precisely why so many applicants get caught out. Our own intake standard resolves the ambiguity in your favour: we accept the official printed copy that the FBI or the channeler mails to you, not a page you printed from a download. That is the version the Office of Authentications is set up to accept.
The practical rule. If it arrived in an envelope from the FBI or from your channeler, on the channeler’s watermarked or tamper-proof stock, it is what we need. If it arrived as a link in your inbox and you sent it to your own printer, it is not — and no amount of notarizing will fix that. Do not notarize it, incidentally: the Department of State states that notarizing a federal document renders it invalid for authentication.
See our full Federal Apostille Requirements for the complete intake standard, and How to Federally Apostille an FBI Background Check: The Complete Guide for a worked example.
How to apostille a National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) FBI report, step by step
- Place your Departmental Order request with National Credit Reporting (National Background Information). Order at www.nbinformation.com/order.php. Choose a delivery option that includes a mailed physical copy.
- Get fingerprinted. A nationwide network of preferred live scan locations for electronic capture, plus ink-rolled FD-258 fingerprint cards submitted by mail.
- Check what you actually received. Open the envelope, confirm the report carries the FBI watermark and a division official’s signature, and then leave it alone. Do not laminate, notarize, staple, fold through the signature block, or annotate it.
- Confirm your destination country’s route. Hague Convention country means an apostille and you are done. Non-Hague country means federal authentication followed by embassy legalization. Check the Country Guide before you send anything.
- Mail the original to us. Federal Apostille and Notary Processing, 1050 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036. Include the destination country and your return shipping instructions. Place your order at our secure order page.
- We take it to the Office of Authentications. Documents that meet the requirements are apostilled and returned to you in 7 business days, excluding Fridays and federal holidays. Track progress any time at Track Your Order.
Cost and timeline: the whole journey
Here is what the full path actually costs and how long each leg takes, using National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) for the report and Federal Apostille for the authentication.
| Stage | Who does it | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fingerprint capture and FBI submission | National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) | $39.95 for the FBI Criminal Report. The fingerprint collection fee is separate and runs $5 to $40 depending on the location and method. Expedited shipping costs extra. | The online access code is usually available 24 to 48 hours after the fingerprints are received. Printed copies take 5 to 7 days standard, 2 to 3 days by USPS Priority, or overnight by FedEx for additional fees. The stated outside limit is 21 days from your request. |
| Mail the original to our D.C. office | You | Postage | 2–5 days domestic |
| U.S. Department of State apostille | Federal Apostille | $120 flat, government fee included | 7 business days |
| Return shipping to you | Federal Apostille | Per your instructions | 1–5 days domestic, longer internationally |
Compare that against handling the Department of State step yourself. By mail it is a $20 nonrefundable fee per document and a published processing time of five weeks from the day the Office of Authentications receives your envelope in Sterling, Virginia — so the $100 difference in fee buys back roughly three and a half weeks. In person at 600 19th Street NW in Washington, D.C. it is the same $20 and a published 7 business days, but it requires two trips between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. on a Monday through Thursday. If you can make those trips, do it yourself. If you cannot, that is what we are for. Run your own dates through our Processing Time Estimator.
National Credit Reporting (National Background Information): strengths and watch-outs
Where National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) is strong
- The mailed official FBI hard copy is the standard product, not a paid upgrade.
- The lowest report fee we verified among the channelers that mail a physical copy, at $39.95 plus collection.
- Accepts ink-rolled FD-258 cards by mail, so you are not dependent on finding a live scan site.
- Extra copies can be ordered at the time of your order, which matters if you are filing in more than one country.
What to watch for
- The collection fee is separate and varies by location, so your true total is $45 to $80.
- Standard mail delivery of 5 to 7 days is slower than the electronic-only channelers.
- Online access is blocked from non-U.S. IP addresses.
Not sure the report you have is the right version?
Send us a photograph before you mail anything. We will tell you in plain terms whether it will clear the Office of Authentications, and what to do if it will not. There is no charge for the answer.
Start my federal apostille — $120 flat See document requirementsWhat Federal Apostille does once your report arrives
We are a Washington, D.C. apostille and notary processing office. Our entire job on this document is the step channelers generally leave to you: presenting your authenticated FBI Identity History Summary at the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications and returning it to you with the apostille attached. One channeler, PrintScan, sells an apostille add-on of its own; every other one stops at the report.
| Price | $120 flat rate per document, which includes the U.S. Department of State fee and our processing. No separate government-fee line item. |
|---|---|
| Turnaround | Ready in 7 business days, excluding Fridays and federal holidays, from the day your document reaches our office. |
| Where to send it | Federal Apostille and Notary Processing, 1050 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036 |
| What we need | The original mailed FBI report, the destination country, and return shipping instructions. Full list on our requirements page. |
| Tracking | Every order is trackable at Track Your Order. |
| Also handled here | Certificates of Naturalization, CRBAs, DD-214s, SSA benefit letters, USPTO patents, federal court records, FDA and USDA export certificates. See all federal document types. |
What you would pay and wait doing it yourself
We think you should know the alternative before you hire us. The U.S. Department of State charges a $20 nonrefundable fee per document and offers two routes:
- By mail to the Office of Authentications, 44132 Mercure Circle, PO Box 1206, Sterling, VA 20166-1206. The Department states it will process a mailed request within five weeks of receiving it, before shipping in either direction.
- In person at 600 19th Street NW, Washington, D.C. Drop off and pick up run 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday, no appointment required, and the Department states it will process requests within 7 business days.
So if you live in or near Washington, D.C. and can make two early-morning trips to 19th Street inside a 90-minute window, doing it yourself costs $20 and takes about a week. That is a real option and we will not pretend otherwise. What our $120 buys is that we are the ones making those trips: we are a D.C. office, we go to the counter, and you never leave home. For the large majority of our clients — who are in California, Texas, Florida or overseas — the honest comparison is against the five-week mail queue, not the counter.
Apostille or embassy legalization? It depends on the destination country
An apostille is the single-certificate route created by the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention. If your destination country is a contracting party, a federal apostille from the U.S. Department of State is the last U.S. step — the receiving authority abroad accepts the document without further certification by a consulate. There are more than 130 contracting parties, including Spain, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Portugal, Brazil, Australia, India, the Philippines, Colombia, Chile, Poland, the United Kingdom, China (effective 7 November 2023) and Canada (effective 11 January 2024).
If your destination country is not a party, an apostille does nothing for you. Those countries require the longer legalization chain: federal authentication first, then attestation at that country’s embassy or consulate in Washington, D.C., and in many cases a further step at the destination country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Cuba and Taiwan each have their own chain.
Two countries are mid-transition, so check the date. Vietnam’s accession takes effect 11 September 2026 and Thailand’s takes effect 28 February 2027. Before those dates they still require embassy legalization; after them an apostille is correct. If your filing straddles one of those dates, call us before you order anything.
Check yours before you send anything. We maintain a Country Guide that tells you which route applies, and Hague vs. Non-Hague: Federal Apostille and Authentication explains the difference in plain terms. If your country needs the embassy route, our Embassy Legalization for Non-Hague Countries service runs the whole chain from the same D.C. office.
One clarification worth making, because it is the single most common misunderstanding we hear: an apostille certifies the authenticity of the signature and the capacity of the official who signed the document. It does not certify the document’s contents, and it does not oblige a foreign authority to accept your filing. Many receiving authorities add their own conditions on top — a maximum document age, a certified translation, a particular form. Confirm those with the authority that is actually asking.
Why FBI reports get rejected at the Department of State
Almost every rejection we see comes from one of six causes. None of them are about the content of your record — a report showing no criminal history is rejected for exactly the same reasons as one showing a record.
| Cause | What it looks like | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| A printout, not an original | You printed the channeler’s PDF on your home printer. | Order the mailed hard copy from a channeler that offers one, or order directly from the FBI and select the mailed response. |
| A notarized copy | A notary certified your copy of the report, believing that would help. | Never notarize a federal document. The Department of State states that a notarized federal document is no longer valid for authentication. |
| Missing the destination country | The order form does not name the country the document is going to. | Name the exact country on the order. The apostille is issued for a specific country and cannot be reissued for free. |
| Wrong authority | The report was sent to a Secretary of State office instead of the federal Office of Authentications. | FBI reports are federal documents and are always authenticated federally. See Federal Apostille vs. State Apostille. |
| Stale document | Some consulates and receiving authorities will not accept a report older than three or six months. | Check the receiving authority’s age limit before you order the report, not after. |
| Damage or alteration | Lamination, staples through the seal, highlighting, folding through the signature block. | Leave the document exactly as it arrived. Do not laminate, do not annotate, do not remove staples the FBI placed. |
Frequently asked questions about National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) and apostilles
Why is National Credit Reporting often the easiest channeler to work with for an apostille?
Because the mailed official FBI report is what they sell by default. Most channelers treat the physical copy as an upsell or do not offer it at all, which leaves applicants holding a PDF that cannot be authenticated. Here you order, they mail you the original, and you send that original to us. It is one less thing to get wrong.
Should I pay for FedEx overnight delivery from National Credit Reporting?
Only if your filing deadline is genuinely tight. Standard mail runs 5 to 7 days, USPS Priority 2 to 3 days. Our federal apostille turnaround is 7 business days from receipt, so paying for overnight delivery to yourself saves a handful of days on a two to three week total. If the deadline is real, take it. Call us at (760) 469-2997 and we will map the dates for you.
Is National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) actually approved by the FBI?
Yes. National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) appears on the FBI's published List of FBI-Approved Channelers for Departmental Order Submissions, the list the FBI maintains of companies authorized to submit fingerprint requests on an individual's behalf. There are twelve companies on it. The list is the only authoritative source, and you should check it directly rather than trusting a vendor's own claim.
Is National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) actually faster than going directly to the FBI?
Not always, and it is worth checking the numbers before you assume it is. The FBI charges $18 for a direct Departmental Order request and publishes turnaround of within 48 hours for an electronic request with electronic fingerprints taken at a U.S. Post Office, approximately 10 days if you mail a fingerprint card, and up to 15 days for a mailed request. National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) states: The online access code is usually available 24 to 48 hours after the fingerprints are received. Printed copies take 5 to 7 days standard, 2 to 3 days by USPS Priority, or overnight by FedEx for additional fees. The stated outside limit is 21 days from your request. The real case for a channeler is convenience — a collection site near you, or a mailed copy you can order in the same transaction — rather than raw speed against the FBI's electronic route.
What does National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) cost?
$39.95 for the FBI Criminal Report. The fingerprint collection fee is separate and runs $5 to $40 depending on the location and method. Expedited shipping costs extra. Prices were read from the company's own site on August 26, 2026. Fees change, so confirm the current figure before you order. Our federal apostille is a separate $120 flat rate that includes the U.S. Department of State fee.
Can I use National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) if I am not a U.S. citizen?
U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Everyone else is directed to submit directly to FBI CJIS. National Credit Reporting states that the FBI does not allow CJIS channelers to disseminate FBI criminal report information outside of the United States. Online access is restricted to U.S. IP addresses.
I already have my report from National Credit Reporting (National Background Information). What do I send you?
Send the original mailed report exactly as it arrived, staples and all, together with the destination country and your return shipping instructions. Do not laminate it, do not notarize it, and do not send us a photocopy. Mail it to Federal Apostille and Notary Processing, 1050 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20036. If you are unsure whether what you are holding qualifies, photograph it and call us at (760) 469-2997 before you ship.
Does an apostille change what my FBI background check says?
No. An apostille is a certificate attached to the document that verifies the authenticity of the signature and the capacity of the official who signed it. It says nothing about the content of your record. A report showing no criminal history and a report showing a record are apostilled identically and at the same price.
Can a 'No Record' FBI report be apostilled?
Yes. The vast majority of FBI Identity History Summaries we handle come back with no criminal history, and that is exactly what most foreign authorities are asking for. The apostille process treats a no-record result the same as any other.
How long is an apostilled FBI background check valid?
The United States places no expiration on an apostille. The limit comes from the receiving authority. Many immigration authorities, employers and universities abroad will not accept an FBI report more than three or six months old, counted from the FBI's issue date rather than the apostille date. Check the requirement in your destination country before you order the report, because that clock starts the day the FBI issues it.
Do I have to be in Washington, D.C. to get a federal apostille?
No. Nearly all of our clients mail their documents in from elsewhere in the United States or from abroad. You send the original report to our D.C. office, we handle the Department of State step in person, and we ship the apostilled document wherever you need it.
Can you apostille more than one document at a time?
Yes, and it is usually the sensible thing to do. Many applicants need the FBI report apostilled alongside a Certificate of Naturalization, a birth certificate, a diploma or a marriage certificate. Each document takes its own apostille at the same flat rate, and sending them together saves shipping. Note that federal and state documents follow different routes, which we sort out for you.
What if my destination country is not in the Hague Convention?
Then you need embassy legalization rather than an apostille. The document goes through federal authentication first, then to that country's embassy or consulate in Washington, D.C., and often on to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We run that whole chain from the same office for countries including the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Taiwan and Cuba. Vietnam and Thailand are mid-transition — Vietnam joins the Apostille Convention effective 11 September 2026 and Thailand effective 28 February 2027 — so which route applies to those two depends on your filing date.
Do I need a translation of my FBI report?
Often, yes. Many receiving authorities want a certified translation of both the report and the apostille into the local language. The correct order matters: apostille first, then translate the apostilled document, because the translation must cover the apostille certificate too. We provide certified and sworn translation from the same office.
Ready to move?
$120 flat per document. Ready in 7 business days. Mailed anywhere in the world. Questions first? Call (760) 469-2997 or email submissions@federalapostille.org.
Start my federal apostille — $120 flat Call (760) 469-2997Related guides on Federal Apostille
- FBI Background Check Apostille
- How to Federally Apostille an FBI Background Check: The Complete Guide
- Federal Apostille Requirements
- Submit Your Order
- All 12 FBI-Approved Channelers: Complete Directory
- Embassy Legalization for Non-Hague Countries
- Certified & Sworn Translation
- What Is the Federal Apostille Process?
- Federal Document Types We Authenticate
- Contact Federal Apostille
- Federal Apostille vs. Federal Authentication
- How to Get a Federal Document Apostilled
- Federal Apostille Service
- Processing Time Estimator
Official sources
Every factual claim on this page about the FBI process, the Department of State process, and National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) was taken from a primary source. Verify anything that matters to you:
- FBI — List of FBI-Approved Channelers for Departmental Order Submissions
- FBI — Identity History Summary Checks
- FBI — Identity History Summary Checks Frequently Asked Questions
- FBI eDO — Electronic Departmental Order submission portal
- U.S. Department of State — Requesting Authentication Services
- U.S. Department of State — Apostille Certificate
- HCCH — Apostille Section of the Hague Conference on Private International Law
- National Credit Reporting (National Background Information) — official website
