Georgia Background Check from Abroad
State criminal history check
Georgia Background Check from Abroad
Yes. Email your own request to gacriminalhistory@gbi.state.ga.us, which avoids international post entirely in the first direction.
- Fee
- No fee by email; up to $15.00 for a record inspection
- Processing
- Varies; email is faster
- From abroad
- Possible
What to send, and where
| Agency | Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Crime Information Center |
|---|---|
| Form | Written request by post or email to the Criminal History Records unit |
| Fee | No fee by email; up to $15.00 for a record inspection |
| Payment | As directed; the email route carries no fee. |
| Processing | Varies; email is faster |
| Post to | Georgia Crime Information Center, CCH/Identification, PO Box 370808, Decatur, GA 30037 |
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Crime Information Center page for this request
Specific to Georgia
- A fingerprint-based request needs two completed applicant cards, each with ten rolled and eight flat impressions, taken by a law enforcement agency.
- The email route is the single best option for anyone abroad on a deadline.
Getting fingerprinted where you are
Local police, a private fingerprinting service, a U.S. post if it still offers it, or ink at home. Take more than one card. Use the FD-258 unless Georgia specifies its own form above, in which case order that form first and allow for it reaching you overseas.
After it arrives
A Georgia criminal history check is a state document, so it is authenticated by Georgia, not by the U.S. Department of State. Most states require the response to be notarised or certified before the authenticating authority will touch it, and several sell a notarised version for exactly this purpose. Buy it at the time rather than discovering later that you have to start again.
We handle the apostille
Once your Georgia check exists we can authenticate it, legalise it for a non-Convention country, and have it translated. Tell us the destination and the deadline.
Questions people actually ask
Can I request my Georgia record from outside the United States?
Yes. Email your own request to gacriminalhistory@gbi.state.ga.us, which avoids international post entirely in the first direction.
What does it cost?
No fee by email; up to $15.00 for a record inspection As directed; the email route carries no fee.
How long does it take?
Varies; email is faster. Add international postage in both directions on top of that.
Do I need the Georgia check as well as the FBI one?
Only if the authority asking has said so. The FBI record already includes arrests that Georgia reported federally. Ask before paying for both.
Will it need an apostille?
If it is going to a foreign authority, yes. A Georgia check is a state document, so it is authenticated by Georgia rather than by the U.S. Department of State, and it usually has to be notarised or certified first.
This guide is published by a private document processing service. It is not legal advice and we are not a government agency. Requirements change without notice, so confirm anything critical with the mission before you post documents.
