The criminal history check foreign governments actually require — certified by FDLE, apostilled by the state. $250 per document, 5 business days. Serving Hollywood from our Fort Lauderdale office, by appointment.
For the 153,000 people who call Hollywood home, getting a FDLE background check accepted abroad comes down to one certification: the Florida apostille. Work visas, foreign residency permits, teaching contracts, and citizenship applications almost always include one line that stops people cold: 'criminal background check, apostilled.' For Florida residents, the state-level answer is the FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) criminal history check — and when it's certified by FDLE, it can be apostilled by the Florida Department of State.
The critical detail: only the certified version qualifies. The instant $24 online search result you can print at home cannot be apostilled. You need FDLE's certified criminal history record, and once you have it — or once we've walked you through ordering it — we file it in person and return the apostilled check in 5 business days. For Hollywood residents, that means one handoff — at your door or at our office — and the apostilled original back in your hands on a defined timeline.
Naturalization processes abroad require apostilled criminal history covering years of U.S. residence.
Foreign adoption authorities require apostilled background checks for every adult in the household.
Medical, legal, and financial licensing bodies abroad include apostilled clearances in their character requirements.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Korea, Singapore, and most European work-visa programs require an apostilled criminal background check.
Hollywood is home to roughly 153,000 residents. Hollywood's large Cuban, Colombian, and Romanian communities keep a constant flow of documents moving between South Florida and consulates abroad — birth certificates for citizenship claims, powers of attorney for property overseas, and marriage records for foreign spouses.
We serve clients throughout Hollywood's neighborhoods including Hollywood Beach, Hollywood Hills, Emerald Hills, Hollywood Lakes, and Downtown Hollywood, as well as nearby communities such as Hallandale Beach, Dania Beach, Pembroke Pines, and West Park. Landmarks like the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk, ArtsPark at Young Circle, and Memorial Regional Hospital put us on familiar ground — this is home-turf service, not a mail-order processor.
From Hollywood, our Fort Lauderdale office is about 25 minutes away — visits by appointment — and appointments are usually available same day or next day. Also serving FDLE background check apostille clients in nearby Pembroke Pines, and Hallandale Beach.
The rules are specific, and they are where Hollywood filings most often go wrong: Two different background checks serve two different purposes, and ordering the wrong one wastes weeks. The FDLE check covers Florida criminal history, is issued at the state level, and is apostilled by the Florida Department of State — that's the one we handle, and it satisfies many countries' requirements, especially when the requirement says 'state of residence police clearance.' The certified version is ordered directly from FDLE.
The FBI Identity History Summary covers federal/national history and cannot receive a Florida apostille — it requires federal authentication through the U.S. Department of State in Washington, or an apostille through an FBI-approved channeler workflow. If your destination country explicitly demands the FBI check, we'll tell you honestly and point you to the right path; if the requirement is flexible, the FDLE route is dramatically faster for Florida residents. When your FDLE background check is ready, bring it to our office — about 20 minutes from Hollywood — appointments usually available same day or next day.
Book your handoff: a scheduled appointment at the office, usually available same day or next day. Times are confirmed within the hour.
We review each document against the state’s checklist — certified copy, valid notarization, correct destination country — before it ever travels.
Filing happens face to face at the Florida Department of State, not by envelope. That is what keeps the timeline fixed at five business days.
When the apostilled originals come back, we call. Pick them up at the office or we return them to you locally — whichever is easier.
No hourly rates, no hidden charges, no surprise add-ons. The price you see is the price you pay — including the Florida Department of State filing fee.
All prices include the Florida Department of State filing fee ($10 per document), in-person filing at the Department of State, and full document handling. Notarization available as a separate service when your documents require it.
Download the Florida Department of State Apostille and Notarial Certificate Request Form. We can fill it out for you at your appointment — no need to complete it in advance.
Because Hollywood is a city where Cuban, Colombian, and Eastern European families keep vital records moving between South Florida and consulates abroad, the FDLE background checks we apostille here are most often bound for Cuba, Colombia, Romania, and Israel. That matters practically: each destination has its own quirks — whether a certified translation is required, whether the receiving registry wants a recently issued copy, and whether the apostille needs to be translated along with the document.
We handle those details as part of the job rather than leaving you to discover them at a consulate window. Tell us the destination country when you call and we’ll confirm exactly what your FDLE background check needs before anything is filed — including whether a translation should be ordered before or after the apostille, which is the sequencing mistake that costs Hollywood clients the most time.
Yes — we serve every city in Broward County, Hollywood included. Service is by appointment at our Fort Lauderdale office at 6750 N Andrews Ave, Ste 288E; requests before 2 PM are routinely scheduled the same day, and every request gets a confirmed time within one business hour.
We're at 6750 N Andrews Ave, Ste 288E in Fort Lauderdale — about 25 minutes from Hollywood. Office visits are by appointment, and same-day slots are usually available.
5 business days, drop-off to return — the same in-person filing timeline countywide. Rush handling is available when your deadline is tighter; call us and we'll tell you honestly what's achievable.
No — the $24 instant search printout carries no certifying signature and will be rejected. Only FDLE's certified criminal history record qualifies. It's the single most common mistake we prevent.
Read your destination's wording: 'state police clearance' or 'certificate from your state of residence' means FDLE works. 'FBI background check' or 'federal criminal record' means the federal route. Read us the requirement and we'll interpret it — we do this daily.
Most countries require the check be issued within 3–6 months of your application. Order the FDLE check when your timeline is real, not months in advance.
Name-based FDLE checks can return possible matches for common names; the fingerprint-based certified check resolves it definitively. If your name is common, we'll recommend the fingerprint route up front.
Through FDLE's certified criminal history request process — not the instant online search. The certified letter arrives with FDLE's seal and authorized signature, which is what the Department of State authenticates. We'll walk you through the order when you call.
