U.S. and Canadian paperwork,
handled from Mexico.

Yes. Many Mexicans who lived or studied in the U.S. need one. The difference is the route: the FBI only processes U.S. citizens and green card holders electronically; for everyone else, the prints go on paper cards by post and the result takes several weeks.

We take your fingerprints here all the same, make sure the cards are flawless, and confirm the dates with you from the start so you can plan.

In most cases, no: temporary and permanent residency are mainly based on financial solvency, family ties or a job offer. Still, the consulate or INM office can ask for extra documents depending on your case.

Where an FBI check is commonly required is outside Mexico (visas for Canada, Australia or Europe), for jobs with children or at international schools, for adoptions and for professional licensing.

The Registro Civil normally asks for your birth certificate, apostilled and translated by a perito, plus ID and local requirements. If you were married before, add the divorce decree or the late spouse’s death certificate, also apostilled and translated.

Requirements vary a lot between states and municipalities: some ask for recently issued certificates or extra documents. Send us your Registro Civil office’s list and we will tell you what to order in the U.S. or Canada.

Usually your diploma and transcript, apostilled in the state or province that issued them, plus a Spanish translation. The apostille is not the recognition itself: it only certifies the signature and seal; equivalence is decided by the SEP or the state education authority.

If you are a U.S. citizen or green card holder, the request is electronic and the report usually arrives in 24 to 48 hours. If not, the FBI receives your prints on paper cards by post and takes several weeks. If they want it apostilled, add 10 to 12 business days for the federal apostille in Washington, D.C., plus translation time if they want it in Spanish.

No. Mexico has been part of the Hague Apostille Convention since 1995, the United States since 1981 and Canada since January 2024. A U.S. or Canadian document with an apostille is valid in Mexico without consular legalization.

No. Each country only apostilles its own documents: Mexican authorities apostille Mexican documents, and a Texas birth certificate can only be apostilled by the Texas Secretary of State. That is why the work is done there, even though you are here.

Because it is a federal document. Only the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. can apostille it. If someone offers to notarize a copy and get a state apostille, that apostille certifies the notary, not the FBI, and it is a frequent reason for rejection.

Not for an apostille. You need a certified copy issued by the state or county records office. If you do not have one, we order it for you and then get it apostilled.

Since January 11, 2024, Canada issues apostilles. Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec apostille documents from their province; Global Affairs Canada apostilles federal documents, such as the RCMP certificate, and those from the other provinces and territories.

A consular legalization done before the change is still valid as such, but the Mexican office may ask for a more recent document. If so, the new one only needs an apostille.

A translator authorized by a court or the competent authority, so their translations carry official weight. The Registro Civil, notaries and courts usually require one; other offices accept a plain translation. We confirm which applies to you before translating.

Rarely. A U.S. translation with a sworn affidavit does not carry the backing of a perito authorized in Mexico. The safe option is to translate here, with a perito the office accepts, including the translation of the apostille.

The report has no expiry date, but most offices only accept it if it was issued in the last 3 to 6 months. Order it once you have a date for your appointment. Each new check needs a new set of fingerprints.

For certificates and state documents, yes: the apostille is attached to the certified original. For the FBI report, no: the official digitally signed PDF is what gets apostilled. Physical documents travel by international courier with tracking.

Send us a photo of the document and the office’s note. It is almost always one of these:

• An apostille on a notarized copy instead of a certified copy.
• A state apostille on a federal FBI report.
• A background check older than the office allows.
• A translation without a perito, or by a perito that office does not accept.

Yes, and it is the most common setup. We go through the requirements with them, send digital copies so they can move ahead, and deliver the finished documents to them.