French citizenship · FBI record
FBI background check for French citizenship
If you have lived in France for less than ten years and lived in the United States at any point in the last ten years, your naturalisation file needs your FBI record. The part that needs you is quick: request it online, get fingerprinted in Paris, post the card. Here is the whole route, apostille and translation included.
- Request onlineA few minutes · $18
- Fingerprinted in Paris45 minutes · 7 days a week
- Card in the postThe same day
Do you need it?
- You have lived in France for less than ten years.
- You lived in the United States at some point in the last ten years.
- You are applying by decree (naturalization) or by marriage.
Every other country you lived in during those ten years needs its own record. By marriage, the FBI record must be issued after you arrived in France.
How it works
Step 1 · FBI · edo.cjis.gov
Request your FBI record online
- A few minutes
- $18
Apply for your Identity History Summary on the FBI’s site, and print the confirmation email with its QR code.
More detail
Also ask for the printed copy by mail. The apostille goes on the FBI’s signed, watermarked result, practice differs on whether a printout of the PDF is accepted, and the FBI will not authenticate a result again once it has been processed. There is no expedited option.
Step 2 · Sequana · Paris 1st
Get fingerprinted in Paris
- 45 minutes
- €150
- 7 days a week
Rolled and flat prints of all ten fingers on the FD-1164 card. Bring your passport and the FBI confirmation email; we supply two cards.
More detail
Before travelling to a police station or town hall, confirm that it can take fingerprints on the card required by the FBI. You leave with the completed cards and post one to the FBI with your confirmation email, to the address given in that email; tracked post is worth it. The FBI currently quotes about ten days once the card arrives. The electronic result comes first and the printed copy follows by post. €200 on Sunday.
Step 3 · US Department of State
Have it apostilled
- $20 per document
Only the State Department’s Office of Authentications can apostille an FBI document, by mail with form DS-4194 or through a US apostille agent.
More detail
A state Secretary of State or a notary cannot do it, and having the original notarised makes it unusable. By mail, send the printed result with the fee and a prepaid return envelope (from France, that means US postage or a courier return label); allow several weeks. An agent does it for a fee, and some applicants have the FBI send the printed copy straight to the agent.
Step 4 · Sworn translator
Have it translated
- About a week
- Typically €60–150
A “traducteur agréé” registered with a French court of appeal, or a translator authorised in another European country, translates the result with its apostille.
More detail
Translate once the apostille is attached, and make sure the translation includes the apostille itself. Prices are a typical market range, not set by Sequana.
Then add it to your file
On ANEF, the online naturalisation platform, upload a scan or photo of each document. Keep the originals for your interview.
Free planner
Filing on a set date? Get your dates.
Choose your filing date to work back to your fingerprint appointment. No date yet? Start with the suggested month. Your choices stay in your browser.
Planned filing date
Choose a date, or plan from today
Without a filing date, the plan starts today.
Without a filing date, the plan starts today.
Start today
- 1FBI request sentWeek 1
- 2Fingerprints takenWeeks 1–2
- 3Apostille backWeeks 11–22
- 4Translation doneWeeks 11–23
Planning estimates, not deadlines or guarantees. Includes postal delivery, processing and translation; the suggested month also allows a four-week buffer. Confirm timing with your apostille provider and translator.
Mistakes to avoid
Assuming any provider can do it
At home or with a provider, your fingerprints must be legible and on the required FBI card.
Expecting the FBI to arrange the apostille
The FBI does not forward documents to the State Department. A state apostille or a notarised copy will not do.
Only keeping the PDF
Ask for the printed copy when you request. The FBI will not authenticate a result again later.
Translating too early
Translate after the apostille is attached, and include the apostille in the translation.
Using a Channeler from France
The FBI says Channelers may only process requests for US citizens or lawful permanent residents located in the United States.
Reusing a pre-move check
By marriage, the record must be issued after you arrived in France.
Questions people ask
Do I need an FBI background check for French citizenship?
Yes, if you have lived in France for less than ten years and you lived in the United States during the last ten years. The file needs a criminal record extract, or an equivalent document, from every country you lived in during that period. For the United States, that is the FBI Identity History Summary.
How long does the whole process take?
Your part — the online request and the fingerprint appointment — can be done within a few days. After that it is mostly waiting: about ten days at the FBI once your card arrives, post, several weeks for the State Department apostille, and about a week for the translation. Allow about 2½ to 5½ months from request to finished documents; a US apostille agent usually saves about 3 weeks.
Does the FBI background check need an apostille for France?
French law requires foreign public documents to be legalised or apostilled, and the United States is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so the apostille is the expected step. Only the US Department of State can apostille an FBI document. Some prefectures have not asked for it in practice; a missing apostille can cost months, an unnecessary one costs $20, so we suggest getting it.
How recent must the FBI record be?
French rules set no expiry date for a foreign criminal record; the Hérault prefecture says so in plain terms. By marriage, it must be issued after you arrived in France. Some applicants report being asked for a recent document, so plan to file soon after yours is ready.
Is a state background check enough?
No. French authorities ask for the federal record issued by the FBI. The French Embassy in the United States states that it is the only US criminal record it accepts.
Which countries count?
The decree covers every country you lived in during the last ten years. Some official guidance and prefecture checklists refer to stays of more than six months. If you are unsure about a country, ask your prefecture before you file.
Can the US Embassy in Paris take my fingerprints?
No. The US Embassy in Paris does not take fingerprints for FBI checks. Sequana takes them on the FD-1164 card in Paris, by appointment, seven days a week.
Can I use an FBI-approved Channeler from France?
According to the FBI, Channelers may only process requests for US citizens or lawful permanent residents located in the United States. From France, you request your Identity History Summary directly from the FBI.
Who can translate the FBI report?
A sworn translator: a “traducteur agréé” registered with a French court of appeal, or a translator authorised by the authorities of another European country. Translate the apostille as well as the report.
FD-1164 or FD-258?
The FBI names the FD-1164 for an Identity History Summary request. The FD-258 is an applicant card generally used when an employer or agency requests a different US check. Sequana supplies two FD-1164 cards at the appointment.
Official sources (11) · checked 18 October 2026
Requirements change; your prefecture has the final word on your file.
- Service-Public — naturalisation by decree: documents (F2213) ↗
- Service-Public — nationality by marriage (F2726) ↗
- Service-Public — sworn translators (F12956) ↗
- Légifrance — décret 93-1362, art. 37-1 ↗
- Légifrance — décret 2024-87 on legalisation ↗
- Hérault prefecture — naturalisation FAQ ↗
- French Embassy in the US — information notice ↗
- FBI — Identity History Summary checks ↗
- FBI — Identity History Summary FAQ ↗
- US Department of State — authentications ↗
- HCCH — Apostille Convention status ↗
Central Paris
Where does it take place?
26 place du Marché Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris
FBI and RCMP fingerprint appointments take place at this central Paris address.
Open in Google Maps ↗Start with the fingerprints
It is the step most people get stuck on in France. Book an appointment in Paris, bring your passport and the FBI confirmation email, and leave with two completed FD-1164 cards.
FD-1164 fingerprints · €150
Book