Your documents

An apostille is a government certification that authenticates a document for use in another country (under the Hague Convention). For EU visa applications, certain US documents — like birth certificates, marriage certificates, FBI background checks, and sometimes diplomas — need to be apostilled before a foreign government will accept them. State-issued documents get apostilled by your state's Secretary of State. Federal documents (like FBI background checks) get apostilled by the US Department of State. Our platform tells you exactly which of your documents need apostilles based on your visa type, consulate, and family situation.

Most EU visa applications require official translations of documents not in the destination country's language. Spain requires sworn translations (traducciones juradas) by government-authorized translators. Portugal requires certified translations into Portuguese. The Netherlands generally accepts English documents for the IND application, but your local gemeente may require sworn Dutch translations of birth and marriage certificates for BSN registration. Not all documents need translation; our platform flags exactly which ones do. We partner with Translayte, a translation service that specializes in visa document translations.

You request it directly from the FBI through their Identity History Summary Check process. As of 2026, you can submit fingerprints electronically through an approved channeler or by mail using the traditional FD-258 card. Processing typically takes 3–4 weeks for electronic submissions and longer for mail. The FBI Identity History Summary covers your full criminal history (no time limit). It then needs to be apostilled by the US Department of State before you can use it for a visa application. For Spain, you also need criminal record certificates from every country where you resided in the previous 2 years, plus a 5-year sworn declaration of no criminal record (required by all consulates as part of the DNV application). For Portugal, you need certificates from your country of nationality and every country where you resided for more than one year.

Requirements vary by country, but generally you need private health insurance with comprehensive coverage — not just travel insurance. Travel insurance policies are commonly rejected by consulates. For Spain, you need full private health insurance with no copay caps and coverage for repatriation. For Portugal, you need coverage of at least €30,000 valid in Portugal. Policy wording matters — certain phrases and coverage levels are required, and our wizard validates your documentation against these requirements. We partner with Feather, an expat insurance provider, but you can use any qualifying provider.

After completing the wizard, all your documents are available for immediate download from your dashboard. You'll receive them as PDFs — the same official government form formats that consulates expect. You'll also receive a confirmation email with access links.

Reach out to us at support. If there’s an error caused by the platform (incorrect field mapping, missing data, formatting issues), we’ll regenerate corrected documents at no charge. If the error is in information you provided, we’ll help you understand what needs to change and regenerate accordingly.

Yes. You can re-enter the wizard, update your information, and regenerate documents anytime. This is useful if your income changes, you get a new passport, or other details shift between when you complete the wizard and when you submit your application.