Last Updated on May 19, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
“My husband and I will be applying through the Houston BLS. We received the FBI Background Check by mail but they don’t have the watermark. Are we able to send those to be apostilled, or should we print the ones we got digitally?”
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
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Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“The Department of State won’t apostille without the watermark. Mine didn’t have it (I wasn’t aware it was supposed to have one) and sent it to them without it. They allowed me to email the digital copy with the watermark but it delayed the process.
Definitely send the watermarked version!
Yes, print the digital version and send. Sometimes you have to adjust your printer settings to get the watermark.”
Conclusion
According to a Spainguru community member, the FBI background check must include the watermark to be eligible for apostille by the U.S. Department of State.
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Explore Cities →If your mailed copy lacks the watermark, it’s advisable to print the digital version instead, ensuring that your printer settings are adjusted to display the watermark properly.
Attempting to apostille a version without the watermark may result in processing delays or rejection, though some applicants were able to recover by sending the corrected version digitally.
To avoid delays in your Spanish Non Lucrative Visa application, make sure your FBI background check has the watermark before sending it for apostille.
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