Your U.S. documents and apostille checklist
Order the right records, send them to the right authority, and leave time for translation.
Make the list before ordering
Create one row for every applicant and document. Include the exact name on the passport, issuing authority, issue date, validity requirement, authentication route and translation status. Ask your immigration adviser to approve that list before you order everything at once.
Typical residency preparation involves identity, civil-status, criminal-record and category-specific financial evidence. The digital-nomad procedure has its own requirements, so do not assume every document needed for pensionado belongs in a nomad application.
Send each record to the correct authority
The U.S. Department of State handles authentication of eligible federal documents, including FBI records. State-issued records need the relevant state authority. An apostille authenticates an official signature or seal; it is not approval of your immigration application.
| Record | Where to start | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Birth or marriage certificate | Issuing vital-records agency and state authority | Certified version and state certification procedure |
| FBI criminal-history record | FBI, then U.S. Department of State | Accepted record format and federal apostille |
| Pension or income evidence | Paying institution or authorized professional | Required wording and applicable authentication |
Keep translation and document age in view
Check whether the apostille and any attached certification also need translation. Do not remove staples or separate authenticated bundles. Save complete scans before sending originals and record tracking details for every shipment.
Ask which event controls document validity: issue date, filing date or another procedural milestone. Do not repeat a blanket six-month rule without confirming the category and the document. Arrange hard-to-replace records early, but order time-sensitive ones around a realistic submission schedule.
Do a final consistency check
- Names, birth dates and passport numbers match throughout.
- Every certification belongs to the correct original or certified copy.
- Spanish translations cover all required pages.
- Each dependent has the required relationship evidence.
- You retain a complete copy and know who holds the originals.
Leave space in the plan for corrections. A clean file is more useful than a fast shipment to the wrong authority.
Sources & notes
Sources consulted September 12, 2026. Specific rules and fees can change; use the linked authority’s current instructions for an application or financial decision.