Hi does anyone know if i can schedule an appointment with Interpol in the US to get my background check from them instead of waiting to do it in Lima and then having to pay DHL ? Also, i’m confused on one part about getting all my documents apostilled—does Migraciones require me to apostille my USA birth certificate as well?
- This commment is unpublished.@MariaHello Maria,Interpol doesn't issue a background check neither in Peru nor in the US. The Ficha de Canje is a document issued by Interpol certifying that a person isn’t an internationally wanted fugitive, so hasn’t an international wanted persons notice (Red Notice). You must apply for it at Interpol in Peru. You find more information on the process in our article Interpol-Ficha de Canje.Next to the Ficha de Canje you need a criminal record check. Assuming you are from the US you need an “FBI Criminal Record Check” or a “Identity History Summary” which is issued in the US by the Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). You should get this before (!!!) leaving the US and have it apostilled in the US.I assume you are a bit confused because, among other nationalities, US citizens are required to do an additional criminal record check for which the international money order is needed. According to the Interpol office in Lima, this check has nothing to do with issuing the ficha necessary for Migraciones and the approval of your visa.
You should be aware that getting the results back from this additional check may take many weeks or even months and the criminal record check you get does not have an Apostille on it. So, waiting to get this check back and use it for the "Antecedentes" requirement to apply for a residence visa is not recommended and counterproductive as you most probably will run out of time on your stay as a tourist before you get the document and have it sent and returned with Apostille. So, better come prepared to Peru bringing your FBI criminal record check already with you or apply for it on your own when already in Peru.Then I wonder on what base are you planning to apply for a family visa? If you aren't the daughter of a Peruvian (then you could get the Peruvian nationality which would make things much easier) or if you aren't the daughter of a foreigner with resident status in Peru, you won't need your birth certificate.Anyway, you might want to check out the article above under Requirements for all documents you need for your family visa application (don't miss the explanatory notes). And, as explained above, all required documents issued outside Peru must have an Apostille, then must be translated in Peru into Spanish and the translation must be legalized by the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.GreetingsEva - This commment is unpublished.@Sunflower Hi Eva. No i just got married in the US to a Peruvian citizen and i got it apostilled at the secretary of state and he took it to Reniec and i’m waiting on my fbi background check to be apostilled. Yes this process has been extremely confusing but i was following the requirements list on this website and it said my birth certificate has to be apostilled to submit to Migraciones. Do i not need to get that done? Thank you so much for your help i sincerely appreciate it. Dealing with Migraciones is so exhausting and trying to get a hold of them is even worse! Each agent gives you a different response!
- This commment is unpublished.@MariaHello Maria,not sure which website your are talking about, but above in the article under the requirements it clearly states that you need a document that proves the family tie. So, a marriage certificate if the applicant is married to a Peruvian or foreigner with resident status", which applies to you; a "birth certificate if the applicant is the child or parent of a Peruvian, but not Peruvian himself or of a foreigner with resident status, which doesn't apply to you.So, you don't need your birth certificate if you apply for a family visa based on being married to a Peruvian.For now, it seems everything is done correctly. You married in the US and had your US marriage certificate apostilled. I assume your husband had it translated in Peru and now applied to have your marriage registered with Reniec. As soon Reniec completed the process your husband gets your Peruvian marriage certificate. He should make sure that he gets a certified copy of the Peruvian marriage certificate. One requirement done.Then you already applied for your FBI record check. When you have it, this must be apostilled as well and you are ready to come to Peru. When you are in Peru, the FBI check must be translated as well. Next requirement done.Then you must get an appointment at Interpol for the Ficha de Canje. When you go to Interpol in Lima you get the Ficha de Canje on the same day. Next requirement done. You don't need the additional check for your family visa application; so don't let anyone confuse you.Now, the only things left to do is make PDFs of all documents and pay the application fee, which can be easily done online as described above. Last requirements done.And then you just must apply on the Agencia Digital.I know it all seems confusing and strange at first. But read the article slowly and just follow the steps (don't miss the links to other articles, which as this article explains everything in detail).If you are getting overwhelmed or don't know what to do, just send me a message and I try my best to clarify any doubts.All the bestEva
- This commment is unpublished.@Sunflower Hi Eva I just got my FBI fingerprint submission back and I'm waiting for the document to be apostilled--but I have a question--the FBI fingerprint letter states that "the result of the search is only effective for the date the submission was originally completed (March 20,2023) " . So does this mean that Migraciones will give me trouble and request a new one? do you know any US citizens who've already submitted this document and had trouble with it?Also, do I need any other documents aside from: 1. the FBI fingerprint + Apostille + translation 2. Register US marriage with RENIEC 3. Interpol appointment 4. Make PDF of all these documents??I'm still in the US so I'm hoping that whatever other document I need to apply for residency through marriage to a Peruvian I can get done here so that I don't have to wait in Peru for the documents to arrive. Please advise. Thank you again for all your help!!! :-)P.S. this will be my third time applying for a visa here (the first two times I applied was through a work visa and it didn't work out) so I'm really hoping this time I have all my documents sorted out!
- This commment is unpublished.@Maria Hello Maria,
That’s great. So you have your FBI criminal record check and now only the Apostille is missing.
And yes, on every report you find that “the result of the search is only effective for the date the submission was originally completed”. This means that if you applied on March 20, 2023 the FBI can only confirm that you don’t have a criminal record until March 20, 2023. They can’t confirm that you won’t have any encounters with the law in the future. How could they?
Anyway, nothing to worry about. Migraciones will accept the document if it was issued not more than six months before the application.
And as described above for the family visa application you only need from the US
- your passport with a validity of at least six months on the day you enter Peru; if it’s only valid a year or so, I would apply for a new one before leaving the US, so you don’t have to worry that your passport expires during the application / approval process or soon after that which means you would have to apply for a new US passport in Peru and then have your Peruvian ID card, the carné de extranjería, changed, shortly after you got it. So, if necessary get a new US passport and you are good for the next 10 years.
- the FBI criminal record check with Apostille
That’s it.
Once in Peru you need additionally need the following
- Ficha de Canje from Interpol
- Certified copy of your Peruvian marriage certificate
- Receipt for paid application fee- Up-to-date DNI of your husbandJust follow the description above. Every step is explained.GreetingsEva