Terminology Explorer
A relational view of the glossary. Each term shows its definition, the context in which it is used, the terms it relates to, the articles that rely on it, and its government sources. It exists because the vocabulary in this field is the main obstacle to reading the official material directly: the document is not called a background check, the office is not called an apostille office, and the person named on the record has a specific legal term.
What this tool will not tell youIt does not define terms this site cannot source. A term with no published definition is left out rather than described loosely.
Matches terms, their common alternatives, and definitions.
26 of 26 terms
Apostille
Also called hague apostille · apostille certificate
Definition
A certificate issued under the 1961 Hague Convention that authenticates the origin of a public document so it can be recognized in any other Convention party without further legalization.
Context
An apostille certifies who signed the document and in what capacity. It says nothing about the content. For an FBI Identity History Summary the apostille is issued by the U.S. Department of State, never by a state Secretary of State.
Related terms
Where this term is used
- Apostille and Authentication of an FBI Identity History SummaryBecause the Identity History Summary is a federal document, it is authenticated by the U.S. Department of State — not by a state Secretary of State. This article explains that distinction, the Hague Convention fork, and what happens when the destination is not a Convention party.
Government sources
Where this term comes from.
- Full text — Apostille Convention (1961)
Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) · reviewed 2026-08-01
- Office of Authentications
U.S. Department of State · reviewed 2026-08-01
- Authenticate an official document for use outside the U.S.
USAGov · reviewed 2026-08-01
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Other tools
- Country Requirement CheckerSelect a destination to see what its authorities publish about FBI Identity History Summaries, authentication, and translation.
- Apostille Requirement CheckerDetermine whether a destination takes an apostille or consular legalization, and which authority is competent for a federal document.
- Your FBI Background Check Timeline, Stage by StageBuild your route — how you are submitting, which post, which stages apply — and get a total in calendar days, with every figure attributed.
- Document Expiration CalculatorWork out when a summary falls outside a receiving authority's recency window, from the issue date and the window they set.