USCIS Immigration Records Apostille

Issuing agency

US Citizenship and Immigration Services

We can obtain it?

No — you file the FOIA request; we advise and authenticate

Certification first?

Records must be USCIS-certified to be authenticated

Also known as

A-file, alien file, G-639 FOIA records, immigration file

USCIS immigration records — your A-file (alien file) or records released through a Freedom of Information Act request — document your immigration history in the United States. Foreign authorities sometimes require them, apostilled, to establish lawful status history for residency, citizenship-by-descent, or benefit claims.

This is a long-lead document. Start early, because the FOIA step is measured in months, not days.

What USCIS immigration records are

An A-file is the government's record of an individual's immigration history — applications, petitions, notices, and supporting documents accumulated over time. Records are requested through USCIS using Form G-639 (Freedom of Information/Privacy Act Request) or USCIS's online FOIA system. You can request your own records, or another person's with their written consent.

Not everything released is useful for apostille: the Department of State authenticates a document bearing a recognized federal certification, so what matters is obtaining records in a certified form rather than a plain FOIA release.

Why it needs an apostille abroad

A foreign authority cannot verify a U.S. immigration file on its own. The apostille certifies the USCIS-issued record as genuine across the 120-plus Hague Convention countries. Non-Hague destinations require that authentication followed by embassy or consulate legalization.

Filing a G-639 FOIA request

File Form G-639 by mail or through the USCIS online FOIA system. There is no filing fee. Requests are sorted into processing tracks, and timelines vary widely — often several months. You'll need identifying details (A-number if you have one, full name, date of birth) and, for someone else's records, their notarized consent.

Tell us what the foreign authority actually asked for before you file — it's common for people to request an entire A-file when a single certified document would have satisfied the requirement in a fraction of the time.

Document preparation requirements

• Submit the USCIS-issued certified record exactly as released.
• Do not notarize it — a notary can't certify a federal record.
• Don't reorganize, staple, annotate, or highlight the pages.
• Confirm with us which specific document the foreign authority needs before filing a broad request.
• Start early — FOIA processing commonly takes months.

The step-by-step process

1. Confirm what's actually required

   Tell us what the foreign authority asked for. Often a single certified document is enough — far faster than a full A-file request.

2. File the FOIA request

   Submit Form G-639 by mail or through the USCIS online FOIA system. No filing fee applies.

3. Receive the records

   USCIS processes and releases the records. This is the long part — plan for months.

4. Send them to us & we review

   We verify the records are in a certified form the Department of State will authenticate.

5. We submit in Washington, D.C.

   We hand-deliver the certified record to the Office of Authentications with the federal authentication request and fee.

6. Apostille issued, with legalization & translation if required

   You receive the apostille or authentication; we handle embassy legalization and certified translation where required.

Common rejection reasons — and how to avoid them

Common uses

• Foreign residency applications — documenting lawful status history.
• Citizenship by descent claims — establishing a parent's or your own immigration timeline.
• Benefit and pension claims abroad — where status history affects eligibility.
• Legal proceedings overseas — supporting a filing with immigration history.

Hague vs. non-Hague countries

Pick your destination below, or see all countries we serve.

Official references: USCIS — Form G-639 (FOIA/Privacy Act Request) · USCIS — FOIA Request · U.S. Department of State — Authenticate Your Document. Government fees are set by these agencies and are separate from our service fee.