Yet another post about FBI Criminal Record Check...

[markmarkov]

Hi Everyone,
I know this has been rehashed and regurgitated many times before, but all the discussions I found don't really apply to my situation.

Here goes:

1) I am a U.S. citizen in St. Petersburg. No plans to come to Moscow.
First question is, how can I get the fingerprints taken in the first place?

2) I don't have anything in the U.S.: No U.S. address, no friends, no relatives, etc. I haven't even been there for 12 years.

3) No travel plans, no vacation days available at work.

Considering all this, how can I get the proper criminal record check required by MVD?

Some thoughts:
I understand channelers are prohibited from sending records outside of the U.S. so I would need to send it to FBI directly. They do actually send to foreign address (it says so on their web site), so if I could only somehow get the fingerprints taken, I can pay the eighteen bucks by credit card and submit the fingerprint card by mail.
However, UFMS(MVD) will not accept it unless it's apostilled... So I would have to send it BACK TO THE U.S. A SECOND TIME to get it apostilled. Here's the problem, unlike the FBI, the U.S. Department of State does not send international (it says so right on their web site). So just to get the freaking piece of paper I would need to open up one of those mailbox forwarding services. New challenge: These places require a notarized postal form (Form 1583) before they're allowed to forward your mail. How do I do this in Russia? I need to go to a Russian notary (if they'll even accept that) to notarize a postal form just so I can open up a mailbox with int'l mail forwarding in order for this mail forwarding service to send me one single piece of paper? Now this is getting to be ridiculous

On top of that, how can I pull this off in the 90-day time period that the spravka is valid?

This rant has gotten pretty long so before replying, please revisit my #1, #2 and #3 points above.

P.S. BTW, I LOVE living in Russia. The rant is just about bureaucracy involving this particular document.
Thanks!

[xt-tsi]

I was in the same boat. BTW, I have a US mailbox service that, for a fee, forwards mail to me. I got the FBI report this way:

1. http://ncrcredit.com/products.php#fbi got the FBI report.
2. I had ncrcredit.com send the fbi report to www.asapdocument.com who arranged the apostille, fast and also for a fee.
3. After that, I had asapdocument.com fedex the apostilled doc to my US mailbox.
4. The final doc was forwarded to me in Moscow by my mailbox service where it was translated and notarized.

The process took less than a month.

I found out that applying directly to the FBI is too slow. I tried this as well as a backup and got the report after a long period of time, too late for my application in Russia. I got it in the US at my mailbox service but never used it.

The service I use will open a mailbox for you for 3 months, costing $54. PM me if you want their contact info.

Isn't form 1583 for USPS? It is pretty slow for mail from the US to Russia. Tried it with inconsistent results. I don't think the mailbox service needs this form to open an account and send letters to you by Fedex or DHL.

[nicklcool]

I googled some companies back when going through this and xs-tsi is right, though it may be simpler than he stated. I called sound, and the companies I had looked at were willing (for a fee) to receive the background check results (they come electronically, anyway), send them to the department of state to be apostilled, then mail them express to Russia. So I think you'll figure this part out.

The more important thing to think about is the translation here in Russia. Do you speak Russian? Because if you don't use some "special" translator, usually through a law office that handles these kinds of migration documents often, they'll translate your FBI doc using the most common (and correct!��) version of the translation of your doc, which will get your migration application denied ����.
Our FBI background check docs have a line, "This does not preclude any **further** offenses at the State or local level," which a translation office during my first attempt at RVP translated as "additional," essentially correct, but this caused me a lot of havoc, running around trying to beat the 90 day deadline after wasting like two months in a line (this was before Saxarovo), and eventually resulted in the denial of my application.
So, you need to make sure your translation presents this particular phrase as "future"; also technically a correct translation and it makes the migration officials happy, though we all know that isn't quite the correct sense of the word.

The law office I had used for my HQS visa recommended I stick with them for RVP since they know how the translations are "supposed" to look, and all those other minute details, but I balked at the 80k+ price tag (this was three years ago) and went it alone. This will totally be possible for you, too, but allow some extra time in your 90 day validity period, as you will inevitably have to make minute corrections to your translation and other application docs.

Oh, and BTW, the fingerprinting was quite easy, I don't have the weblink available, but I went to an IOM office in Moscow (it's some useless "migrant support" organization, funded, I think, by us American taxpayers through our generous funding of the UN, and I'm sure St. Pete has a branch, too) and got the fingerprinting done rather painlessly for an insignificant fee, right around $30. (I can dig out the contact info from my notes, if you really have trouble finding it)

I wish you good luck and harmony on your magnificent migration journey! ��

[markmarkov]

xt-tsi, thanks for the info!
If I understand correctly, ncrcredit sent the FBI Report directly to ASAPdocument, so theoretically you could have avoided renting a mailbox 'cause you could have asked ASAPdocument to Fedex or DHL it to Russia instead of your U.S. mailbox?

Unfortunately all the mailbox forwarding places tell you they need this form 1583 before they can forward your mail. I've tried to convince a few places to skip this form and they absolutely categorically say 'no'. But I may not need that if I can pull this off in the way you're describing (channeler ---> apostille place, apostille place ---> Russia)

One clarification: Where did you get fingerprints and how did you get them to ncrcredit?
Thanks!!!

[markmarkov]

Nick,
Thanks for the info. I had no idea it says that on the FBI Report. That means a translator needs to translate it a certain way, otherwise you get denied even though you have no criminal record
That's absolutely crazy! On top of that, I know this cannot be just any translator but someone accredited by the notary.

For the life of me I cannot find a place in St. Petersburg that will do the fingerprints. The organization you mentioned does not have an office in St. Petersburg. Tried the police and they said they only do it for Russians that are applying to be security guards. No commercial service available.

[xp@]

Unfortunately all the mailbox forwarding places tell you they need this form 1583 before they can forward your mail. I've tried to convince a few places to skip this form and they absolutely categorically say 'no'. But I may not need that if I can pull this off in the way you're describing (channeler ---> apostille place, apostille place ---> Russia)
!

Westpost is an option: Receipt of mail from abroad through a postbox address in Finland (with delivery in either St. Petersburg or Moscow). Their main office is in SPB: http://westpost.ru/en/

[xt-tsi]

Markmarkov, forwarding to you in Russia might be possible! The folks at ASAPdocuments were very helpful, they'll tell you right away. Otherwise, feel free to PM me about my mailbox service. I'm happy to help out if I can.

The fingerprints can be done here in Moscow, here is the link from US Citizens Services:

https://ru.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen...ecords-checks/

Quote from the site:
"For years the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Moscow has remained the only entity that provided fingerprint services for U.S. citizens in Russia. The IOM is located at Stasovoy street building 4, Business Center Donskoy Pоsad, the nearest metro station is Leninskiy Prospekt (approximately 10 minutes walk distance) and requires a prior appointment to be made via e-mail at MoscowFP@iom.int ."

When you have the fingerprints done, make sure they are made in a very clear way. When mine was done, a thumb print was not up to snuff...the person processing the application complained about it but eventually accepted the version I sent.

Sorry, this might require a trip to Moscow and take you away from beautiful St Petersburg. It looks like such a facility isn't available in your fair city.

[markmarkov]

Guys,
Sorry, one more question:
On the FD-258 form there is a date. Can I request that it is left blank?
If not, does the FBI have any rule of how old this can be?
For example, if I take the fingerprints on March 1st and submit it to the FBI on July 1st, will that work?
Thanks!

[campbell]

Thank you. This is very useful. How did you get NCR Credit to mail the reports to ASAPdocument? You entered their address as your "Attorney", or as your home address?

[Remington]

Guys,
Sorry, one more question:
On the FD-258 form there is a date. Can I request that it is left blank?
If not, does the FBI have any rule of how old this can be?
For example, if I take the fingerprints on March 1st and submit it to the FBI on July 1st, will that work?
Thanks!

Need to fill in the date otherwise it may get rejected. Fingerprints are still good for 15 months.