Documents for your retirement visa
Every major retirement visa — Portugal D7, Spain NLV, Italy ERV, Greece FIP, Panama and Costa Rica Pensionado — requires the same core document package: an FBI background check, a birth certificate, income proof (SSA or pension letter), and often marriage or divorce certificates. Every document needs to be officially authenticated for use abroad. Most need translation.
The process takes longer than most people expect. The FBI check alone can take 14–18 weeks if you do it yourself, or 4–6 weeks using expedited services. Start the document stack 5–6 months before your consular appointment — not after it's scheduled.
Apostilles
Apostilles for US Retirees Moving Abroad
What an apostille is, which documents need them, where to get them (state vs. federal — these are different offices with different timelines), and how to time everything against your visa appointment's freshness windows.
FBI Background Check
FBI Background Check for a Retirement Visa
How to get the FBI Identity History Summary — direct mail vs. channeler, where to get fingerprinted, why you need a federal apostille (not a state one), translation requirements by country, and the timing math behind a 90-day validity window.
Start here: the order matters
- 01Start the FBI background check first — it's the longest step and drives the timing of everything else
- 02Order certified copies of vital records (birth certificate, marriage/divorce certificate) and send to state apostille offices — this can run in parallel with the FBI check
- 03Time your SSA or pension letter for 8–10 weeks before your appointment — income documents expire quickly
- 04Send apostilled documents for translation only after the apostille is attached — never before
The full planning timeline covers where document prep fits in the broader pre-move sequence, from the Medicare decision through visa applications to what to do once you land.