FBI Report

not really an answer to your question but I went ahead and ordered fbi report  a few weeks ago just to see what my report looks like in advance.  i know it's extra costs but, this way, if there's anything that showed up that needs to be explained, you know what to say.  luckily...it looks good!  (FYI:  i read in some fb group that the person at VFS san francisco office opened the envelope to review it).

@reynbod2003

They open it there.

@reynbod2003 i’m not sure what you are referring to with regard to not opening /unsealing it. There are several steps along the way that will require you to be working with the actual report document, so there is no way you can send this document to SEF/AIMA without opening/unsealing. Here are the steps:

NOTE: these steps are assuming that you are not using an expediter and/or you are not using a lawyer in Portugal. If you are using either of these, then the simple answer is still the same… nothing is sealed, but who does what along the way may differ.

1. You receive the report, which is usually downloaded as a PDF from the FBI site, once it is ready… meaning it is not sealed when you receive it
2. You must send it to the Department of State to get the apostille, which results in you printing out the report (usually it is a single page) and mailing or overnighting the report, along with the required Apostille application and payment to the DOS
3. if you are using an expediter, you will upload the PDF to them and then they will handle everything and send the Apostilled document back to you for further processing or to your lawyer in Portugal for further processing
4. DOS will mail the Apostilled document back to you (NOTE: do not un-staple the Apostille from the original report for any reason or it becomes invalid and you have to start all over). 
5. Once you get the package, you will need to send the document to  a translator to get a certified translation of the FBI report to include along with the original Apostilled report  when you send it to SEF/AIMA
6. Most Portuguese lawyers can do the certified translation for you so if you send the Apostilled document to them, they will open and do the translation.

So as you can see, the FBI document will be handled multiple times, as well as the apostilled document, so really there is no point along the document’s journey where it will be ”sealed” so there is no worry if customs opens it.

Remember… all of these steps are on a tight deadline.  As soon as the FBI notifies you that your report is ready (I.e. the date printed on the report), the 90-day clock starts ticking. You must obtain the Apostille, get the translation, and have the completed Apostille Reprot package in AIMA’s hands within 90 days from the date of the FBI report or they will require a new one and you start all over again)

i realize this was a long answer to your short question, but I included all the detailed steps on case someone else is reading and found the extra info to be helpful in their process. Wishing you good luck in your endeavor.

@JellyB6684 None of that was required when my wife applied for her D7 Visa last year, just the sealed envelope with the report as received from the FBI.

Taru

@TaruR huh. Interesting. We had to do this twice: once when applying and once again after biometrics. Then never mind…. 😁 my comments apply only when SEF/AIMA requires Apostilled docs, as they did with our visas and our brother’s family’s visas. Thanks for the clarification.

    @JellyB6684 None of that was required when my wife applied for her D7 Visa last year, just the sealed envelope with the report as received from the FBI.
Taru
   

    -@TaruR

Yes I agree with you. No one I met who went through the process,  or read instructions or posts in America, did all those steps he said, needed to happen. Perhaps, that is another country?

I just want to know is the sealed envelope of the FBI report opened at the VSF appointment or later elsewhere? 🤷🏾‍♀️

I am a US citizen.

However it is possible (likely?) that the requirements for my Visa (an ARI visa) is different than the D7. The original post didn't specify which visa the report was for, so I erroneously responded with what we had to do for our visas and what many others that we have been communicating with (bith nomad visas and other ARI visas) have had to do.

Based on this thread, it is now clear to me that the requirements are different between the various visas and therefore my original response is only applicable to those that have Apostille requirements on their FBI report.

@JellyB6684 My attorney and VFS Miami told me the FBI report should be apostilled. "Not opening it" was not an advisable option. And any document that was in English or Portuguese didn't require translation.

My attorney made the point that anything the applicant puts on the 3-page visa application form "is fair game."  After I thought I had covered all bases, she advised me to include a copy of my divorce decree as "proof" I was in fact divorced. The VFS official included the divorce degree in my docs that he submitted, saying it showed why my current surname differs from my birth surname!  I was not asked for a copy of my birth certificate, though!

The VFS official who reviewed my docs was great, pleasant and professional. He didn't include 75% of the docs I brought. My atttorney had told me to bring a year's worth of any bank and SS statements. The official only took the most recent 3 months.

Again, I think a lot depends on the official you get. Better to be overprepared. You never know. I was in and out in 25 minutes.