Dick Wolf began discussing a second FBI spinoff with CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl as early as January 2020, following the success of the first spinoff, FBI: Most Wanted, since Wolf envisioned FBI as an ongoing franchise offering an 'endless trove of stories'.

The series was officially announced on February 18, 2021 for the 2021–22 television season, with Derek Haas set as showrunner and executive producer alongside Dick Wolf, Peter Jankowski, and Arthur Forney.

CBS ordered the series on March 24, 2021, planning for it to debut via a crossover episode with FBI and FBI: Most Wanted, at which point Rick Eid also joined as an executive producer.

The original main cast—Luke Kleintank, Heida Reed, Vinessa Vidotto, Christiane Paul, and Carter Redwood—was announced in July 2021.

Christiane Paul exited the series in July 2022 after season one, with her character being replaced by a new one played by Eva-Jane Willis.

Both lead actors Heida Reed and Luke Kleintank left the show during season three, announced in December 2023 and April 2024 respectively, with their characters written out and new regulars Christina Wolfe and eventually Jesse Lee Soffer joining as replacements.

The third season's premiere was delayed from September 2023 to February 2024 due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and as a result the season was shortened to just 13 episodes.

After four seasons, CBS canceled FBI: International on March 4, 2025.