Florida procedure for notarial or apostille certification

The Secretary of State will Apostille or recognize the commission of a Florida notary or a Florida elected official for the following documents:

• Original notarized documents that have been correctly notarized in English, or have been certified as true copies by a Florida Notary Public. ** Please refer to Chapter 117, Florida Statutes, for questions regarding documents that may or may not be notarized.
• School transcripts from FLORIDA public schools and universities that have had the SIGNATURE OF THE SCHOOL REGISTRAR or ISSUING OFFICIAL NOTARIZED AT THE TIME OF ISSUANCE . These documents MAY NOT BE printed and notarized by an individual.
• Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates bearing the signature of the State Registrar, who is currently Ken Jones, obtained from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville Florida. For their contact information, fees and procedures, or to determine whether your document is an original, you will need to visit the Bureau of Vital Statistics website at: www.doh.state.fl.us/planning_eval/vital_statistics/birth_death.htm
• ****Please note that records obtained from local health departments are NOT ACCEPTABLE****
• Vehicle Titles certified by the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles. For their phone number and fee information, please go to the following website: www.hsmv.state.fl.us
• Original certified copies of documents filed with the Division of Corporations or original Certificates of Status bearing the signature of the Secretary of State. **Fees for corporate certification and apostille/notarial certification, when requested at the same time, will need to be paid separately and not all together in one check or money order. WE DO NOT ACCEPT CASH **
• Documents certified by a Clerk of Circuit Court from a county within Florida, such as a marriage license or a divorce document bearing the stamp and seal of the Clerk.

Documents must be submitted with original signatures; a photocopy of an original cannot be authenticated. ****DO NOT SEND CASH****

***WE CANNOT ACCEPT INCORRECT FEES OR PAYMENT FOR ADDITIONAL POSTAGE***

Please note that checks or money orders, MADE PAYABLE TO: DEPARTMENT OF STATE , are the only acceptable forms of payment to this office.

The fee for a notarial or apostille certification by the Secretary of State is $10 per notarized document.

The fee for apostille certification of ORIGINAL certified copies of documents, such as a marriage license or a divorce document, obtained from the Clerk of Circuit Court are $20 per document. **You must contact the Clerk of Circuit Court to obtain these documents as we do not provide them**

Certified copies of ORIGINAL birth/death/marriage records obtained from THE BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS in Jacksonville, Florida that are signed by THE STATE REGISTRAR (the current State Registrar is Ken Jones) are $10 per document. **** Please note that records obtained from local health departments are NOT ACCEPTABLE.****

PROCESSING TIME:

The processing time varies dependent upon the volume of work received and the resources available. We advise you to allow at least five (5) working/business days (Monday through Friday) for processing. Requests are completed in the date order they are received. We do not offer expedited services.

PROCEDURES:

Please follow these procedures carefully to enable our staff to process your request without delay.

1. Enclose a cover letter stating the name of the country in which the documents will be used. The country name is needed in order to authenticate the document correctly, whether by Certificate of Notarial Authority or Apostille.
2. Enclose the required fee. (See "CERTIFICATION FEES" above)
3. You may enclose a self addressed, stamped envelope for return of the documents. ***If you wish the order to be returned by a courier service, you must enclose a pre-paid air bill with your order that is preaddressed FROM YOU and TO YOU. (No collect or cash on delivery (COD) mail or air bills can be sent from this office.)
4. If you are using U.S. Mail, please use this address:

**NOTE** This is also the address where we are located, if you chose to come in person, where you may wait for your request to be completed. No appointment is necessary.