Frequently asked questions

No. Only the Florida Department of State issues Florida apostilles. A notary may notarize your document first, which is often what makes it eligible.

The state fee is $10 per document. For documents certified by a county Clerk of Court it is $20: $10 for the apostille plus $10 for a certificate confirming the Clerk's signature. Fees for the certified copy itself, shipping, notarization and service are separate.

Mailed requests are processed in the order received, with no expedited option. The state publishes how far behind its queue is; in mid-October 2026 it was about two and a half weeks, plus shipping both ways. The state says most walk-in requests in Tallahassee are completed while you wait.

No. FBI reports are federal documents, so the apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State, not Florida.

No. You need a certified copy signed by the State Registrar, from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or a county health department. Photocopies, including notarized ones, are not accepted.

No. It goes to the Secretary of State of the state that issued it, or the state whose notary notarized it.

That is up to the receiving country or office. Check their requirements first, including translation and how recent the document must be.

Only if you will use it in another country. Countries in the Hague Apostille Convention accept an apostille; other countries need a notarial certificate and more steps after it. For use inside the U.S. you don't need one, so ask the office receiving it what they require.

It depends on the country where you will use the document. If that country is in the Hague Apostille Convention, you need an apostille from the Florida Department of State. If not, Florida issues a notarial certificate instead; the U.S. Department of State usually adds an authentication certificate next, and the country's embassy or consulate may need to legalize it. You can check a country on the Hague Conference's official list.

The simplest way is online through VitalChek, which handles both the certified copy and the apostille in one order and adds its own processing fee. By mail it takes two steps: order the birth certificate from the Bureau of Vital Statistics with form DH726A, then send it to the Florida Department of State with the apostille request form, with a separate payment for each. The certificate must be signed by the State Registrar, which includes copies issued by a county health department.

The request form is on the Florida Department of State's apostille page. Mail requests go to Division of Corporations, Attn: Apostille Section, P.O. Box 6800, Tallahassee, FL 32314-6800. Courier and walk-in requests go to 2415 N. Monroe Street, Suite 810, Tallahassee, FL 32303, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except state holidays. The phone number is 850-245-6053.

For wills, deeds, durable powers of attorney and health care surrogate designations, Florida requires two witnesses. Tell us when you book so the appointment is planned for them.

A Florida driver license or ID card, a U.S. passport, a driver license or ID from another U.S. state or territory, Canada or Mexico, a foreign passport stamped by U.S. immigration, a U.S. military ID, a VA veteran health ID card, or an ID card issued by U.S. immigration such as a green card. It must be current or issued in the past 5 years.

No. A non-attorney notary can't give legal advice or choose a form for you. Ask the attorney or office that prepared it.

Yes, where the facility allows it. The signer must be alert, able to understand the document and willing to sign.

Yes. A Florida notary can perform a wedding, but only inside Florida and only with a Florida marriage license from a county clerk. The notary fills in the certificate on the license and returns it to the issuing office within 10 days. The fee can't be more than the clerk charges for a wedding, which is $30 today, and an online notary can't marry a couple remotely.

Usually yes. A Florida notary can sign as one of the witnesses and also notarize the same document. The exception is a document where the witnesses' own signatures are notarized, such as the self-proving affidavit on a will, because the notary would be notarizing their own signature. Your document still needs its full number of witnesses.

Not for close family. A Florida notary can't notarize the signature of their spouse, son, daughter, mother or father. The law doesn't name other relatives, but a notary also can't notarize if they have a financial interest in the deal or are a party to it.

Yes, a notary can notarize your signature on a power of attorney. A notary who isn't a lawyer can't write it for you or tell you which kind you need. In Florida, a power of attorney must be signed in front of two witnesses and acknowledged before a notary, and an attorney can prepare it for you.

The notary can add a separate notary certificate to your document. You need to tell the notary which kind you need, an acknowledgment or a jurat (a sworn statement), because picking it for you would be legal advice. If you're not sure, ask whoever drafted the document or the office that will receive it.

A physical government ID the platform can scan live, plus passing a set of identity questions. Photocopies, scans and Apple or Google Wallet IDs are not accepted.

Florida allows one retry. If that fails, the notary can't proceed online, and an in-person notary is the next step.

It's allowed with strict screening. If the signer answers yes to any of three questions about impairment, disability or needing help with daily care, the witnesses must be physically present. Talk to your attorney first.

Yes. A Florida online notary, who must be in Florida, can notarize for a signer located elsewhere. You confirm you want a Florida notary to perform the act under Florida law. Whether the receiving office accepts it is their call.

No. Some offices require ink signatures or in-person notarization, and some signers can't pass the ID check.