Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage vs. divorce judgment

The State of Florida issues two kinds of divorce records: Dissolution of Marriage Certificates and certified copies of Divorce Judgments.

We strongly recommend to contact the receiving foreign agency or the Consulate of the country of intended use to determine what kind of divorce record may be required.

Florida Dissolution of Marriage Certificate (also called a "Divorce Certificate" or "Certification of Report of Dissolution of Marriage") is issued as an abstract of the information taken from the judgment and is acceptable as evidence that a dissolution was finalized and granted. The actual judgement may be obtained from the Clerk of Circuit Court in the county where the dissolution of marraige was granted.

After a dissolution of marriage (divorce or annulment) has been recorded with the Clerk of Circuit Court, the Clerk forwards a report to the Bureau of Vital Statistics for permanent filing. This process takes approximately 60 days. If the current dissolution of marriage is less than 60 days, the Dissolution of marriage certificate is not available.

The Divorce judgement may be obtained from the Clerk of Circuit Court in the county where the dissolution was granted.

To start the process of getting an apostille for a Florida divorce record, you must first have a document that will eligible for an apostille. If you were asked for several apostilled divorce certificates (judgments), for each Florida apostille you will need a separate certified copy. Please note that, under no circumstances, can a Florida vital record (including divorce certificates or judgments) be notarized. If the Secretary of State sees any kind of notarization on your document, the document will be rejected for an apostille.

Florida divorce records: apostille requirements

There are two types of divorce records issued in the State of Florida: Certification of Report of Dissolution of Marriage issued by the Office of Vital Statistics and signed by the State Registrar and a certified copy of the Divorce Judgment issued by the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the divorce was registered.

For apostille / legalization purposes both documents are acceptable.

In case of Certification of Report of Dissolution of Marriage, a Florida state apostille will authenticate the signature of the State Registrar on a certified copy.

The following signatures of the State Registrars (former and current) are acceptable for Florida apostilles:

Ken Jones (current State Registrar) * C. Meade Grigg * Oliver Board * Edward Williams * Charles Mahan

If your Certification of Report of Dissolution of Marriage has a different signature, it might still be acceptable. Please email a copy or a free evaluation.

Certified copies of Divorce Judgment are issued by the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the divorce was registered. To be eligible for an apostille / legalization, this document needs to be a certified copy with a stamp of the court and the signature of the Clerk or Deputy Clerk. We strongly recommend that you email a copy of your document for a free evaluation. In many cases it will signigicantly speed up your apostille / legalization project.

If you need a certified copy of your divorce judgment with an apostille, please contact us. We might be able to help.

If your document meets the above requirements, send the original document and the completed Order form to us by mail.

If your document does not qualify for an apostille...

Florida Certification of Report of Dissolution of Marriage with Hague apostille

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What does a Florida apostille look like?

In the State of Florida, as in all U.S. states, an apostille is a separate page attached to the document by a staple. It is signed by the Secretary of State (facsimile signature) and has the Great Seal of the State of Florida.

Price, processing time, order form

price 4 Florida apostille: $175

USPS Priority mail (within the U.S.): free

You will find more shipping options in the Order Form

Processing time: 4-6 bus. days + mail

order form 3 Please complete the Order Form and mail it with your original document(s) to

Foreign Documents Express

331 Newman Springs Rd., Bldg. 1

4th Floor, Suite 143

Red Bank, NJ 07701

If you are sending your document(s) from a foreign country, please use FedEx, DHL or TNT, and email the tracking number so that we can watch for your package.

175 apostille 1 No hidden fees.