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.
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.
Florida apostille: $175
Processing time: 4-6 bus. days + mail
Please complete the Order Form and mail it with your original document(s) to
If you are sending your document(s) from a foreign country, please use FedEx, DHL, UPS or TNT, and email the tracking number so that we can watch for your package.
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Our guarantee: If we are unable to get your documents apostilled or legalized, we will issue a 100% refund, we do not keep any service fees.
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