For teaching abroad, foreign job offers, graduate school and professional licensing. $190 per document, 5 business days. Serving Westchase and the USF corridor.
Diplomas and transcripts are the second most common apostille we handle, and the one most often tied to a hard deadline — a contract start date, a visa appointment, a university enrollment window. Foreign employers, ministries of education and licensing boards will not recognise a U.S. credential until the apostille is attached.
Here's the part that trips people up: a diploma isn't a public record, so it can't be apostilled as-is. It has to be notarised first — either by a school registrar whose signature is on file, or through a notarised copy certification or a registrar's affidavit. We're Florida-commissioned notaries, so we handle that step and the apostille in a single pass. For Westchase clients that's one handoff, one fee, and the document back in 5 business days.
TEFL and TESOL placements in Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam, Spain and the UAE require an apostilled degree and, almost always, a background check alongside it.
Employers in the Gulf, Europe and Asia verify credentials through the apostille before a work permit will be issued.
Foreign universities want an apostilled diploma and transcript as part of the admissions file, often before the application is even reviewed.
Nurses, engineers, teachers and physicians seeking to practise abroad must present apostilled credentials to the foreign licensing authority.
Foreign evaluation bodies increasingly require the apostille before they will assess a U.S. degree for equivalency.
Exchange placements and scholarship programs routinely ask for apostilled academic records as part of the visa packet.
With roughly 23,000 residents, Westchase sits a master-planned community in northwest Hillsborough. Westchase draws a professional, well-travelled population — corporate relocations, physicians, and a notable concentration of households with dual nationality or family abroad. It is one of the closest communities to our Westshore office, and one of the most consistent sources of diploma, background check and corporate apostille requests in the county.
Our work in Westchase spans West Park Village, The Greens, Radcliffe and Harbor Links and the streets between them. Landmarks like West Park Village, the Westchase Golf Club and the Upper Tampa Bay Trail put us on familiar ground — this is local service, not a mail-order processor.
From Westchase, our Tampa Westshore office is about 15 minutes away — book a time and the slot is held for you when you arrive. The same service runs to Town 'n' Country, Carrollwood and Clearwater just up the road.
Documents leaving Westchase most often head to the United Kingdom, Germany, India, Brazil and Canada. Corporate relocations and dual-national households dominate here, which means diplomas, transcripts, background checks and employment-related authentications more than vital records.
Among the closest communities to the office, so a same-day appointment is realistic even on short notice. Whichever route you take, the document is filed in person at the Florida Department of State rather than mailed, which is what holds the return to 5 business days.
A diploma or transcript needs a notarised element before Florida can apostille it. There are three routes: the school registrar signs and has their signature notarised; a Florida notary performs a copy certification of the original; or the registrar issues a notarised affidavit attesting to the credential. Which one works depends on the receiving country and, sometimes, on the school. Sealed transcripts sent directly from the registrar in a signed, notarised envelope are the cleanest option when the destination accepts them.
Graduated from the University of South Florida, the University of Tampa, Hillsborough Community College, Florida Southern College or Saint Leo? All of these are routine for us. Graduated out of state? The notarisation has to happen in the state where the notary is commissioned, and the apostille follows from that state — but if you're in Florida with the original in hand, we can often handle the copy certification here. Bring it to our Westshore office — about 15 minutes from Westchase — or book a booked appointment.
You come to West Kennedy Boulevard at a time we've reserved for you. One exchange, and the document is in our hands.
Every document is examined before filing — issuing seal, signature, notarial certificate, and the specific requirements of the country it's headed to.
We present the document at the Florida Department of State in person. Nothing sits in a mailroom, and nothing waits behind a batch of other people's paperwork.
The apostilled original is back and ready to collect at the office. You'll hear from us the moment it's in.
No courier surcharge, no rush upsell, no handling fee appearing at the end. The figure below covers the work and the state's filing fee together.
The $10 Florida Department of State fee is built into every price, along with in-person filing and end-to-end handling of the document. Documents that require notarization first can have that added on.
Grab the Apostille and Notarial Certificate Request Form from the Florida Department of State here. There's no need to fill it out ahead of time — we'll complete it with you at your appointment.
Usually the same day or the next. Tell us when suits and we'll hold the slot; confirmation comes back within one business hour of the request, not the following morning.
Ours, at 4830 W Kennedy Blvd, Suite 633K in Tampa's Westshore district — about 15 minutes away away. Appointments only, confirmed within one business hour of your request.
Drop-off to return runs 5 business days anywhere in our service area — the same in-person filing schedule for every city we cover. Facing a tighter deadline? Call and we'll give you a straight answer about what rush handling can realistically deliver.
Yes — a diploma is not a public record, so a notarised signature has to exist on it or alongside it before the Department of State can act. We're Florida-commissioned notaries and handle that step with the apostille in one visit.
Straightforward. Either the registrar's office signs and notarises, or we perform a notarised copy certification of your original diploma. Both routes are common with Tampa Bay institutions and both reach the same result — bring the original and we'll advise on the spot.
Often, yes. If we notarise a copy certification here in Florida, the Florida apostille attaches to that Florida notarisation. Some countries insist the apostille come from the state that issued the degree — check with the receiving authority, and tell us what they say.
It depends entirely on who's asking. Employers and licensing boards usually want the diploma; universities almost always want the transcript as well. When in doubt, do both — the two-document bundle at $300 is cheaper than coming back for the second one later.
Yes. High school diplomas and transcripts follow the same route as university credentials, and they come up regularly for students enrolling in foreign universities or families relocating overseas.
The office that issues the apostille itself.
USF Office of the RegistrarTranscript and credential requests for USF graduates.
Florida Department of EducationState-level education records and credential information.
One flat rate, volume bundles, and the few things that add cost.
Processing timeThe 5-day timeline vs the mail-in queue.
Same-day & rush serviceA straight answer on what a tight deadline allows.
Booking an appointmentHow office visits work, and what to bring.
On a deadline? Call and we'll confirm a Westchase appointment within one business hour.
