For remarriage abroad, foreign registration of a divorce, name restoration and immigration filings. $190 per document, 5 business days. Serving Sarasota.
A Florida divorce is final in Florida the moment the judge signs. Everywhere else, it has to be proved — and foreign registries, consulates and courts will only accept a certified copy of the final judgment with an apostille attached. Remarrying abroad is the most common trigger, but foreign property division and immigration filings run a close second.
Certified copies come from the Clerk of Court in the county where the divorce was granted — the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court for divorces finalised locally. The clerk's certified copy carries the seal the Department of State verifies. We check the copy, file it in person in Tallahassee, and return the apostilled original in 5 business days. Sarasota clients can hand it off at our Westshore office or arrange a booked appointment.
Foreign civil registries will not issue a new marriage licence to a previously married U.S. citizen without an apostilled final judgment of dissolution.
Many countries require a divorce granted abroad to be registered locally before either party is legally considered single there.
Restoring a maiden name on a foreign passport, national ID or property record generally requires the apostilled decree showing the restoration.
Dividing real estate or accounts held in another country means producing an apostilled decree to the foreign court or registry.
Consular and residency applications routinely require proof that a prior marriage was legally dissolved, in apostilled form.
Foreign courts asked to recognise or enforce a U.S. custody arrangement want the apostilled judgment containing those terms.
Population in Sarasota runs to roughly 55,000, the cultural centre of Florida's southwest coast. Sarasota's population skews affluent, well-travelled and internationally rooted — a large German, British, Canadian and Swiss contingent, plus a professional and arts community with long-standing ties to Europe. The apostille work reflects it: estate and probate records for foreign courts, property powers of attorney, marriage and death certificates for foreign civil registries, and citizenship-by-descent packets.
Our work in Sarasota spans Downtown Sarasota, Southside Village, Siesta Key, Lido Key and Palmer Ranch and the streets between them. Working near St. Armands Circle, The Ringling and Siesta Key keeps this a local operation rather than a mail-order one.
The Westshore office is about an hour away from Sarasota. Appointments are confirmed within one business hour, so the drive is never wasted. The same service runs to Bradenton, Ruskin and St. Petersburg just up the road.
Documents leaving Sarasota most often head to Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy and Canada. An affluent, internationally rooted population produces estate and probate records for foreign courts, property powers of attorney, and citizenship-by-descent packets more than routine vital records.
The furthest point we serve regularly. Book ahead and confirm the document by phone first; for a single document, courier is often more sensible. 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.
What gets apostilled is a certified copy of the Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage, issued by the Clerk of Court in the county that granted the divorce and carrying the clerk's seal and signature. Your attorney's file copy, a conformed copy, or a photocopy of the judgment will not be accepted. Some destinations also require the Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics, which is a shorter summary record.
Divorced in Hillsborough County? Order the certified copy from the Hillsborough County Clerk of Court. Divorced elsewhere in Florida — Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee, Sarasota, Hernando — order from that county's clerk. Divorced in another state or country? That jurisdiction has to certify the judgment before it can be authenticated. Bring the certified copy to our Westshore office — about an hour from Sarasota — or book a booked appointment.
Call or send a request and we'll hold an appointment at our Tampa Westshore office — confirmed within one business hour.
Before anything is filed, we vet the document itself — the certification, the notarization, and what your destination country expects — so rejections don't happen.
We hand-carry your paperwork to the Florida Department of State counter ourselves. No mail-in pile, no batch processing, nothing left to chance.
Your apostilled originals come back in 5 business days, ready for collection at the office — and you get a call the minute they arrive.
A single figure per document, with the Florida Department of State's fee already included. Bundles bring the per-document rate down from there.
Filing fees are not extra: the state's $10 per document is already inside these numbers, as is in-person submission and the handling either side of it. Notarization is available as an add-on where required.
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.
Call or send a request and we'll hold a time at the Tampa Westshore office. Appointments are confirmed within one business hour, so you'll know your slot the same day rather than waiting on a callback.
We're at 4830 W Kennedy Blvd, Suite 633K in Tampa's Westshore district — about an hour away from Sarasota. Book a time and we'll have it held when you arrive.
Five business days from the moment we take the document to the moment it's back apostilled. That figure doesn't change with distance — Sarasota runs on the same in-person filing schedule as everywhere else we serve. On a tighter deadline, call and we'll tell you honestly what's achievable.
The Hillsborough County Clerk of Court, which holds the case file. Request a certified copy of the Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage — not a plain or conformed copy. If your divorce was granted in a neighbouring county, that county's clerk holds it instead.
No. The apostille attaches to the certified document as a whole, and the clerk's certification page is what the state verifies. Long judgments with marital settlement agreements attached are completely normal and cost the same $190.
Sometimes. The Certificate of Dissolution of Marriage from the Bureau of Vital Statistics is a brief summary record that satisfies some foreign registries. Others insist on the full judgment. Check with the receiving authority first — we can apostille either one.
Yes. A divorce judgment is a court record, and either party — or in most cases any person — can request a certified copy from the clerk. Your former spouse's involvement or consent is not required at any stage.
Usually, for anything heading to a non-English-speaking country. Foreign registries want the judgment readable in the local language. We coordinate certified translations alongside the apostille so both arrive together.
Certified copies of final judgments of dissolution.
Florida Bureau of Vital StatisticsCertificate of Dissolution of Marriage.
Florida Department of StateThe office that issues the apostille itself.
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.
Same-day appointments available for Sarasota — call and we'll confirm your window within one business hour.
