For remarriage abroad, foreign registration of a divorce, name restoration and immigration filings. $190 per document, 5 business days. Serving Tampa.
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. Tampa 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 Tampa runs to roughly 400,000, the anchor of a metro of just over three million people. Tampa is one of the most internationally connected cities in Florida. Ybor City's Cuban and Spanish roots run straight through the city's identity, and the modern population layers on large Puerto Rican, Colombian, Venezuelan, Mexican, Indian, Vietnamese and Filipino communities. Add the Port of Tampa Bay, MacDill Air Force Base, a busy international airport, and a professional class with business interests across Latin America and Europe, and the apostille demand is constant: birth certificates for dual citizenship, corporate records for cross-border deals, powers of attorney for property held abroad, and background checks for overseas work visas.
We serve clients throughout Tampa's neighborhoods including Hyde Park, Ybor City, Westshore, Seminole Heights, South Tampa, Davis Islands, New Tampa and Channelside. the Tampa Riverwalk, Water Street, Tampa International Airport, Amalie Arena and the Port of Tampa Bay are part of the everyday geography here, and we work it in person rather than by post.
From Tampa, our Tampa Westshore office is minutes away — book a time and the slot is held for you when you arrive. Clients in Town 'n' Country, Temple Terrace and Brandon come to us for the same divorce decree apostille work.
Documents leaving Tampa most often head to Spain, Colombia, Venezuela, Italy, India and the Philippines. Ybor City's Cuban and Spanish lineage still drives citizenship-by-descent files, while Water Street's professional class generates corporate records and powers of attorney for deals across Latin America and Europe.
Being in the city itself, we can usually hold a same-day appointment and still file that week. Downtown and Westshore office workers often come by on a lunch break. 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 — our office is right here in Tampa, on West Kennedy Boulevard in the Westshore district — 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.
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.
A phone call. We'll confirm an appointment at the Westshore office within one business hour and tell you before you set off from Tampa whether your document actually qualifies.
minutes away — on West Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa's Westshore district, at 4830 W Kennedy Blvd, Suite 633K. Call ahead and your slot is reserved before you set off.
No. Every city we cover runs on the same 5-business-day schedule, because the document is hand-filed in Tallahassee regardless of where it was collected. If your deadline is shorter than that, call — we'll tell you plainly whether rush handling can meet it.
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 Tampa — call and we'll confirm your window within one business hour.
