For remarriage abroad, foreign registration of a divorce, name restoration and immigration filings. $190 per document, 5 business days. Serving Temple Terrace.
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. Temple Terrace 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 Temple Terrace runs to roughly 27,000, adjacent to the University of South Florida. Temple Terrace sits alongside the University of South Florida, and the international student and faculty population shapes the apostille demand here more than anywhere else in the county. Diplomas, transcripts, and background checks bound for foreign ministries of education and overseas employers are the everyday requests — often on a deadline set by a foreign university or licensing board.
Across Temple Terrace we handle documents for residents of Terrace Park, Raintree Village, Grand Hampton and the USF area. the University of South Florida, Florida College and the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club are part of the everyday geography here, and we work it in person rather than by post.
From Temple Terrace, our Tampa Westshore office is about 25 minutes away — book a time and the slot is held for you when you arrive. Nearby Northdale, Tampa and Wesley Chapel are served on the same terms.
Documents leaving Temple Terrace most often head to India, China, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Brazil and Nigeria. The University of South Florida sets the pattern: diplomas, transcripts and background checks bound for foreign ministries of education, licensing boards and overseas employers, very often against a fixed academic deadline.
We are used to working to a university or consulate deadline here, and will tell you plainly at booking whether the date is achievable. 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 25 minutes from Temple Terrace — 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.
A single figure per document, with the Florida Department of State's fee already included. Bundles bring the per-document rate down from there.
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.
Yes — we work by appointment only, which is deliberate: it means no queue when you arrive and no wasted trip from Temple Terrace. Ring us and we'll confirm a time inside one business hour.
about 25 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 Temple Terrace — call and we'll confirm your window within one business hour.
