For remarriage abroad, foreign registration of a divorce, name restoration and immigration filings. $190 per document, 5 business days. Serving Westchase.
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. Westchase 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.
Westchase counts roughly 23,000 people and stands 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.
Clients come to us from across Westchase — West Park Village, The Greens, Radcliffe and Harbor Links among them. Working near West Park Village, the Westchase Golf Club and the Upper Tampa Bay Trail keeps this a local operation rather than a mail-order one.
The Westshore office is about 15 minutes away from Westchase. Appointments are confirmed within one business hour, so the drive is never wasted. Nearby Town 'n' Country, Carrollwood and Clearwater are served on the same terms.
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.
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 15 minutes from Westchase — or book a booked appointment.
Appointments are confirmed inside one business hour, not the next day. Tell us roughly when suits and we'll fit you in.
We read the document before it travels. Wrong seal, missing notarial wording, a certificate the state won't accept — we catch it here, where fixing it costs nothing.
Your paperwork goes to the Department of State counter in a person's hands, not an envelope. That's the whole reason the timeline is five days instead of several weeks.
Apostilled originals are ready in 5 business days at the Westshore office, and we call as soon as they land.
One flat number, nothing bolted on afterward. What we quote is what you pay, and the Florida Department of State's filing fee is already inside it.
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 Westchase. Ring us and we'll confirm a time inside one business hour.
We're at 4830 W Kennedy Blvd, Suite 633K in Tampa's Westshore district — about 15 minutes away from Westchase. Book a time and we'll have it held when you arrive.
Five business days after handoff. The clock is set by the Department of State counter, not by the drive, so Westchase is on the same schedule as the rest of our area. Tight deadline? Ring us and we'll be straight with you about what's possible.
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 Westchase — call and we'll confirm your window within one business hour.
