Quick answer
A county sheriff's clearance letter covers one county's records, which is narrower than what Argentina usually asks for. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The records section of the Florida county sheriff's office where you live or lived, with its employee signing before a Florida notary when the letter is issued.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 1988
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consulate General of Argentina in Miami
- Translation
- Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida…
How a Florida sheriff clearance letter is used in Argentina
A county sheriff's clearance letter covers one county's records, which is narrower than what Argentina usually asks for. Migraciones wants a criminal-record certificate from each country where you lived more than a year in the last three years, so a sheriff letter rarely meets that requirement. It can help as an extra document, for example when an employer or school in Argentina asks for local police clearance. If you use one, ask the sheriff's office for a notarized letter at issuance; a plain letter can't be apostilled. It then needs a traductor público translation.
Getting a sheriff clearance letter Florida will apostille
An original letter on the sheriff's office letterhead, signed by its records employee and notarized when issued, with a complete Florida notarial certificate and seal. A plain printout, an emailed PDF or a letter you take to a notary afterwards can't be apostilled.
Contact the records section of the sheriff's office, say the letter is for an apostille and ask for the notarized version; each office sets its own process, fees and ID rules. Sheriff's office fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the sheriff clearance letter apostille page.
Who receives it in Argentina — and translation
The Dirección Nacional de Migraciones handles residence (applications start online in RaDEX and finish in person). Argentine consulates in the U.S. handle the opción de nacionalidad and can also take poderes. The Registro Civil of each jurisdiction registers foreign records, and in Buenos Aires City foreign divorces and adoptions are registered on an Argentine court's order. Degree revalidation goes to national public universities, and escribanos and courts receive powers of attorney and estate documents.
Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida, but Argentina instead requires an in-country professional for official filings. Under Law 20.305, foreign-language documents filed with Argentine authorities need a Spanish translation by a registered traductor público, and Migraciones and the Buenos Aires Registro Civil also want the Colegio de Traductores to legalize the translator's signature. Get the Florida apostille first so the traductor público translates the apostille page too.
Argentina doesn't publish one freshness rule for every foreign document. Criminal-record certificates are the most time-sensitive, so order them last and ask Migraciones or the consulate how recent they must be; for vital records, a freshly certified copy avoids the pre-2014 signature problem anyway.
Consular office serving Florida: Consulate General of Argentina in Miami.
Four steps, one week
Order online
Pick the document and destination country on the order form and pay by card. After we review your documents, FedEx emails you a prepaid label.
Send your document
Drop the envelope at any FedEx location.
We file in person
We review it, then walk it to the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee for the apostille.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why sheriff clearance letters get rejected
- Letter not notarized
- Notarized later by a notary who didn't witness the signature
- Scan or copy instead of the original letter
- Older than the receiving authority's age limit
What it costs for Argentina
$220 per document, $380 for two and $160 each for three or more — the state fee, request form, in-person filing in Tallahassee and FedEx shipping inside the U.S. are included. Shipping the finished apostille to Argentina is a flat $100 per order.
Not included: whatever the issuing office charges for the certified copy or certificate, and notarization (online notarization is $40 for the first document — $10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee — and $20 for each additional one).