Quick answer
A Florida company that becomes a partner in a Brazilian company, buys property or opens a branch needs to exist on paper in Brazil. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), as a certified copy of the articles of incorporation or, for an LLC, the articles of organization.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 2016
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consulate General of Brazil in Miami; Consulate General of Brazil in Orlando
- Translation
- Our general rule for translations is certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida, but Brazil instead requires its own public translators.
How a Florida articles of incorporation is used in Brazil
A Florida company that becomes a partner in a Brazilian company, buys property or opens a branch needs to exist on paper in Brazil. It typically needs a CNPJ from the Receita Federal, with a representative in Brazil holding a power of attorney, and its corporate documents are filed at the state Junta Comercial when it joins a Brazilian company. Both work from the articles certified by the Florida Division of Corporations, apostilled and translated by a Brazilian public translator, the same professional registered at the Junta Comercial. Start early: the translation is long.
Getting a articles of incorporation Florida will apostille
An original certified copy issued by the Division of Corporations; not a Sunbiz printout or photocopy, and not a notarized copy, since Florida notaries can't attest copies of public records. Add certified amendments, name changes or conversions if the company's current name or structure differs from the original filing.
Request a certified copy from the Division with the entity name, document number, document type and filing date. The Florida Department of State also accepts a certified-copy request filed together with the apostille request, paid with two separate checks, which we can file for you. The Division's own fee (listed at $8.75 for a corporation and $30 for an LLC at this writing) is not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the articles of incorporation apostille page.
Who receives it in Brazil — and translation
Cartórios de registro civil transcribe foreign births, marriages and deaths under CNJ Resolution 155/2012, and cartórios de notas use powers of attorney and handle many inventários. Brazilian consulates in the U.S. register births and issue CPF numbers for foreigners abroad. The Superior Tribunal de Justiça homologates foreign judgments, public universities revalidate degrees, the Polícia Federal handles migration, and the Receita Federal and state Juntas Comerciais deal with companies.
Our general rule for translations is certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida, but Brazil instead requires its own public translators. Under Law 14.195/2021, only a tradutor e intérprete público registered with a Brazilian Junta Comercial gives a translation public faith in Brazil, and the original-language document must accompany it. Apostille in Florida first, then have a Brazilian public translator translate the apostilled original, and ask whether the apostille page must be translated too.
Brazil has no single age limit for foreign documents, but cartórios, banks and registries often want recent certificates, especially certificates of status and criminal records. Order fresh copies shortly before filing; old consular legalizations from before August 2016 are no longer accepted in place of an apostille.
Consular office serving Florida: Consulate General of Brazil in Miami; Consulate General of Brazil in Orlando.
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 articles of incorporations get rejected
- Sunbiz printout or photocopy
- Notarized copy of the articles
- Original articles only, with no amendments showing the current name
- Company inactive, so the foreign bank stops the file
What it costs for Brazil
$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 Brazil 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).