Quick answer
A Florida judgment, whether a money judgment, a custody order or a support ruling, generally has no effect in Brazil until the Superior Tribunal de Justiça homologates it. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Clerk of the Circuit Court in the Florida county where the case was filed: judgments, probate letters, guardianship letters and family orders.
- Florida state fee
- $20 — 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 court records is used in Brazil
A Florida judgment, whether a money judgment, a custody order or a support ruling, generally has no effect in Brazil until the Superior Tribunal de Justiça homologates it. The STJ checks that the decision is final and that the other party was properly served. A Brazilian lawyer files it with a complete copy certified by the Clerk of Court, plus any proof of service and finality, all apostilled and translated by a Brazilian public translator. Consensual divorces are the main exception. Ask the lawyer which pages the STJ needs before you order copies.
Getting a court records Florida will apostille
A complete copy certified by the Florida Clerk of Court, either with an original wet-ink certification and the clerk's seal or with the clerk's official e-certification, including the judge's signature page and with nothing removed or added. The state fee is $20 ($10 apostille + $10 certificate of incumbency), included in our price.
Order the certified copy from the clerk of the county where the case was filed, online, by mail or at the courthouse. Florida law sets the clerk's certification fee at $2 plus copy charges, usually $1 per page, and some clerks add online fees. Sealed or confidential records need the clerk's release. Clerk fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $20 — included in our price. Full details on the court records 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 court recordss get rejected
- Docket printout, attorney copy or conformed copy
- Notarized photocopy of the court record
- Missing pages, such as the judge's signature page
- Order from another state's court
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).