Quick answer
Be careful with affidavits for China. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- You, the affiant, swearing or affirming before a Florida notary, who completes a jurat.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 2023
- Online notarization
- Available as an add-on
- Consulate serving Florida
- Embassy of China in Washington, D.C.
- Translation
- China generally requires a full Chinese translation sealed by a translation agency, often one registered in China, or by the employer for work-permit files.
How a Florida affidavit is used in China
Be careful with affidavits for China. Beijing's work-permit rules say an affidavit of no criminal record isn't accepted, and the certificate must come from police, security or court authorities. Florida affidavits do have other uses: a statement explaining a name difference between Chinese and U.S. records, or a declaration a Chinese notary office requests in an inheritance case. Ask the Chinese office whether it accepts a sworn statement before you sign; if it does, notarize with a full jurat, apostille, and translate.
Getting a affidavit Florida will apostille
A sworn statement with a complete Florida jurat (“sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed” before the notary) showing venue, presence or online box, date, your name and ID type, plus the notary's signature and seal. An acknowledgment may still be apostilled, but a foreign office may treat it as unsworn. The statement can be in another language; the certificate must be in English.
Write the statement yourself or use the receiving office's wording; a notary who isn't an attorney can't draft it for you. Swear to it before any Florida notary or through our online notarization add-on: $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee) and $20 for each additional document. Notarization is not included in the $220 apostille price.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the affidavit apostille page.
Who receives it in China — and translation
Work permits go through local foreign-expert and work-permit offices; residence permits through public security bureaus' exit-entry offices; companies through local Administrations for Market Regulation; marriages through civil affairs marriage registration offices; and inheritances through Chinese notary offices. The Embassy of China in Washington, D.C. serves Florida, but it no longer authenticates U.S. documents for mainland China.
China generally requires a full Chinese translation sealed by a translation agency, often one registered in China, or by the employer for work-permit files. A Florida translation, even certified, notarized and apostilled, may not be accepted, so ask the Chinese office first.
Work-permit rules require a criminal record certificate issued within six months, and Beijing's marriage registration rules treat a single-status document as valid for six months. Other offices set their own limits.
Consular office serving Florida: Embassy of China in Washington, D.C.
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 it — or sign online
Drop the envelope at any FedEx location. Not signed yet? Add online notarization and there is nothing to ship.
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 affidavits get rejected
- Acknowledgment used where a sworn statement was required
- Signed before the notary session instead of in front of the notary
- Notary related to the signer (spouse, parent or child)
- Notarized copy of a vital or court record attached as proof
What it costs for China
$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 China 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).