Quick answer
When Dominican parents adopt in Florida, they often want the child recorded as their child in the Dominican civil registry, which opens the door to Dominican nationality and documents. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Clerk of Court in the county that granted the adoption (certified final judgment of adoption); for a child born in Florida…
- Florida state fee
- $20 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 2009
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in Miami; Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in Orlando
- Translation
- Dominican offices usually want the Spanish translation to carry its own apostille.
How a Florida adoption documents is used in Dominican Republic
When Dominican parents adopt in Florida, they often want the child recorded as their child in the Dominican civil registry, which opens the door to Dominican nationality and documents. The Junta Central Electoral, usually through the consulate, will want the Florida adoption judgment certified by the Clerk of Court and the child's amended birth certificate signed by the State Registrar, both apostilled and translated. Adoption files are sealed, so only the parties or their attorney can get certified copies. Adoptions of children from the DR are a different process, handled through CONANI.
Getting a adoption documents Florida will apostille
The final judgment of adoption certified by the Florida Clerk of Court (wet-ink or official e-certification), with all pages attached; its state fee is $20. The new birth certificate must be a certified copy signed by the State Registrar and certified in 2014 or later; its state fee is $10. Both fees are included in our price.
Adoption records are confidential under section 63.162, Florida Statutes, and released only on court order. The easiest time to get certified copies is through your adoption attorney while the case is still open; for an older case, ask the clerk what they require, since you may need to file a request with the court. Clerk and Vital Statistics fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $20 — included in our price. Full details on the adoption documents apostille page.
Who receives it in Dominican Republic — and translation
The Dirección General de Migración (DGM) handles residency and minors' exit permits. The Junta Central Electoral runs the civil registry through its Oficialías del Estado Civil and records births, marriages and deaths of Dominicans abroad, usually through the consulates. MESCyT recognizes higher-education degrees, the Dirección General de Impuestos Internos issues tax IDs and handles inheritance tax, and the Registro de Títulos records property transfers. MIREX authenticates Dominican documents, not Florida ones.
Dominican offices usually want the Spanish translation to carry its own apostille. The translator certifies the translation of the original and its apostille, a separate Florida notary notarizes that certification (the translator can't be the notary), and we apostille the notarized translation as a second document, so an original plus translation is our two-document price of $380. Some Dominican offices may instead want the translation made in the Dominican Republic; ask the office that will receive your file.
Minors' exit permits from the DGM are valid for 90 days once approved. For other documents, ask the receiving office how recent they must be; criminal-record certificates are the most time-sensitive, and freshly certified vital records avoid the pre-2014 signature problem.
Consular office serving Florida: Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in Miami; Consulate General of the Dominican Republic 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 adoption documentss get rejected
- Plain or conformed copy of the judgment instead of a certified one
- Birth certificate certified before 2014
- Birth certificate from another state, which that state must apostille
- Translation stapled to the certified original
What it costs for Dominican Republic
$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 Dominican Republic 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).