Quick answer
Retirees from Florida who move to the Dominican Republic often apply for residence as pensionados or rentistas under Law 171-07, which means proving a steady income from abroad. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- Your employer (HR, a manager or an officer), signing on company letterhead before a Florida notary.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 2009
- Online notarization
- Available as an add-on
- 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 employment letter is used in Dominican Republic
Retirees from Florida who move to the Dominican Republic often apply for residence as pensionados or rentistas under Law 171-07, which means proving a steady income from abroad. Watch who issues the letter: a Social Security benefit letter is a federal document, apostilled by the U.S. Department of State, not by us. A letter from a private pension plan or a Florida employer, signed by an officer before a notary, can be apostilled in Florida. Employment letters also support proof of work history. Add an apostilled Spanish translation.
Getting a employment letter Florida will apostille
A letter on company letterhead with the signer's name and title, signed in front of a Florida notary who completes an acknowledgment in a representative capacity (naming the company) or a jurat. The certificate needs venue, presence or online box, date, ID type and a seal with an active commission, and the contents must match what the consulate requires.
Send HR the consulate's required wording first. If HR is outside Florida, the signer can join our online notarization session with a Florida-commissioned online notary from anywhere: $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee) and $20 for each additional document. Notarization is not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the employment letter 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 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 employment letters get rejected
- Notarized in another state at the employer's headquarters
- Acknowledgment that doesn't state the signer's capacity
- Printed, digitally signed PDF with no notarization
- Certificate missing the presence box or ID line
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).
