Quick answer
Egyptian parents in Florida legalize their child's Florida birth certificate to register the birth with Egyptian civil records, which leads to an Egyptian birth certificate, passport and later a national ID. Florida issues an authentication certificate for Egypt, not an apostille — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics (Jacksonville) or a Florida county health department, on a certified copy signed by the State Registrar.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Florida authentication → U.S. Department of State → Egypt embassy
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consular Section of the Embassy of Egypt, Washington, D.C.
- Translation
- Egypt's consulate lists translation of documents among its services but doesn't publish a translation rule in its legalization procedure.
How a Florida birth certificate is used in Egypt
Egyptian parents in Florida legalize their child's Florida birth certificate to register the birth with Egyptian civil records, which leads to an Egyptian birth certificate, passport and later a national ID. Egyptian nationality can pass through either parent, so this comes up for children of Egyptian mothers too. Egypt's consulate covers documents issued in Florida. Order a fresh certified copy signed by the current State Registrar, and keep the parents' names identical to their Egyptian passports.
Getting a birth certificate Florida will authenticate
A certified copy on Florida security paper, signed by the State Registrar and certified in 2014 or later. We don't accept older certifications because the signature must be one the state can confirm as the State Registrar's. Hospital keepsake certificates, photocopies and laminated copies can't be apostilled, and a Florida notary can't certify a copy of a birth certificate.
Order a fresh certified copy online through VitalChek (vitalchek.com), the only vendor contracted by the Bureau of Vital Statistics, by mail or in person at the Bureau in Jacksonville, or at a county health department (births from 1917 on). Birth records are confidential: the registrant (18 or older), a parent named on the record, a legal guardian or representative, or a court order is needed. The Bureau's and VitalChek's fees are not included in our $220 apostille price.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the birth certificate page.
What happens after the Florida certificate — Egypt
After we return your document with its Florida authentication certificate, it goes to the U.S. Department of State for authentication; Egypt's consulate specifically requires that step for court records and for court- or county-issued marriage and divorce records. Then the Consular Section of the Embassy of Egypt in Washington, D.C., whose jurisdiction includes Florida, legalizes it; degrees go to the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau first. Ask the office in Egypt whether it also wants the document certified by Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We don't handle, arrange or refer anyone for these steps.
We don't handle or arrange the U.S. Department of State or embassy steps. See how non-Hague authentication works.
Who receives it in Egypt — and translation
In the U.S., the Consular Section of the Embassy of Egypt in Washington, D.C. legalizes documents issued in Florida; for degrees and certificates, the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau in Washington comes first. In Egypt, legalized Florida documents go to the civil registry for Egyptian citizens' births and marriages, Ministry of Justice offices for notarizations and real estate registration, family courts for divorce and inheritance, banks, and investment authorities for companies.
Egypt's consulate lists translation of documents among its services but doesn't publish a translation rule in its legalization procedure. Egyptian courts and registries work in Arabic and usually ask for an Arabic translation, often made in Egypt. Ask the receiving office first. If it accepts a Florida translation, the translator certifies it, a different notary notarizes it, and it is authenticated in Florida with the original.
Egypt's consulate doesn't publish a document-age rule in its legalization procedure. Egyptian registries and courts may want recently issued records, so order fresh Florida certified copies and ask the receiving office how recent they must be.
Consular office serving Florida: Consular Section of the Embassy of Egypt, Washington, D.C. (its jurisdiction includes Florida).
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 authentication certificate.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why birth certificates get rejected
- Certified before 2014 — order a fresh copy
- Hospital keepsake certificate instead of the state record
- Photocopy, or a copy stamped by a notary
- Laminated or damaged certificate
What it costs for Egypt
$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 authentication to Egypt 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).