Quick answer
Some Egyptian employers, schools and authorities ask for police clearance from where you lived, for jobs, residence or some licensing. Florida issues an authentication certificate for Egypt, not an apostille — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), as a certified Florida criminal history record check that is notarized when issued.
- 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 fdle background check is used in Egypt
Some Egyptian employers, schools and authorities ask for police clearance from where you lived, for jobs, residence or some licensing. Many accept or require an FBI check, and some accept a state record. If an FDLE check is accepted, ask FDLE for the notarized version at issuance; a plain online result can't be authenticated. Because Egypt's consulate is strict about notarization, check that the notary's seal sits beside the signature.
Getting a fdle background check Florida will authenticate
The certified result of FDLE's Certified/Non-Certified Search, notarized at issuance with a complete Florida notarial certificate and kept in its original, unaltered form. Instant Search results, screenshots, PDFs and printouts notarized later by another notary cannot be apostilled.
Request it yourself online at fdle.state.fl.us (FDLE stopped accepting mailed forms on July 1, 2020): choose the Certified/Non-Certified Search ($24 from FDLE), select certified results and ask for the notarized version. FDLE asks you to allow 5–7 business days for processing plus USPS mail. FDLE's fee is not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the fdle background check 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 fdle background checks get rejected
- Instant Search result, which FDLE states is not certified
- Certified result that wasn't notarized when issued
- Printout notarized afterwards by an unrelated notary
- Older than the receiving authority's age limit
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).