Quick answer
German heirs often assume a Florida affidavit can replace the sworn declaration required for a certificate of inheritance. 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 1966
- Online notarization
- Available as an add-on
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consulate General of Germany in Miami
- Translation
- German offices that require a translation usually want one by a translator sworn, publicly appointed or authorized under German state law…
How a Florida affidavit is used in Germany
German heirs often assume a Florida affidavit can replace the sworn declaration required for a certificate of inheritance. It can't: that declaration (eidesstattliche Versicherung) is made before a German notary, a German court or a German consulate, so heirs in Florida book the consulate in Miami. Florida affidavits are useful elsewhere: statements for a Standesamt about name history or residence, declarations in a citizenship-by-descent file, or a witness statement for a German lawyer. Sign with a complete Florida jurat, add the apostille, and expect a sworn German translation.
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 Germany — and translation
The registrar's office (Standesamt) handles marriages, birth registrations and name declarations; births of children who never lived in Germany go to Standesamt I in Berlin. State justice departments recognize foreign divorces, probate courts (Nachlassgerichte) issue certificates of inheritance, and German notaries and land registries handle property. Recognition of qualifications runs through state authorities and the ZAB. The Consulate General of Germany in Miami serves Florida.
German offices that require a translation usually want one by a translator sworn, publicly appointed or authorized under German state law, searchable in the state justice administrations' database. Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida; some German offices accept it, but many will instead require a sworn German translator. For recognition of a Florida divorce, plan on the apostille plus a sworn German translation. Translate after the apostille, including the apostille page.
To marry in Germany, the birth certificate must not be older than six months. Other offices set their own limits, so ask; German notaries and register courts also tend to reject corporate certificates that are several months old.
Consular office serving Florida: Consulate General of Germany in Miami.
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 Germany
$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 Germany 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).