How a Florida marriage certificate is used in Honduras
For a foreign spouse applying for Honduran residency based on marriage, Gobernación's checklist asks for the marriage certificate issued by the RNP, not the Florida one. In practice, the Florida marriage must first be registered with the RNP, and the apostilled Florida certificate is what you register. That two-step order catches many couples who arrive with only the Florida copy. The Florida certificate must be signed by the State Registrar or a Clerk of the County Court and certified in 2014 or later, then officially translated after the apostille.
Translation for Honduras
Our standard for a translation is a translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille. Honduras's residency requirements instead call for documents in a foreign language to be officially translated by the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores or at Honduran consulates, so a private U.S. translation may be refused. Get the apostille first, then ask the receiving office which translation it accepts.
What your Florida marriage certificate must look like
Two versions can be apostilled: a certified copy from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics (signed by the State Registrar; the $10 state apostille fee applies) or a certified copy from the Clerk of Court in the county that issued the license (the $20 state fee applies). The decorative certificate from the ceremony and church certificates cannot be apostilled. Vital Statistics copies certified before 2014 must be replaced; order a new one through VitalChek or the county clerk. The state fee is included in our price either way.
Step by step: marriage certificate apostille for Honduras
- Order online — pick "Marriage certificate" and "Honduras" on the order form; $220 per document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more.
- Send a photo — reply to the confirmation email with a picture of the document. We check the certification before anything ships, so a defect is caught before it costs you a round trip.
- Drop it at FedEx — after approval, FedEx emails you a prepaid QR code; show it at any FedEx Office or Ship Center, no printer or label needed.
- Filed in person in Tallahassee — we walk the document into the Florida Department of State and ship the apostilled original back by FedEx within 5–7 business days of receipt — to your U.S. address, or to Honduras with international return shipping (+$100).
One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs for Honduras. Whatever the office there asks for after that — a translation, a filing deadline — is covered above.