How a Florida birth certificate is used in Israel
Aliyah files are where Florida birth certificates for Israel usually end up. gov.il eligibility pages list original birth certificates for each family member, and requirements vary by applicant category, so get the list for your own file first. A Florida-born child of an Israeli citizen may also need the birth recorded in Israel's Population Registry through an Israeli mission. Florida certificates are in English, which Israeli offices generally accept without translation. Ask whether the office wants the long form showing both parents, and order a copy certified in 2014 or later.
Translation for Israel
For registering a change of personal status, gov.il requires a notarized translation only for certificates not in Hebrew, English or Arabic, so English Florida certificates usually need none. If another office asks for Hebrew, our rule applies: a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a different notary and apostilled in Florida.
What your Florida birth certificate must look like
The Florida Department of State apostilles the signature of the State Registrar, so you need a certified copy issued by the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or a county health department — not a hospital certificate, a photocopy or a scan. Copies certified before 2014 carry an older signature and are not accepted; order a fresh certified copy through VitalChek or your county health department before you send it. The certified copy itself (about $9–$14 from the issuing office) is the only cost on top of our $220.
Step by step: birth certificate apostille for Israel
- Order online — pick "Birth certificate" and "Israel" 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 Israel with international return shipping (+$100).
One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs for Israel. Whatever the office there asks for after that — a translation, a filing deadline — is covered above.