How a Florida marriage certificate is used in Israel
If you're an Israeli citizen and married in Florida, the change of personal status has to be registered with the Population Registry, and from abroad that's done in person at an Israeli mission. gov.il says a certificate issued outside Israel must carry an apostille where the issuing country has one; if both spouses are Israeli, both apply in person. Israeli missions accept only civil marriage certificates, which is exactly what Florida's State Registrar or County Court Clerk issues. Because it's in English, no translation is needed.
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 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 Israel
- Order online — pick "Marriage 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.