Quick answer
A county sheriff's clearance letter covers one Florida county and is rarely accepted alone in Jordan. Florida issues an authentication certificate for Jordan, not an apostille — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The records section of the Florida county sheriff's office where you live or lived, with its employee signing before a Florida notary when the letter is issued.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Florida authentication → U.S. Department of State → Jordan embassy
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Legalization Section, Washington, D.C.
- Translation
- Jordan's Ministry of Justice says translations of foreign documents go through the same certification steps, in the same order, as the original…
How a Florida sheriff clearance letter is used in Jordan
A county sheriff's clearance letter covers one Florida county and is rarely accepted alone in Jordan. It can supplement an FDLE or FBI record where an employer wants a local check. In Florida, the letter must be notarized when issued; ask the sheriff's office for the notarized version, since a plain letter can't be authenticated or sent through Jordan's chain.
Getting a sheriff clearance letter Florida will authenticate
An original letter on the sheriff's office letterhead, signed by its records employee and notarized when issued, with a complete Florida notarial certificate and seal. A plain printout, an emailed PDF or a letter you take to a notary afterwards can't be apostilled.
Contact the records section of the sheriff's office, say the letter is for an apostille and ask for the notarized version; each office sets its own process, fees and ID rules. Sheriff's office fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the sheriff clearance letter page.
What happens after the Florida certificate — Jordan
After we return your document with its Florida authentication certificate, it must be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State before Jordan's embassy will accept it. The Legalization Section of the Embassy of Jordan in Washington, D.C. then legalizes it; the embassy uses Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs e-portal for applications and payment. In Jordan, the document is certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice before it reaches the requesting authority. Diplomas and transcripts follow a separate route the embassy designates. 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 Jordan — and translation
In the U.S., the Legalization Section of the Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Washington, D.C. legalizes documents after U.S. Department of State authentication. In Jordan, documents are then certified at the Documents Certification Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where the Ministry of Justice certifies them too, before reaching the office that asked for them: the Civil Status and Passports Department, the courts, the Department of Lands and Survey, ministries or employers.
Jordan's Ministry of Justice says translations of foreign documents go through the same certification steps, in the same order, as the original, even if the original is already certified. So if you translate into Arabic in Florida, the translation should be certified by the translator, notarized by a different notary and authenticated in Florida, then follow the same chain. Ask the receiving office first whether it would rather have the translation made in Jordan. One exception: to add a child to the family book through the embassy, the embassy accepts an Arabic translation stamped by a certified translation office without separate authentication.
Jordan's embassy instructions don't set a document-age rule. Jordanian offices may want recent vital records and police checks, so ask the receiving office how recent each document must be.
Consular office serving Florida: Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Legalization Section, Washington, D.C.
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 sheriff clearance letters get rejected
- Letter not notarized
- Notarized later by a notary who didn't witness the signature
- Scan or copy instead of the original letter
- Older than the receiving authority's age limit
What it costs for Jordan
$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 Jordan 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).