Quick answer
Adoptive parents sponsoring a child in Kuwait may need to show the legal basis for parentage, not just the amended birth certificate. Florida issues an authentication certificate for Kuwait, not an apostille — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Clerk of Court in the county that granted the adoption (certified final judgment of adoption); for a child born in Florida…
- Florida state fee
- $20 — included in $220
- Route
- Florida authentication → U.S. Department of State → Kuwait embassy
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Embassy of the State of Kuwait, Washington, D.C.
- Translation
- Kuwait's embassy legalization instructions don't set a translation rule.
How a Florida adoption documents is used in Kuwait
Adoptive parents sponsoring a child in Kuwait may need to show the legal basis for parentage, not just the amended birth certificate. Recognition of adoption can depend on the family's circumstances under Kuwaiti law, so ask the Ministry of Interior or your sponsor's government-relations team before you start. The Florida document is the certified final judgment of adoption from the Clerk of Court where it was granted.
Getting a adoption documents Florida will authenticate
The final judgment of adoption certified by the Florida Clerk of Court (wet-ink or official e-certification), with all pages attached; its state fee is $20. The new birth certificate must be a certified copy signed by the State Registrar and certified in 2014 or later; its state fee is $10. Both fees are included in our price.
Adoption records are confidential under section 63.162, Florida Statutes, and released only on court order. The easiest time to get certified copies is through your adoption attorney while the case is still open; for an older case, ask the clerk what they require, since you may need to file a request with the court. Clerk and Vital Statistics fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $20 — included in our price. Full details on the adoption documents page.
What happens after the Florida certificate — Kuwait
After we return your document with its Florida authentication certificate, it goes to the U.S. Department of State for authentication, then to the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Washington, D.C. for legalization. The embassy's instructions list that exact order: Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, then the embassy. Ask your sponsor or the Kuwaiti office whether the document must also be attested by Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs after it arrives. 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 Kuwait — and translation
Legalized Florida documents in Kuwait are used by the Ministry of Interior for residence and family visas, the Public Authority for Manpower and employers for work permits, the Ministry of Higher Education for degree recognition, the Ministry of Health for medical licensing, the Ministry of Justice and courts for family and estate matters, and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for companies. In the U.S., the legalization step is done by the Embassy of the State of Kuwait in Washington, D.C.
Kuwait's embassy legalization instructions don't set a translation rule. Kuwaiti courts and ministries generally work in Arabic and may require an Arabic translation, often made by a translation office in Kuwait. Ask the receiving office first. If it accepts a Florida translation, the translator certifies it, a different notary notarizes it, and it is authenticated in Florida along with the original.
We found no published Kuwaiti rule on document age. Employers and the Ministry of Interior may want recently issued vital records and police checks, so ask your sponsor how recent each must be before you start.
Consular office serving Florida: Embassy of the State of Kuwait, 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 adoption documentss get rejected
- Plain or conformed copy of the judgment instead of a certified one
- Birth certificate certified before 2014
- Birth certificate from another state, which that state must apostille
- Translation stapled to the certified original
What it costs for Kuwait
$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 Kuwait 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).