Quick answer
A Florida divorce doesn't update a Mexican marriage record on its own. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Clerk of Court in the Florida county where the divorce was granted, as a certified copy of the final judgment of dissolution of marriage.
- Florida state fee
- $20 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 1995
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consulate General of Mexico in Miami
- Translation
- Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a different notary and apostilled in Florida.
How a Florida divorce decree is used in Mexico
A Florida divorce doesn't update a Mexican marriage record on its own. If the marriage was recorded in Mexico, the Registro Civil generally annotates the divorce only after a Mexican family court recognizes the foreign judgment, and that court will want the final judgment certified by the Clerk of Court, apostilled and translated by a perito. If you're just remarrying in Mexico, the registry asks for proof the earlier marriage ended. Either way, order the certified final judgment of dissolution, not a docket printout or the marital settlement agreement alone.
Getting a divorce decree Florida will apostille
A complete copy of the final judgment of dissolution of marriage, certified by the Clerk of Court with an original wet-ink certification or the clerk's official e-certification. The state fee is $20 ($10 apostille + $10 certificate of incumbency), already in our price. If the receiving country accepts the one-page dissolution certificate instead, it must be signed by the State Registrar or a Clerk of the County Court and certified in 2014 or later.
Request a certified copy of the final judgment from the clerk of the county where the divorce was granted, online, by mail or at the courthouse; Florida law sets the clerk's certification fee at $2 plus copy charges, usually $1 per page. The dissolution certificate (divorces from June 6, 1927 on) can be ordered from the Bureau of Vital Statistics or through VitalChek. These fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $20 — included in our price. Full details on the divorce decree apostille page.
Who receives it in Mexico — and translation
In Mexico, Florida documents go to the Registro Civil of each state (inserción de actas extranjeras), notarios públicos (property, fideicomisos, sucesiones, companies), family courts, the SEP (revalidación de estudios) and the National Migration Institute (INM). In the U.S., the Consulate General of Mexico in Miami registers births for Mexican nationality, grants poderes notariales and issues residence visas; its checklists generally require apostille and translation only for documents issued in a third country.
Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a different notary and apostilled in Florida. Mexico is the big exception: notarios, courts and Registros Civiles usually require a perito traductor authorized by a state Tribunal Superior de Justicia instead, done in Mexico after the apostille. Mexican consulates in the U.S. generally don't ask for a translation of English documents, and SEP revalidation accepts a simple translation.
Mexico has no single national expiry for apostilled documents; each notario, registry or consulate sets its own. Many want civil-status records and company certificates recently issued, so order fresh certified copies shortly before you send them to us.
Consular office serving Florida: Consulate General of Mexico in Miami.
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 apostille.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why divorce decrees get rejected
- Plain, conformed or attorney copy instead of the clerk-certified judgment
- Notarized photocopy of the decree
- Missing pages or attachments the foreign office needs, such as a settlement agreement
- Divorce granted in another state
What it costs for Mexico
$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 apostille to Mexico 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).