Quick answer
This is occasional for Nicaragua. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations (Sunbiz), as a certified copy of the articles of incorporation or, for an LLC, the articles of organization.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 2013
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consulate General of Nicaragua in Miami
- Translation
- Our standard for a translation is a translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille.
How a Florida articles of incorporation is used in Nicaragua
This is occasional for Nicaragua. It comes up when a Florida company buys property, opens a branch or takes shares in a Nicaraguan company, and the Nicaraguan notary or the commercial registry wants proof of how the company was formed and who can sign for it. What Florida apostilles is a certified copy of the articles issued by the Division of Corporations, not a copy printed from Sunbiz. If your company has amended its articles or changed its name, order the certified copy that includes the amendments so the Nicaraguan side sees the current version.
Getting a articles of incorporation Florida will apostille
An original certified copy issued by the Division of Corporations; not a Sunbiz printout or photocopy, and not a notarized copy, since Florida notaries can't attest copies of public records. Add certified amendments, name changes or conversions if the company's current name or structure differs from the original filing.
Request a certified copy from the Division with the entity name, document number, document type and filing date. The Florida Department of State also accepts a certified-copy request filed together with the apostille request, paid with two separate checks, which we can file for you. The Division's own fee (listed at $8.75 for a corporation and $30 for an LLC at this writing) is not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the articles of incorporation apostille page.
Who receives it in Nicaragua — and translation
Residency files go to the Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería. Births, marriages and deaths that happened in Florida are recorded through the Registro del Estado Civil de las Personas (or a Nicaraguan consulate). Powers of attorney, property sales and estates pass through Nicaraguan notaries (notarios públicos), the Registro Público de la Propiedad and the courts. In Florida, the Consulate General of Nicaragua in Miami handles consular matters.
Our standard for a translation is a translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille. Nicaragua may instead require the translation to be made in Nicaragua: its notarial law (Ley 139) allows translations in a public deed before a Nicaraguan notary with at least ten years of incorporation, through an interpreter the notary appoints. Ask the receiving office which version it accepts before you pay for either.
We could not verify a published age limit for Florida documents in Nicaragua. Criminal-record certificates are the documents offices most often want recent, so order them close to your filing date and ask Migración how old is too old.
Consular office serving Florida: Consulate General of Nicaragua 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 articles of incorporations get rejected
- Sunbiz printout or photocopy
- Notarized copy of the articles
- Original articles only, with no amendments showing the current name
- Company inactive, so the foreign bank stops the file
What it costs for Nicaragua
$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 Nicaragua 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).