Quick answer
A Florida divorce matters in Nicaragua when someone wants to remarry there, when a marriage that was recorded in the Nicaraguan civil registry needs to show it ended, or when Migración asks how a prior marriage ended. 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 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 divorce decree is used in Nicaragua
A Florida divorce matters in Nicaragua when someone wants to remarry there, when a marriage that was recorded in the Nicaraguan civil registry needs to show it ended, or when Migración asks how a prior marriage ended. What they need is the final judgment of dissolution of marriage, certified by the Clerk of Court, with a wet-ink certification or the clerk's official e-certification. Don't confuse it with the dissolution-of-marriage certificate from Vital Statistics, which is a one-page summary. Ask which one the Nicaraguan office wants; registries usually expect the judgment.
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 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 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 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).