Quick answer
A Florida deed rarely has to go to Nicaragua, but it does happen: a divorce or estate case in Nicaragua that has to account for property in Florida, or a residency or bank file where you show assets. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The county official who keeps Florida's Official Records (in most counties, the Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller), as a certified copy of the recorded deed.
- 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 property deed is used in Nicaragua
A Florida deed rarely has to go to Nicaragua, but it does happen: a divorce or estate case in Nicaragua that has to account for property in Florida, or a residency or bank file where you show assets. What Florida can apostille is a certified copy of the recorded deed from the Clerk of Court's Official Records, not the original you got at closing and not a printout from the county website. Before you order, ask the Nicaraguan side whether a deed is really what they need, or whether a bank letter would prove the same thing.
Getting a property deed Florida will apostille
A certified copy of the recorded deed with the custodian's certification and seal, or the clerk's official electronic certification printed complete with its verification page, including every recorded page and exhibit. The original deed returned after closing, free online search copies and notarized photocopies can't be apostilled.
Find the book and page or instrument number in the county's Official Records search, then order a certified copy in person, by mail or electronically where offered; Palm Beach County's E-Certify service, for example, sells electronic certified copies for $8 per document. County fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $20 — included in our price. Full details on the property deed 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 property deeds get rejected
- Original deed returned after recording, with no certified-copy certification
- Watermarked or uncertified online printout
- Notarized photocopy of the deed
- Missing exhibit with the legal description
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).
