How a Florida marriage certificate is used in Philippines
If one spouse is Filipino, the marriage is reported through a Report of Marriage, and the Embassy's checklist asks for the original Florida marriage certificate plus four photocopies, with no apostille listed. The apostille matters when the marriage certificate is filed directly in the Philippines, for example when the foreign spouse applies to the Bureau of Immigration for a 13(A) immigrant visa, or in a property or inheritance matter where no PSA-registered Report of Marriage exists yet. Ask which document the office wants. Florida copies must be signed by the State Registrar or a Clerk of the County Court.
Translation for Philippines
English is an official language of the Philippines and Florida documents are issued in English, so Florida documents generally don't need a translation there. If a Florida document is in another language (for example, a notarized statement written in Spanish), our standard applies: a translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille.
What your Florida marriage certificate must look like
Two versions can be apostilled: a certified copy from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics (signed by the State Registrar; the $10 state apostille fee applies) or a certified copy from the Clerk of Court in the county that issued the license (the $20 state fee applies). The decorative certificate from the ceremony and church certificates cannot be apostilled. Vital Statistics copies certified before 2014 must be replaced; order a new one through VitalChek or the county clerk. The state fee is included in our price either way.
Step by step: marriage certificate apostille for the Philippines
- Order online — pick "Marriage certificate" and "Philippines" on the order form; $220 per document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more.
- Send a photo — reply to the confirmation email with a picture of the document. We check the certification before anything ships, so a defect is caught before it costs you a round trip.
- Drop it at FedEx — after approval, FedEx emails you a prepaid QR code; show it at any FedEx Office or Ship Center, no printer or label needed.
- Filed in person in Tallahassee — we walk the document into the Florida Department of State and ship the apostilled original back by FedEx within 5–7 business days of receipt — to your U.S. address, or to the Philippines with international return shipping (+$100).
One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs for the Philippines. Whatever the office there asks for after that — a translation, a filing deadline — is covered above.