Quick answer
A Special Power of Attorney (SPA) is how Filipinos in Florida sell land, transfer a title, manage a bank account or settle an estate at home. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- You, the principal, sign before a Florida notary, who takes your acknowledgment, together with two subscribing witnesses…
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 2019
- Online notarization
- Available as an add-on
- Consulate serving Florida
- Embassy of the Philippines in Washington, D.C.
- Translation
- 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.
How a Florida power of attorney is used in Philippines
A Special Power of Attorney (SPA) is how Filipinos in Florida sell land, transfer a title, manage a bank account or settle an estate at home. There are two routes: sign before a Philippine consular officer, which requires personal attendance at the Embassy, or sign before a Florida notary and get a Florida apostille, which can be done entirely by mail or with our online notary. Registries of Deeds and banks check that the SPA names the specific act and identifies the property precisely, by title number, so get the wording from the Philippine side first.
Getting a power of attorney Florida will apostille
Signed by the principal and two subscribing witnesses, with a complete Florida acknowledgment certificate in English (venue, presence or online box, date, ID type, notary's signature and seal). The body can be bilingual or in the destination language. The state checks the notarization, not the powers granted, so have the foreign lawyer or notary approve the wording before you sign.
Get the draft from the foreign lawyer, notary or bank that will use it, then sign before a Florida notary in person or through our online notarization add-on: $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee) and $20 for each additional document. Remote witnesses must be physically in the U.S. while witnessing. Notarization and legal drafting are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the power of attorney apostille page.
Who receives it in Philippines — and translation
For Florida residents, civil registry reports (Report of Birth, Report of Marriage) and consular notarization go through the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., which lists Florida in its jurisdiction. In the Philippines, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) holds civil records, Regional Trial Courts handle recognition of foreign divorces, Registries of Deeds record land transactions, and the Bureau of Immigration handles visas for foreign spouses.
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.
We could not verify a general age limit for Florida documents in the Philippines. Checklists change, so read the Embassy's current list before you order, and ask Philippine offices such as the Bureau of Immigration how recent they want police records.
Consular office serving Florida: Embassy of the Philippines in Washington, D.C.
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 it — or sign online
Drop the envelope at any FedEx location. Not signed yet? Add online notarization and there is nothing to ship.
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 power of attorneys get rejected
- Notarized in another state
- Missing witnesses or an incomplete acknowledgment certificate
- Translator also acted as the notary
- Wording rejected by the foreign notary even though the apostille is valid
What it costs for Philippines
$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 Philippines 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).