Quick answer
A sheriff's clearance letter covers only one Florida county, so for the Philippines it's rarely the right record. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The records section of the Florida county sheriff's office where you live or lived, with its employee signing before a Florida notary when the letter is issued.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 2019
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- 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 sheriff clearance letter is used in Philippines
A sheriff's clearance letter covers only one Florida county, so for the Philippines it's rarely the right record. It may come up when a Philippine employer, school or visa office asks for a local police clearance and accepts a county-level one, or for someone who has lived in one county for years. If you need it, request it from the sheriff's office in your county and ask for it to be notarized when issued; a letter without notarization can't be apostilled. Confirm the level of record they want first.
Getting a sheriff clearance letter Florida will apostille
An original letter on the sheriff's office letterhead, signed by its records employee and notarized when issued, with a complete Florida notarial certificate and seal. A plain printout, an emailed PDF or a letter you take to a notary afterwards can't be apostilled.
Contact the records section of the sheriff's office, say the letter is for an apostille and ask for the notarized version; each office sets its own process, fees and ID rules. Sheriff's office fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the sheriff clearance letter 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 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 sheriff clearance letters get rejected
- Letter not notarized
- Notarized later by a notary who didn't witness the signature
- Scan or copy instead of the original letter
- Older than the receiving authority's age limit
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).