Quick answer
For Filipino minors, the question is usually leaving the Philippines. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The parent or legal guardian who isn't traveling, signing before a Florida notary.
- 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 child travel consent letter is used in Philippines
For Filipino minors, the question is usually leaving the Philippines. A Filipino child traveling abroad without either parent, or with someone other than a parent, generally needs a travel clearance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and the application includes the parents' written consent. Parents living in Florida can sign that consent before a Florida notary and get it apostilled. A dual-national child visiting relatives is the common case. Ask DSWD for its current list and wording before you sign, because the consent must match the trip details.
Getting a child travel consent letter Florida will apostille
A specific letter naming the child, the consenting parent or parents, the accompanying adult, the destination and the travel dates, signed before a Florida notary with a complete notarial certificate (venue, presence or online box, date, ID type, seal). Names must match each passport exactly, and the dates must cover the actual trip.
Draft the letter yourself (Florida law prescribes no form), then sign before any Florida notary or through our online notarization add-on, where each parent can sign separately from wherever they are: $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee) and $20 for each additional document. Notarization is not included in our $220. Many trips need only a notarized letter, so confirm the apostille is actually required.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the child travel consent 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 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 child travel consent letters get rejected
- Travel dates no longer match the trip
- Names differ from the passports
- One parent signed when both were required, with no proof of sole custody
- No Spanish version or translation where the authority requires one
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).