Quick answer
Portuguese authorities rarely need a Florida deed. 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 1969
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consular Section of the Embassy of Portugal in Washington, D.C.
- Translation
- Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida, but for Portugal you often need no translation at all.
How a Florida property deed is used in Portugal
Portuguese authorities rarely need a Florida deed. It can come up when an inheritance in Portugal must list the deceased's worldwide assets for the heirs' declaration, when a Portuguese bank lending on a Lisbon purchase wants evidence of your assets, or in a divorce handled in Portugal. Florida real estate itself is transferred under Florida law. If asked, the apostille goes on a copy of the recorded deed certified by the Clerk of Court from the county's Official Records, not on your original or a website printout.
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 Portugal — and translation
The Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado (IRN) and its Conservatória dos Registos Centrais in Lisbon handle nationality and the transcription of births, marriages and deaths of Portuguese citizens abroad. AIMA, the Agência para a Integração, Migrações e Asilo, which replaced SEF in October 2023, handles residence permits. DGES and public universities recognize degrees, Tribunais da Relação review foreign judgments, and the RNPC issues numbers to foreign companies. Florida is served by the Consular Section of the Embassy of Portugal in Washington, D.C.
Our general rule is a translation certified by the translator, notarized by a separate notary and apostilled in Florida, but for Portugal you often need no translation at all. Civil registries can waive it for English, French or Spanish documents when the official knows the language (book ahead), and IRN nationality forms and DGES do the same. When Portugal does require one, the IRN expects it certified in Portugal by a notary, registry officer, lawyer, solicitador or recognized chamber of commerce, or by a Portuguese consulate in the issuing country.
Portugal doesn't publish one age limit for every foreign document; ask the conservatória, AIMA or the consulate. Criminal records are the most time-sensitive, and nationality files filed after May 19, 2026 follow the new law, while files pending on that date keep the old rules.
Consular office serving Florida: Consular Section of the Embassy of Portugal in Washington, D.C. (Florida also has Portuguese honorary consular offices).
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 Portugal
$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 Portugal 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).