Quick answer
Qatar-bound notarized documents include declarations an employer asks new hires to sign, no-objection letters from a spouse or parent, statements for a Qatari bank, and undertakings for housing. Florida issues an authentication certificate for Qatar, not an apostille — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- A notary public with an active Florida commission, in person or as a Florida-registered online notary.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Florida authentication → U.S. Department of State → Qatar embassy
- Online notarization
- Available as an add-on
- Consulate serving Florida
- Embassy of the State of Qatar, Washington, D.C.
- Translation
- We found no single published Qatari rule on translating English documents.
How a Florida notarized document is used in Qatar
Qatar-bound notarized documents include declarations an employer asks new hires to sign, no-objection letters from a spouse or parent, statements for a Qatari bank, and undertakings for housing. Each needs a complete Florida notarial certificate before it can be authenticated. Ask whether the Qatari office wants an Arabic version; a bilingual document notarized in Florida may save a translation step.
Getting a notarized document Florida will authenticate
A complete Florida notarial certificate in English: venue (State of Florida, County of ___), physical presence or online notarization box, date, signer's name, ID type or personally known, and the notary's original signature, printed name and seal with commission number and expiration date. The document itself can be in any language, and the notary's commission must have been active on the signing date.
Sign before any Florida notary, at an in-person appointment in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa or Clearwater (notarization charged separately), 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. Notarization is not included in the $220 apostille price.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the notarized document page.
What happens after the Florida certificate — Qatar
After we return your document with its Florida authentication certificate, it goes to the U.S. Department of State for authentication, then to the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington, D.C. for attestation. The last step is official approval by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Qatar; the Ministry also runs a Complete Attestation Outside Qatar service that forwards a foreign document to the Qatari mission in the issuing country and back. We don't handle, arrange or refer anyone for these steps.
We don't handle or arrange the U.S. Department of State or embassy steps. See how non-Hague authentication works.
Who receives it in Qatar — and translation
Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives the final approval to foreign documents for use in Qatar. The documents are then used by the Ministry of Interior for residence permits, the Ministry of Labour and employers for work permits, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education for degree recognition, the Ministry of Public Health for healthcare licensing, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for companies, and the courts. In the U.S., attestation is done by the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington, D.C.
We found no single published Qatari rule on translating English documents. Qatari employers often process English documents as they are, while courts and some ministries ask for an Arabic translation. Ask the receiving office before you translate. If it accepts a Florida translation, the translator certifies it, a different notary notarizes it, and it's authenticated in Florida along with the original.
We found no published Qatari rule on document age. Employers and the Ministry of Interior may want recent vital records and police checks, so ask your sponsor how recent each document must be.
Consular office serving Florida: Embassy of the State of Qatar, 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 authentication certificate.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why notarized documents get rejected
- Certificate missing the venue, presence box or ID type
- Notary commissioned in another state
- Commission expired on the notarization date, or seal illegible
- Notarized photocopy of a vital record or court record
What it costs for Qatar
$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 authentication to Qatar 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).