Quick answer
A Florida divorce involving a Romanian citizen generally isn't recognized automatically in Romania. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Clerk of Court in the Florida county where the divorce was granted, as a certified copy of the final judgment of dissolution of marriage.
- Florida state fee
- $20 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 2001
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Consulate General of Romania in Miami
- Translation
- Our standard for a translation is a translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille.
How a Florida divorce decree is used in Romania
A Florida divorce involving a Romanian citizen generally isn't recognized automatically in Romania. Romania's Civil Procedure Code recognizes foreign judgments by operation of law mainly when they concern citizens of the state that issued them, so a Romanian spouse usually needs recognition by a Romanian tribunal before the divorce can be noted on the Romanian marriage record. The court wants a copy of the judgment, proof that it is final, and, if one spouse didn't appear, proof that they were served. Order the clerk-certified final judgment and ask your lawyer about the service proof.
Getting a divorce decree Florida will apostille
A complete copy of the final judgment of dissolution of marriage, certified by the Clerk of Court with an original wet-ink certification or the clerk's official e-certification. The state fee is $20 ($10 apostille + $10 certificate of incumbency), already in our price. If the receiving country accepts the one-page dissolution certificate instead, it must be signed by the State Registrar or a Clerk of the County Court and certified in 2014 or later.
Request a certified copy of the final judgment from the clerk of the county where the divorce was granted, online, by mail or at the courthouse; Florida law sets the clerk's certification fee at $2 plus copy charges, usually $1 per page. The dissolution certificate (divorces from June 6, 1927 on) can be ordered from the Bureau of Vital Statistics or through VitalChek. These fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $20 — included in our price. Full details on the divorce decree apostille page.
Who receives it in Romania — and translation
Citizenship applications are decided by the National Citizenship Authority (Autoritatea Națională pentru Cetățenie, ANC), with files often submitted through Romanian consulates. Transcription of foreign birth, marriage and death certificates is done by the civil-status offices (starea civilă) of Romanian town halls or by a Romanian consulate. Romanian notaries handle powers of attorney and successions, Romanian tribunals recognize foreign judgments, and CNRED recognizes foreign degrees. Florida is served by the Consulate General of Romania in Miami.
Our standard for a translation is a translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille. Romanian civil-status offices instead expect the translation to be legalized in Romania by a public notary (from a translator authorized in Romania) or certified by a Romanian consular office; a translation made abroad before a foreign notary must itself carry an apostille. Ask the office receiving your file which version it accepts before you pay.
Romanian citizens must have a foreign civil-status event transcribed within six months of returning to Romania or receiving the foreign certificate. A parent's consent for a Romanian child to leave Romania can cover a period of up to three years. For other documents, ask the receiving office how recent it wants them.
Consular office serving Florida: Consulate General of Romania in Miami.
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 divorce decrees get rejected
- Plain, conformed or attorney copy instead of the clerk-certified judgment
- Notarized photocopy of the decree
- Missing pages or attachments the foreign office needs, such as a settlement agreement
- Divorce granted in another state
What it costs for Romania
$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 Romania 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).