How a Florida marriage certificate is used in Romania
Romanian citizens who marry in Florida must have the marriage transcribed into Romanian civil-status records, within six months of returning to Romania or receiving the certificate. The file needs the apostilled Florida certificate, a legalized Romanian translation, copies of both spouses' birth certificates and IDs, and the prior divorce judgment if either was married before. The trap is the surname: Florida marriage certificates don't state the names the spouses use after marriage, so Romania asks for a separate declaration of married names. Article 11 files also use the marriage certificate to link generations.
Translation for Romania
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.
What your Florida marriage certificate must look like
Two versions can be apostilled: a certified copy from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics (signed by the State Registrar; the $10 state apostille fee applies) or a certified copy from the Clerk of Court in the county that issued the license (the $20 state fee applies). The decorative certificate from the ceremony and church certificates cannot be apostilled. Vital Statistics copies certified before 2014 must be replaced; order a new one through VitalChek or the county clerk. The state fee is included in our price either way.
Step by step: marriage certificate apostille for Romania
- Order online — pick "Marriage certificate" and "Romania" on the order form; $220 per document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more.
- Send a photo — reply to the confirmation email with a picture of the document. We check the certification before anything ships, so a defect is caught before it costs you a round trip.
- Drop it at FedEx — after approval, FedEx emails you a prepaid QR code; show it at any FedEx Office or Ship Center, no printer or label needed.
- Filed in person in Tallahassee — we walk the document into the Florida Department of State and ship the apostilled original back by FedEx within 5–7 business days of receipt — to your U.S. address, or to Romania with international return shipping (+$100).
One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs for Romania. Whatever the office there asks for after that — a translation, a filing deadline — is covered above.