Quick answer
Romanians are used to the cazier judiciar, a single national criminal record. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The records section of the Florida county sheriff's office where you live or lived, with its employee signing before a Florida notary when the letter is issued.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — 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 sheriff clearance letter is used in Romania
Romanians are used to the cazier judiciar, a single national criminal record. Florida has no exact equivalent: a sheriff's clearance letter covers one county, FDLE covers the state, and the FBI covers the country, and we can apostille only the first two. So when a Romanian office asks for a cazier from Florida, find out which level it means before ordering. A county letter is rarely enough, but if an employer or school accepts it, ask the sheriff's office to notarize it when issued; otherwise it can't be apostilled.
Getting a sheriff clearance letter Florida will apostille
An original letter on the sheriff's office letterhead, signed by its records employee and notarized when issued, with a complete Florida notarial certificate and seal. A plain printout, an emailed PDF or a letter you take to a notary afterwards can't be apostilled.
Contact the records section of the sheriff's office, say the letter is for an apostille and ask for the notarized version; each office sets its own process, fees and ID rules. Sheriff's office fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the sheriff clearance letter 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 sheriff clearance letters get rejected
- Letter not notarized
- Notarized later by a notary who didn't witness the signature
- Scan or copy instead of the original letter
- Older than the receiving authority's age limit
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).