Quick answer
This is rare. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Clerk of Court in the county that granted the adoption (certified final judgment of adoption); for a child born in Florida…
- Florida state fee
- $20 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 1995
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Translation
- English is one of South Africa's official languages and Florida documents are issued in English, so they usually go without a translation.
- Turnaround
- 5–7 business days, filed in person
How a Florida adoption documents is used in South Africa
This is rare. It comes up when a child adopted in Florida travels through South Africa and the parents need to show parentage, or when a South African parent wants the adoption reflected for citizenship or estate purposes. DIRCO's advisory accepts documents naming the child and parents, so an amended Florida birth certificate may serve for travel, while a South African attorney may want the clerk-certified final judgment of adoption for anything legal. Florida adoption records are confidential, so only the parties can get certified copies.
Getting a adoption documents Florida will apostille
The final judgment of adoption certified by the Florida Clerk of Court (wet-ink or official e-certification), with all pages attached; its state fee is $20. The new birth certificate must be a certified copy signed by the State Registrar and certified in 2014 or later; its state fee is $10. Both fees are included in our price.
Adoption records are confidential under section 63.162, Florida Statutes, and released only on court order. The easiest time to get certified copies is through your adoption attorney while the case is still open; for an older case, ask the clerk what they require, since you may need to file a request with the court. Clerk and Vital Statistics fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $20 — included in our price. Full details on the adoption documents apostille page.
Who receives it in South Africa — and translation
The Department of Home Affairs handles visas, permits and civic records. The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) evaluates foreign degrees. Attorneys and conveyancers take Florida documents to the Deeds Office, banks and the Master of the High Court for estates. DIRCO (the Department of International Relations and Cooperation) says foreign documents must be legalised in their country of origin, which for a Florida document means the Florida Department of State.
English is one of South Africa's official languages and Florida documents are issued in English, so they usually go without a translation. Home Affairs' sworn-translator requirement covers documents that aren't in an official South African language. If a Florida document is in another language, our standard applies: translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille, and ask whether Home Affairs instead wants a sworn translator.
Home Affairs' work-visa checklists say a police clearance can't be older than six months when submitted. Parental consent affidavits for children traveling through South African ports of entry must be no more than four months old when presented, according to DIRCO's advisory.
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 adoption documentss get rejected
- Plain or conformed copy of the judgment instead of a certified one
- Birth certificate certified before 2014
- Birth certificate from another state, which that state must apostille
- Translation stapled to the certified original
What it costs for South Africa
$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 South Africa 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).