Quick answer
Taiwanese parents in Florida use their child's Florida birth certificate to obtain an ROC passport for the child and later to register the child in a Taiwan household registration, which is what gives full rights as a Taiwan national with household registration. Florida issues an authentication certificate for Taiwan, not an apostille — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics (Jacksonville) or a Florida county health department, on a certified copy signed by the State Registrar.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Florida authentication → U.S. Department of State → Taiwan embassy
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami (its district includes Florida)
- Translation
- Taiwanese agencies work in Chinese, and many ask for a Chinese translation of English documents.
How a Florida birth certificate is used in Taiwan
Taiwanese parents in Florida use their child's Florida birth certificate to obtain an ROC passport for the child and later to register the child in a Taiwan household registration, which is what gives full rights as a Taiwan national with household registration. The certificate must list both parents with names that match their Taiwan records. Order a fresh certified copy signed by the current State Registrar, authenticate it in Florida, and ask TECO Miami what else it needs for the passport application.
Getting a birth certificate Florida will authenticate
A certified copy on Florida security paper, signed by the State Registrar and certified in 2014 or later. We don't accept older certifications because the signature must be one the state can confirm as the State Registrar's. Hospital keepsake certificates, photocopies and laminated copies can't be apostilled, and a Florida notary can't certify a copy of a birth certificate.
Order a fresh certified copy online through VitalChek (vitalchek.com), the only vendor contracted by the Bureau of Vital Statistics, by mail or in person at the Bureau in Jacksonville, or at a county health department (births from 1917 on). Birth records are confidential: the registrant (18 or older), a parent named on the record, a legal guardian or representative, or a court order is needed. The Bureau's and VitalChek's fees are not included in our $220 apostille price.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the birth certificate page.
What happens after the Florida certificate — Taiwan
After we return your document with its Florida authentication certificate, it goes to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami, which covers Florida according to Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs. Ask TECO Miami whether it also requires authentication by the U.S. Department of State first for your document type. In Taiwan, some agencies may also ask for the TECO seal to be verified by the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which offers that service. 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 Taiwan — and translation
Taiwan's representative offices in the U.S. are the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (TECO); according to Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami covers Florida. In Taiwan, authenticated Florida documents go to household registration offices for marriages and births, the National Immigration Agency for residence, the Ministry of Education and universities for degree recognition and admission, employers and labor authorities for work permits, and the courts.
Taiwanese agencies work in Chinese, and many ask for a Chinese translation of English documents. Requirements differ by agency: some accept a translation made abroad, others want one made or notarized in Taiwan. Ask the receiving agency first. If it accepts a Florida translation, the translator certifies it, a different notary notarizes it, and it is authenticated in Florida with the original.
We found no single published Taiwanese rule on document age. Household registration offices and employers may want recent single-status documents and police checks, so ask the receiving agency how recent each must be.
Consular office serving Florida: Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami (its district includes Florida).
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 authentication certificate.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why birth certificates get rejected
- Certified before 2014 — order a fresh copy
- Hospital keepsake certificate instead of the state record
- Photocopy, or a copy stamped by a notary
- Laminated or damaged certificate
What it costs for Taiwan
$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 Taiwan 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).