Quick answer
Schools in Taiwan, especially those hiring English teachers, typically need a criminal background check, and many specify a national FBI check rather than a state one. Florida issues an authentication certificate for Taiwan, not an apostille — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), as a certified Florida criminal history record check that is notarized when issued.
- 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 fdle background check is used in Taiwan
Schools in Taiwan, especially those hiring English teachers, typically need a criminal background check, and many specify a national FBI check rather than a state one. If your employer or the authority accepts a Florida FDLE record, request the notarized version from FDLE at issuance, since a plain printout can't be authenticated. Confirm which record they need before you order; we handle Florida records only.
Getting a fdle background check Florida will authenticate
The certified result of FDLE's Certified/Non-Certified Search, notarized at issuance with a complete Florida notarial certificate and kept in its original, unaltered form. Instant Search results, screenshots, PDFs and printouts notarized later by another notary cannot be apostilled.
Request it yourself online at fdle.state.fl.us (FDLE stopped accepting mailed forms on July 1, 2020): choose the Certified/Non-Certified Search ($24 from FDLE), select certified results and ask for the notarized version. FDLE asks you to allow 5–7 business days for processing plus USPS mail. FDLE's fee is not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the fdle background check 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 fdle background checks get rejected
- Instant Search result, which FDLE states is not certified
- Certified result that wasn't notarized when issued
- Printout notarized afterwards by an unrelated notary
- Older than the receiving authority's age limit
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).