Quick answer
Taiwanese families in Florida use powers of attorney to let a relative sell or buy property, handle an inheritance, manage a bank account or apply for documents at a Taiwan government office. Florida issues an authentication certificate for Taiwan, not an apostille — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- You, the principal, sign before a Florida notary, who takes your acknowledgment, together with two subscribing witnesses…
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Florida authentication → U.S. Department of State → Taiwan embassy
- Online notarization
- Available as an add-on
- 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 power of attorney is used in Taiwan
Taiwanese families in Florida use powers of attorney to let a relative sell or buy property, handle an inheritance, manage a bank account or apply for documents at a Taiwan government office. Taiwanese land offices and banks look at whether the power specifies the property or account and the exact acts. Sign before a Florida notary or through our online notarization, authenticate it in Florida, and then through TECO.
Getting a power of attorney Florida will authenticate
Signed by the principal and two subscribing witnesses, with a complete Florida acknowledgment certificate in English (venue, presence or online box, date, ID type, notary's signature and seal). The body can be bilingual or in the destination language. The state checks the notarization, not the powers granted, so have the foreign lawyer or notary approve the wording before you sign.
Get the draft from the foreign lawyer, notary or bank that will use it, then sign before a Florida notary in person or through our online notarization add-on: $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee) and $20 for each additional document. Remote witnesses must be physically in the U.S. while witnessing. Notarization and legal drafting are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the power of attorney 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 it — or sign online
Drop the envelope at any FedEx location. Not signed yet? Add online notarization and there is nothing to ship.
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 power of attorneys get rejected
- Notarized in another state
- Missing witnesses or an incomplete acknowledgment certificate
- Translator also acted as the notary
- Wording rejected by the foreign notary even though the apostille is valid
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).