Quick answer
Adoptive parents sponsoring a child's UAE residence may be asked for the adoption judgment, not just the amended birth certificate, to show legal parentage. Florida issues an authentication certificate for United Arab Emirates, not an apostille — $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
- Florida authentication → U.S. Department of State → United Arab Emirates embassy
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Consulate serving Florida
- Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C.
- Translation
- The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it accepts documents in English or Arabic, or an official translation.
How a Florida adoption documents is used in United Arab Emirates
Adoptive parents sponsoring a child's UAE residence may be asked for the adoption judgment, not just the amended birth certificate, to show legal parentage. Recognition of adoption differs in the UAE depending on the family's religion and the emirate, so confirm with the immigration authority what it needs before you start. The Florida document is the certified final judgment of adoption from the Clerk of Court where it was granted.
Getting a adoption documents Florida will authenticate
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 page.
What happens after the Florida certificate — United Arab Emirates
After we return your document with its Florida authentication certificate, it must be authenticated by the U.S. Department of State; the UAE Embassy states that personal and educational documents need that attestation before submission. Next comes attestation by the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C., through the processing center it designates. Finally, the document is attested in the UAE by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs through its website or app. We don't handle, arrange or refer anyone for those 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 United Arab Emirates — and translation
Inside the UAE, attested documents are used by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which performs the final attestation), immigration and residency authorities for family sponsorship, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and professional regulators for employment and licensing, free-zone authorities and economic departments for company setup, and the courts and land departments for estates and property. In the U.S., attestation is done by the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C., which accepts submissions through an outside processing center it designates.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it accepts documents in English or Arabic, or an official translation. Courts, land departments and some ministries may still ask for a legal Arabic translation, often made in the UAE by a legal translator. Ask the receiving office before you translate anything in Florida; if it accepts a Florida translation, it should be certified by the translator, notarized by a different notary and authenticated in Florida.
We found no single published UAE rule on document age. Employers and authorities may want recently issued vital records or background checks, so ask your sponsor or the receiving authority how recent each document must be before you start the chain.
Consular office serving Florida: Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Washington, D.C.
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 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 United Arab Emirates
$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 United Arab Emirates 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).