Quick answer
Venezuelan offices sometimes ask for a sworn statement that you can only make from Florida: that you're the same person despite a name variation, that you live at a Florida address, that you're the parent of a child being registered… One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- You, the affiant, swearing or affirming before a Florida notary, who completes a jurat.
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 1999
- Online notarization
- Available as an add-on
- Translation
- Our standard for a translation is a translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille.
- Turnaround
- 5–7 business days, filed in person
How a Florida affidavit is used in Venezuela
Venezuelan offices sometimes ask for a sworn statement that you can only make from Florida: that you're the same person despite a name variation, that you live at a Florida address, that you're the parent of a child being registered, or that you agree to a relative acting for you. Sign it as a declaración jurada before a Florida notary, in person or online, with a complete jurat in English. Write the body in Spanish if that's what the office expects. Ask whether the registro civil or notary uses its own format, and copy it exactly.
Getting a affidavit Florida will apostille
A sworn statement with a complete Florida jurat (“sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed” before the notary) showing venue, presence or online box, date, your name and ID type, plus the notary's signature and seal. An acknowledgment may still be apostilled, but a foreign office may treat it as unsworn. The statement can be in another language; the certificate must be in English.
Write the statement yourself or use the receiving office's wording; a notary who isn't an attorney can't draft it for you. Swear to it before any Florida notary 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. Notarization is not included in the $220 apostille price.
State fee for this document: $10 — included in our price. Full details on the affidavit apostille page.
Who receives it in Venezuela — and translation
Births and marriages that happened abroad are recorded at the municipal registro civil offices. SAIME issues cédulas and passports once the birth is registered. Powers of attorney, property and companies go through notaries and registries under SAREN (Servicio Autónomo de Registros y Notarías), and estates involve the succession declaration filed with SENIAT. Venezuelan consular services in the U.S. have been disrupted for years, so check current availability before relying on a consulate.
Our standard for a translation is a translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille. Venezuela may instead require an intérprete público: under the Ley de Intérpretes Públicos (2022), official translations with public faith are made by titled translators registered in the national registry kept by the Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace. Ask the registro civil, notary or registry which version it accepts, and translate after the apostille.
We could not verify a general age limit for Florida documents in Venezuela. The clock that matters most is birth registration: the Chacao registry, for example, sets 90 days after the birth before a late-registration letter is needed.
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 apostille.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why affidavits get rejected
- Acknowledgment used where a sworn statement was required
- Signed before the notary session instead of in front of the notary
- Notary related to the signer (spouse, parent or child)
- Notarized copy of a vital or court record attached as proof
What it costs for Venezuela
$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 Venezuela 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).