Quick answer
A Florida divorce needs to reach Venezuela when the marriage was recorded there, when a former spouse wants to remarry in Venezuela, or when property bought during the marriage has to be divided or sold. One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs — $220, 5–7 business days.
- Issued by
- The Clerk of Court in the Florida county where the divorce was granted, as a certified copy of the final judgment of dissolution of marriage.
- Florida state fee
- $20 — included in $220
- Route
- Apostille only — Hague member since 1999
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- 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 divorce decree is used in Venezuela
A Florida divorce needs to reach Venezuela when the marriage was recorded there, when a former spouse wants to remarry in Venezuela, or when property bought during the marriage has to be divided or sold. The document is the Florida final judgment of dissolution, certified by the Clerk of Court with a wet-ink or official e-certification, then apostilled and translated. Ask your Venezuelan lawyer whether the judgment must first be recognized by a Venezuelan court (exequátur) before a registry will act on it, since that changes the timeline.
Getting a divorce decree Florida will apostille
A complete copy of the final judgment of dissolution of marriage, certified by the Clerk of Court with an original wet-ink certification or the clerk's official e-certification. The state fee is $20 ($10 apostille + $10 certificate of incumbency), already in our price. If the receiving country accepts the one-page dissolution certificate instead, it must be signed by the State Registrar or a Clerk of the County Court and certified in 2014 or later.
Request a certified copy of the final judgment from the clerk of the county where the divorce was granted, online, by mail or at the courthouse; Florida law sets the clerk's certification fee at $2 plus copy charges, usually $1 per page. The dissolution certificate (divorces from June 6, 1927 on) can be ordered from the Bureau of Vital Statistics or through VitalChek. These fees are not included in our $220.
State fee for this document: $20 — included in our price. Full details on the divorce decree 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 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 apostille.
Returned to you
Back in 5–7 business days — anywhere in the U.S., or abroad for a flat $100.
Why divorce decrees get rejected
- Plain, conformed or attorney copy instead of the clerk-certified judgment
- Notarized photocopy of the decree
- Missing pages or attachments the foreign office needs, such as a settlement agreement
- Divorce granted in another state
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).