How a Florida marriage certificate is used in Venezuela
A Florida marriage comes up in Venezuela in two ways. Registros civiles that register a Florida-born child may ask for the parents' marriage certificate, apostilled and translated, when the parents are married. Couples also record a Florida marriage in Venezuela so their civil status matches for property, inheritance and bank matters. Ask the registro civil office you'll use for its current list, because requirements differ by municipality. The Florida copy must be signed by the State Registrar or a Clerk of the County Court and certified in 2014 or later.
Translation for Venezuela
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.
What your Florida marriage certificate must look like
Two versions can be apostilled: a certified copy from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics (signed by the State Registrar; the $10 state apostille fee applies) or a certified copy from the Clerk of Court in the county that issued the license (the $20 state fee applies). The decorative certificate from the ceremony and church certificates cannot be apostilled. Vital Statistics copies certified before 2014 must be replaced; order a new one through VitalChek or the county clerk. The state fee is included in our price either way.
Step by step: marriage certificate apostille for Venezuela
- Order online — pick "Marriage certificate" and "Venezuela" on the order form; $220 per document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more.
- Send a photo — reply to the confirmation email with a picture of the document. We check the certification before anything ships, so a defect is caught before it costs you a round trip.
- Drop it at FedEx — after approval, FedEx emails you a prepaid QR code; show it at any FedEx Office or Ship Center, no printer or label needed.
- Filed in person in Tallahassee — we walk the document into the Florida Department of State and ship the apostilled original back by FedEx within 5–7 business days of receipt — to your U.S. address, or to Venezuela with international return shipping (+$100).
One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs for Venezuela. Whatever the office there asks for after that — a translation, a filing deadline — is covered above.