Quick answer
Get a certified copy from the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County, then send it to us — we file it in person in Tallahassee. $220, 5–7 business days.
- Certified copy from
- Florida Department of Health in Alachua County
- County seat
- Gainesville
- Alachua County government
- alachuacounty.us
- Clerk of Court
- alachuaclerk.org
- Florida state fee
- $10 — included in $220
- Electronic certified copies
- VitalChek online orders
- How to send
- Online order + FedEx from Gainesville
- Turnaround
- 5–7 business days, filed in person
Where to get a certified birth certificate in Alachua County
In Alachua County, certified birth certificates are issued by the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County (vital records office), as well as statewide by the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville and online through VitalChek. For an apostille, the copy must be signed by the State Registrar and certified in 2014 or later — if yours is older, order a fresh one before you send it to us.
From Alachua County: order online and drop the prepaid FedEx envelope at any FedEx location in or near Gainesville. We file in person in Tallahassee.
What the copy must look like
A certified copy on Florida security paper, signed by the State Registrar and certified in 2014 or later. We don't accept older certifications because the signature must be one the state can confirm as the State Registrar's. Hospital keepsake certificates, photocopies and laminated copies can't be apostilled, and a Florida notary can't certify a copy of a birth certificate.
State fee: $10 — included in our $220. Fees the Florida Department of Health in Alachua County charges for the certified copy are not included.
Why birth certificates get rejected
- Certified before 2014 — order a fresh copy
- Hospital keepsake certificate instead of the state record
- Photocopy, or a copy stamped by a notary
- Laminated or damaged certificate
$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 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).