- Issued by
- The Clerk of the Circuit Court in the Florida county where the name change was granted, as a certified copy of the final judgment of change
- Florida state fee
- $20 — included in $220
- Online notarization
- Not applicable — needs a certified copy
- Turnaround
- 5–7 business days, filed in person
What a Florida name change order is
A court-ordered name change in Florida is granted by the circuit court on a petition filed in the county where the petitioner lives (section 68.07, Florida Statutes). When the judge grants it, the court enters a final judgment of change of name. That judgment is the legal proof that the old name and the new name belong to the same person.
Spouses and minor children can be included in one petition, and a minor's name can be changed on a parent's petition. Name changes that happen inside other cases don't use this procedure — a former name restored in a divorce appears in the final judgment of dissolution, an adopted child's new name is in the adoption judgment, and a married name is shown by the marriage certificate.
Why you need it apostilled abroad
Foreign agencies won't change a name on their records because you say so — they need the court's judgment, and they need to know it's genuine. The apostille is the Florida Secretary of State's confirmation of the clerk who certified the copy. Common reasons:
- Dual nationals updating a foreign passport, national ID card or civil registry entry to match a U.S. name change.
- Residents abroad updating a residence permit, tax number, driver's license or bank account.
- Property and inheritance — proving that the owner or heir in a foreign registry is you, under a new name.
- Citizenship by descent and marriage abroad — explaining why names don't match across the documents in your file.
Getting a certified copy you can apostille
Request a certified copy of the final judgment from the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county that granted it — find the clerk through the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers directory. The copy must carry the clerk's original certification and seal, or the clerk's official electronic certification. A photocopy of the judgment you received at the hearing, or a notarized copy, won't work: Florida notaries can't attest copies of court records.
If you were born in Florida, section 68.07 directs the clerk to report the name change to the Department of Health's vital statistics office, which allows your birth record to be updated. Some foreign offices want both documents — the judgment and an updated birth certificate. For the birth certificate, order a fresh certified copy from the Bureau of Vital Statistics or VitalChek; see birth certificate apostille. If you were born in another state, the clerk gives you a certified copy of the judgment instead, and your birth record is updated in that state.
Check this before you order
Read the judgment once more before you send it out:
- Certified copy from the clerk of the circuit court that granted the change — wet-ink seal or official e-certification
- The full judgment, including the judge's signature page
- Both names — former and new — spelled exactly as they appear on your other records
- Every person whose name changed listed, if the judgment covered a spouse or children
- One certified copy per foreign agency, since many keep the copy they receive
- Foreign spelling issues noted: accents, double surnames or name order your foreign records use
- Your destination country, so we file for an apostille or a non-Hague authentication
How we apostille it
$220 per document, $380 for two, or $160 each for three or more — the $10 or $20 state fee, the request form and FedEx shipping both ways inside the U.S. are included. For clerk-certified documents the state charges $20 ($10 apostille + $10 certificate of incumbency); that's already in our price. Need the finished document sent abroad? International return shipping is a flat $100 per order, to any country.
Pairing the judgment with a birth certificate or marriage certificate? Two documents are $380 together.
Get the certified judgment
Order it from the clerk in the county where your name change was granted. Ask for extra certified copies if more than one country is involved.
Order with us
Order online and ship the certified copy on the prepaid FedEx label sent after we review your documents, or bring it to an in-person appointment in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa or Clearwater.
We check the certification
We confirm the clerk's certificate is complete before filing — no surprises at the state counter.
Filed in Tallahassee
We file it in person at the Florida Department of State.
Returned in 5–7 business days
Shipped to you by FedEx, or to any country for the flat $100 international fee.
Why name change apostilles fail
- Uncertified copy — the hearing copy, a scan or an attorney's copy instead of the clerk's certified copy.
- Notarized photocopy — a notary can't certify a court record.
- Missing pages — the foreign office wants the full judgment, not page one.
- Wrong document for the change — a divorce name restoration or married name is proven by the divorce judgment or marriage certificate, not a separate name change order.
- Out-of-state judgment — only Florida court records receive a Florida apostille.
Who asks for it
We see name change judgments most often for dual nationals and residents of Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela and the Philippines, and in citizenship-by-descent files for Italy, where every name in the line has to be explained. Each country's civil registry or consulate decides how it records the change and whether it wants a translation, so ask the office that will receive it.
If the foreign record also needs your sworn explanation of the different names, an affidavit of identity can go in the same order.
Hague vs. non-Hague countries
Hague Convention countries (HCCH status table) accept the Florida apostille as the final step. For non-Hague countries, the Florida Department of State issues a certificate of authentication at the same price and turnaround; the country then requires a U.S. Department of State authentication and legalization by its embassy or consulate. We don't handle or arrange those two steps and don't refer them out. See non-Hague authentication.