A: acknowledgment to attested copy
Acknowledgment
A notarial act in which the signer confirms to the notary that they signed the document. Used for powers of attorney, consent letters and most contracts. Florida has two forms: individual capacity and representative capacity (signing for a company or another person). Compare jurat.
Affiant
The person who makes a sworn statement in an affidavit.
Affidavit
A written statement sworn or affirmed before a notary, who completes a jurat. Examples: single status affidavits and translators' certificates. See affidavit apostille.
Apostille
A standard certificate, issued under the 1961 Hague Convention, that certifies the signature, capacity and seal of the official or notary on a public document, so it can be used in another member country without further legalization. It certifies the signature, not the content. See what is a Florida apostille.
Apostille Section
The unit of the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, in Tallahassee that issues Florida apostilles and notarial certifications. Florida's FAQ also calls it the Apostille/Certification Section.
Attested copy
A copy a Florida notary certifies as true, exact and unaltered. A notary may attest copies of private documents, or a printout of an electronic record, but not copies of vital records or public records that an official custodian can certify. Statutory forms are on the state's sample certificates page.
Authentication
A general term for certifying that a signature or seal is genuine. In Florida practice it usually means the certificate the Department of State issues for countries outside the Hague Convention, which the state calls a notarial certification. See non-Hague authentication.
B–C: Bureau of Vital Statistics to competent authority
Bureau of Vital Statistics
The Florida Department of Health office in Jacksonville that keeps birth, death, marriage and divorce records and issues certified copies, signed by the State Registrar. County health departments issue birth and death certificates on its behalf.
Certificate of incumbency
A certificate confirming that an official held office. In Florida, the Department of State adds one to documents certified by a Clerk of Court, which is why those cost $20 at the state instead of $10.
Certificate of status
The Division of Corporations' certificate that a Florida entity exists and is active. Other states call it a certificate of good standing. See how to get a Florida certificate of status.
Certified copy
A copy issued by the office that keeps the original, with that office's certification that it's a true copy: for example, a birth certificate from the Bureau of Vital Statistics, or a judgment from the Clerk of Court. Public records need a certified copy, not a notarized one.
Certified translation
A translation accompanied by the translator's signed statement that it's complete and accurate. For a Florida apostille, the translator signs that statement before a different notary. See how to get a certified translation apostilled.
Clerk of Court
The elected county official who keeps court records and official records such as recorded deeds and marriage licenses, and certifies copies of them. Florida has one in each of its 67 counties.
Commission
A notary's appointment by the state, with a commission number and expiration date shown on the notary's seal. The Department of State checks both before apostilling a notarized document.
Competent authority
The office each Hague member designates to issue apostilles. For Florida documents, it's the Florida Secretary of State, and only that office.
D–H: dissolution certificate to Hague Convention
Dissolution of marriage certificate
A one-page vital record summarizing a Florida divorce, issued by the Bureau of Vital Statistics or a clerk. Not the same as the divorce decree.
Divorce decree (final judgment of dissolution of marriage)
The court's judgment ending the marriage, certified by the Clerk of Court. See how to get a certified copy of a Florida divorce decree.
Document number
The six- or twelve-digit number the Division of Corporations assigns to each entity. You need it to order a certificate of status or certified copies.
Durable power of attorney
A power of attorney that stays in effect if the principal later becomes incapacitated. In Florida it must say so expressly.
E-certified copy
A certified copy a clerk issues electronically, typically with a digital signature, a unique code and a QR code for verification. We accept a clerk's official e-certification on court records.
FDLE record check
A name-based search of Florida's criminal history repository by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Only the certified version, notarized at issuance, can be apostilled. See how to get a certified FDLE background check.
Hague Convention (Apostille Convention)
The 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. Its text defines the apostille, and the HCCH status table lists member countries. See Hague Convention countries.
I–N: identity proofing to notary public
Identity proofing and credential analysis
The two automated checks Florida requires in an online notarization, alongside showing your ID on camera: software that checks the ID's security features, and questions drawn from public and financial records.
Jurat
The notarial certificate for a sworn statement: "Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me..." Used for affidavits. It shows the signer took an oath, which an acknowledgment doesn't.
Legalization
The traditional chain of certifications for a document going to a country outside the Hague Convention: the state certificate, then the U.S. Department of State, then the destination's embassy or consulate. The apostille replaced that chain among member countries. We handle only the Florida step.
Non-Hague country
A country that isn't a party to the Apostille Convention. It receives a Florida notarial certification instead of an apostille, followed by federal authentication and embassy legalization. See the non-Hague guide.
Notarial certificate
The wording a notary completes under the signature, stating what the notary did, where, when and for whom: venue, date, the presence or online box, ID, signature, printed name and seal. Florida requires it in English. Don't confuse it with the Department of State's notarial certification.
Notarial certification
Florida's name for the certificate the Department of State issues instead of an apostille for non-Hague countries. It authenticates the same signature.
Notary public
An official commissioned by the state to take oaths, acknowledgments and attest copies. A Florida apostille can only certify a Florida notary; notaries commissioned elsewhere are apostilled by their own state.
O–R: online notarization to RON
Online notarization
A notarization performed over two-way audio-video by a Florida notary registered as an online notary, after identity verification. Florida law treats it as performed in Florida. See the state's remote online notary page and our online notarization service.
Paper-out
Our shorthand for printing an online-notarized electronic document and having a Florida notary complete an attested-copy certificate on the printout, so the paper can be filed for the apostille.
Personally known
The line on a notarial certificate used when the notary knows the signer and didn't rely on ID. Otherwise the certificate must name the type of ID produced.
Power of attorney
A document in which the principal authorizes an agent to act for them. In Florida it's signed by the principal and two subscribing witnesses and acknowledged before a notary. See how to prepare a power of attorney for use abroad.
Public document
In Convention terms, a document from a court, a public authority or official, or a notary, including official certificates placed on private documents. Private documents become apostille-eligible through a notarization.
RON (remote online notarization)
Another name for online notarization.
S–V: security paper to VOID
Security paper
The paper Florida prints its apostilles on. Photocopies show VOID, and each certificate has a unique ID number on the back. See how to verify a Florida apostille.
Single status affidavit
A sworn statement that you're free to marry, used for weddings abroad. Florida's Bureau of Vital Statistics also issues a single status (no record found) statement covering Florida marriages. See how to write a single status affidavit.
State Registrar
The official who heads Florida's vital records system and whose signature appears on certified birth and death certificates, and on marriage and divorce certificates issued by the Bureau. It's the signature the apostille certifies. Our rule: the certified copy must be issued in 2014 or later.
Subscribing witness
A witness who signs the document itself. A Florida power of attorney needs two.
Sworn translator
A translator officially recognized by a country's government or courts, such as a traductor jurado in Spain, a court-sworn translator in Germany, or a perito traductor in Mexico. Some countries require one in place of, or in addition to, a Florida translation.
U.S. Department of State authentication
The federal certification for federal documents, such as FBI records, and the second step for non-Hague countries. See the State Department's page. We don't handle federal documents or this step.
Venue
The "State of Florida, County of ___" line at the top of a notarial certificate, showing where the notary was. A blank county is a common reason for rejection.
VitalChek
The only vendor contracted by Florida's Bureau of Vital Statistics to take online and phone orders for certified vital records. Order at vitalchek.com.
VOID
The word that appears across a photocopy of a Florida apostille, because of the security paper. If you see it, you're holding a copy.
Putting the terms to work
Most delays come from a document that wasn't prepared correctly, not from the filing itself. Start with Florida apostille requirements for the rule that applies to your document, then how to get a Florida apostille for the process. When you're ready, order online: $220 for one document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more, including the state fee, the request form and FedEx inside the U.S., in 5–7 business days. Certified-copy fees and notarization are extra.