Notarized at the time it's issued
The Florida Department of State lists “Florida criminal background checks (FDLE and local law enforcement)” among the documents it will authenticate. What it actually certifies is a signature: the signature of the official or notary on the record. A results page with no signature and no notary gives the state nothing to certify.
Our rule follows from that: an FDLE record check or a sheriff's office clearance letter must be notarized when the agency issues it. Ask for the certified, notarized version at the moment you order. Taking a plain printout to a notary later doesn't work, because the notary would only be notarizing your signature on a statement about the printout, not the agency's record.
How to order a certified FDLE record check today
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement stopped accepting mailed request forms on July 1, 2020. Every public request now starts online and is paid by debit or credit card. Its Florida Criminal History Record Check page offers three options, and only one of them is useful for an apostille:
| FDLE option | Fee | Certified? | Good for apostille? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Instant Search | $24 + $1 card fee | No. FDLE states the results will not be certified | No |
| Certified/Non-Certified Search | $24 | Yes, if you select certified | Yes, when the result is notarized |
| ORI Search | Varies | Results go to the authorized entity, not to you | No |
Fees and options are as FDLE lists them in October 2026; check the page before you order.
Open the Certified/Non-Certified Search
Use FDLE's online request form for the Certified/Non-Certified Search, not the Instant Search. Enter your name and identifying details exactly as they appear on your passport; this is a name-based search, so FDLE works from the details you give it.
Select certified results
The form asks whether you want the results certified. Say yes. FDLE states that results from this search can be notarized, and a notarized, certified result is the version we can file. If anything about the notarized option is unclear, contact FDLE Criminal History Records before you pay.
Choose the language
FDLE offers Spanish-language results on certified searches only. That can help for Latin American destinations, but ask your receiving authority whether it also wants its own certified translation. The notarial certificate itself must still be in English.
Plan for processing and mail
FDLE's order page asks you to allow 5–7 business days for processing, not counting mail. Results go out by standard USPS mail. For faster delivery you can buy a prepaid USPS or FedEx label and email it to FDLE (FDLE says no overnights).
Check it, then send it to us
When it arrives, confirm it is signed, notarized with a complete notarial certificate, and unaltered. Then order online and ship it with our prepaid FedEx label, or bring it to an in-person appointment.
County sheriff and police clearance letters
Some countries, employers and adoption agencies ask for a local clearance letter, sometimes called a local records check or good-conduct letter, from the sheriff's office or police department where you live. FDLE covers Florida's statewide criminal history repository; a local letter covers that agency's own records. Your receiving authority decides which one it wants, and sometimes it wants both.
Every agency runs this its own way, so call the records section first and ask these questions:
- Do you issue a criminal records clearance letter for use abroad, and what does it cost?
- Can the letter be signed by the records custodian or another official in front of a notary, with a complete Florida notarial certificate attached, at the time it's issued?
- Do I need to apply in person, and what ID should I bring?
- How long does it take, and can I pick it up rather than wait for mail?
If the office tells you it only gives out unsigned printouts, that letter can't be apostilled. Ask whether a supervisor or the records custodian can issue a signed, notarized version. Our sheriff clearance letter page covers what the finished letter should look like.
Check the record before you send it
Two minutes with the document now saves a round trip later. Your FDLE result or clearance letter is ready to file when it has all of these:
- Issued by FDLE or a Florida sheriff's office or police department, on its letterhead
- Signed by an agency official (an original signature, not only a printed name)
- Notarized at issuance, with venue, date, signer's name, ID line and the presence box marked
- Florida notary seal with a commission that was current on the notarization date
- Notarial certificate written in English
- Your name matching your passport exactly, including middle names and suffixes
- No staples removed, pages separated, highlighting or handwritten notes
- Recent enough for your destination's age limit
How old is too old?
The apostille doesn't expire, but the background check underneath it effectively does. Many countries and institutions accept a criminal record only if it was issued within a set window, often 90 days or six months, measured from the date on the record. The receiving authority sets the window, not Florida, and it can differ between a visa office and an employer in the same country.
Work backwards from your submission date:
- FDLE processing and mail: roughly a week of processing plus USPS delivery time.
- Our apostille: 5–7 business days after we receive it.
- Getting it to the destination: courier time, plus any translation the destination requires.
Order the record when you're ready to move, not months ahead. An apostilled record that has aged out is useless; you'd have to order a new record and apostille it again.
What can't be apostilled
- FDLE Instant Search results, whether printed, saved as a PDF or emailed. FDLE itself says they are not certified.
- Screenshots or website printouts from any agency or court records portal.
- Photocopies of a notarized record. The state needs the original notary signature and seal.
- A printout notarized afterwards by an unrelated notary, or an affidavit you sign about your own record.
- Records from another state. A background check issued in Georgia or New York is apostilled by that state, not Florida.
- Court dispositions are court records, not background checks; they need a Clerk of Court certification. See court records for apostille.
Once you have the notarized record
We review it, file it in person at the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee, and return it in 5–7 business days. All-inclusive pricing covers the state fee, the application and FedEx both ways inside the U.S.: $220 for one document, $380 for two (common when a country wants both the FDLE record and a sheriff's letter) and $160 each for three or more. Heading to a non-Hague country? The Florida authentication certificate is the same price and the same 5–7 days. Shipping abroad adds a flat $100 per order.
More on the service: FDLE background check apostille.