What the apostille on a translation actually covers
The Florida Department of State can't apostille a translation as such. It apostilles a Florida public official's or notary's signature. So a translation gets an apostille through a chain of three signatures:
- The translator certifies the translation in a signed statement that it's complete and accurate and that they're competent in both languages.
- A Florida notary notarizes the translator's signature, normally with a jurat, because the translator swears to the statement.
- The Florida Department of State apostilles the notary's signature.
That's our standard rule: translations should be certified by the translator, notarized, and apostilled in Florida, so the translation carries its own apostille. The apostille doesn't vouch for the quality of the translation. It confirms that a commissioned Florida notary took the translator's oath.
The translator can't be the notary
The Florida Department of State's apostille FAQ says it directly: the person translating a document cannot be the person who notarizes it. Many translators in Florida are also notaries. That's fine, but a translator-notary can't notarize their own certificate. A different notary has to administer the oath.
The same logic rules out a translator's "certificate of accuracy" with only the translator's signature and stamp. There's no Florida official's signature on it, so there's nothing for the state to apostille. It needs a notary's jurat.
Check whether the country wants its own sworn translator
Before you pay anyone to translate, ask the receiving authority two questions: will you accept a translation made in the United States? And if so, must it be notarized and apostilled? Some countries also, or instead, require a translator recognized in that country. Where we know the pattern:
| Country | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Spain | Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs appoints sworn translators (traductores jurados), whose signed and sealed translations have official character before Spanish courts and administrative bodies (Ministry page). A Spanish office may require one. |
| Germany | German authorities generally work with translators sworn or authorized by a German court. A Florida divorce presented for recognition in Germany, for example, needs the apostille plus a sworn German translation. |
| Mexico | Mexican civil registries typically require the foreign document and its apostille to be translated by an authorized translator in Mexico, often a court-approved perito traductor. The Villahermosa civil registry's requirements, for example, call for translation by an authorized institution. |
| Colombia | Translations made in Florida are accepted when they're certified by the translator, notarized and apostilled. |
| Dominican Republic | The translation usually needs its own apostille too, alongside the apostilled original. |
If a country requires its own sworn translator, the translation is normally done by that translator, after the apostille, and you only need the apostille on the original. Paying for a Florida translation plus a second apostille would be wasted. Rules differ between offices in the same country, so treat this as a starting point and confirm with the office that will receive your documents.
The right order of steps
Order matters. This sequence avoids the most common do-overs.
Get the original ready
The source document has to be apostille-ready on its own: a certified birth or marriage certificate from the issuing office, a clerk-certified court record, a notarized document. See Florida apostille requirements.
Apostille the original first
Many authorities want the apostille translated along with the document. Getting the original apostilled first lets the translator include it. Never staple a translation to a certified original before the original is filed; anything attached to a certified record can get it rejected.
Translate everything
The translator translates the full document and the apostille, including stamps, seals, signatures and handwritten notes, describing non-text elements in brackets, for example [seal of the State Registrar].
Translator signs the certificate before a different notary
The translator swears to the certificate of translation before a Florida notary who isn't the translator. The notary completes a jurat with venue, the physical presence or online notarization box, date, the translator's name and ID type, signature and seal.
Bind it
The certificate, the translation and, if the authority wants it, a copy of the source document are fastened together as one document. The apostille will be attached to the notarized certificate.
Apostille the translation
File the notarized translation with the Florida Department of State. The original and the translation are two separate documents with two apostilles: $380 together with us.
Sample translator's certificate
Wording varies, and the receiving authority may have its own. A typical certificate looks like this:
CERTIFICATE OF TRANSLATION
I, [translator's full name], residing at [address], certify that I am competent to translate from [source language] into [target language], and that the attached [number]-page document, titled [title of document, including its apostille], is a true, complete and accurate translation of the original document presented to me.
[Signature of translator]
[Printed name]
[Date]
COUNTY OF ____________
Sworn to (or affirmed) and subscribed before me by means of [ ] physical presence or [ ] online notarization, this ____ day of ____________, (year) ____, by (name of translator).
(NOTARY SEAL)
______________________________
(Signature of Notary Public - State of Florida)
(Print, Type, or Stamp Commissioned Name of Notary Public)
Personally Known ____ OR Produced Identification ____
Type of Identification Produced ____________
When the translator isn't in Florida
Your translator can be anywhere. Through our online notarization add-on, the translator swears to the certificate over video with a Florida-commissioned online notary, after identity verification. We print the notarized translation with a Florida attested-copy certificate and file it for the apostille. The add-on costs $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee plus a $30 technology platform fee) and $20 for each additional one.
A translator who has the certificate notarized in another state can still do so, but then only that state can apostille it. Before filing, you can check any Florida notary's commission with the state's notary search.
What to ask a translator before you hire them
- Will you translate the apostille and every stamp? A translation that skips the seals and the apostille is incomplete for many authorities.
- Will you sign a sworn certificate before a notary who isn't you? If they're a notary themselves, they need to use a colleague.
- How will you handle names? Names should be reproduced exactly as in the passport, not translated or re-accented. Ask to see a draft and check every name, date and number against the original.
- Can you produce a bilingual layout if the authority prefers one, with the original text and translation side by side?
- Can you sign online with a Florida online notary if you're outside Florida?
For non-Hague countries, the Florida step is a certificate of authentication instead of an apostille, at the same price. The U.S. Department of State authentication and embassy legalization that follow are steps we don't handle; see non-Hague authentication.
Why translations get rejected
- The translator notarized their own certificate.
- A certificate of accuracy with no notarization at all.
- The translation was stapled to a certified original before the original was apostilled.
- The apostille on the original wasn't translated, and the authority wanted it.
- An acknowledgment instead of a jurat, so the translator never swore to the translation.
- The destination required a local sworn translator, so the Florida translation was refused even with a valid apostille.
More rejection causes are in why Florida apostilles get rejected.
What it costs with us
We don't translate documents. Your translator prepares the translation and certificate; we handle the notarization online if you need it, and the apostilles. Apostille pricing is $220 for one document, $380 for two (the usual original-plus-translation pair) and $160 each for three or more, including the state fee, the request form, in-person filing in Tallahassee and FedEx inside the U.S. Notarization and the translator's fee are separate. International delivery is a flat $100 per order, and turnaround is 5–7 business days per filing. Order online or see certified translation apostille.