Non-Hague countries: apostille vs. authentication, step by step

Both certificates come from the same office, the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee, and both confirm the same thing: that the official or notary who signed your Florida document is genuine. The difference is who has agreed to accept them.

• Apostille. Countries that belong to the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention accept it as complete. One certificate, done.
• Notarial certification (authentication certificate). The Department's FAQ explains that countries outside the Convention don't take apostilles, so Florida issues a notarial certificate instead. It verifies the same signature, but the destination country expects more steps after it.

The Florida request form asks for the “Country the document is being authenticated for.” That answer decides which certificate you get. Name the wrong country and you get the wrong certificate, which means filing again.

For a non-Hague destination, a Florida document typically goes through four stages. We handle the first two. We do not handle, arrange or refer anyone for the last two.

We'd rather tell you now than surprise you later: our service ends when the Florida certificate is issued and shipped back to you. We don't take your document through the U.S. Department of State authentication, we don't book consular appointments, and we don't hand you off to a partner. You'll get the document back with its Florida authentication certificate attached, ready for you to take forward.

Before you order, read the legalization instructions published by the embassy or consulate of your destination country, on its official government website. Look for three things in particular: whether it accepts documents by mail or only in person, whether translations must be done before or after legalization, and how recent it wants the underlying document to be. Its requirements shape everything you do in Florida.

Use the source, not a blog list. The Hague Conference on Private International Law keeps the official status table for the Apostille Convention. To read it:

1. Find your destination in the Contracting Parties list. Some names are formal: “Viet Nam,” “Republic of Korea,” “Türkiye,” “Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).”
2. Check the EIF (entry into force) date. The Convention applies only from that date. A country listed with a future date is still non-Hague until then.
3. If the country isn't listed at all, it's non-Hague. You need the authentication route.

Status changes. Saudi Arabia accepted only legalization until the Convention entered into force there on December 7, 2022. Viet Nam joined on September 11, 2026. Old lists online are often out of date, so check the table in the month you file. Our Hague Convention countries guide walks through recent changes.

We checked each of these against the HCCH status table in October 2026. None of them is a Contracting Party, so Florida issues an authentication certificate for them, not an apostille.

This isn't a complete list of non-Hague countries. If yours isn't here, check the status table. Some countries people assume are non-Hague actually joined years ago, including Bahrain, Oman, Morocco and Tunisia, so check before you plan a legalization you don't need.

A non-Hague destination doesn't relax anything on the Florida side. The Department of State verifies the same signatures, so the same preparation rules apply:

• Birth and death certificates from the Bureau of Vital Statistics or a county health department, signed by the State Registrar. Our rule: certified 2014 or later. See vital records for apostille.
• Court records certified by the Clerk of Court. The state charges $20 for these (a $10 certificate plus a $10 certificate of incumbency); our price already includes it. See court records for apostille.
• Notarized documents such as powers of attorney and affidavits, with a complete Florida notarial certificate in English. See notarized documents for apostille.
• Diplomas and transcripts notarized by the school. See diplomas and transcripts.
• FDLE checks and sheriff's letters notarized when issued. See FDLE and sheriff letters.

Getting this right matters more on the non-Hague route, because a problem found at the consulate means starting the whole chain over, not just the Florida step.

The Florida step costs exactly what an apostille does, and takes the same time:

• $220 for one document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more
• All-inclusive: state fee, application, and FedEx both ways inside the U.S.
• 5–7 business days, filed in person in Tallahassee
• International return shipping: $100 flat per order, to any country
• Online notarization if your document needs it: $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee plus a $30 technology platform fee), $20 for each additional document

Order online or see Florida authentication for non-Hague countries. Spanish speakers can read autenticación de Florida para países fuera de La Haya.

The later steps run on schedules we don't control. A few habits keep the chain from stalling: