The signature that matters: the State Registrar
A Florida apostille on a vital record certifies one thing: the signature of the official who certified it. For birth and death certificates, that official is the State Registrar. The Florida Department of State's accepted documents page sets the rules:
- Birth and death certificates must be issued by the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or a county health department, signed by the State Registrar. The state confirms that signature before issuing the apostille.
- Marriage and dissolution-of-marriage certificates must be signed by the State Registrar or by a Clerk of the County Court.
The state fee is $10 per certificate signed by the State Registrar and $20 for a certificate signed by a Clerk of Court (a $10 apostille plus a $10 certificate of incumbency).
Our rule on older certificates: we don't accept vital records certified before 2014. The signature on file has to be one the state can confirm as the State Registrar's, and older certificates are where we run into problems. If yours is older, order a fresh certified copy from VitalChek or the Bureau of Vital Statistics before you start. Many receiving countries prefer a recently issued certificate anyway, so a new copy rarely costs you anything extra in the end.
Bureau of Vital Statistics, county health department or clerk?
Florida vital records can come from three kinds of offices. Which one you use depends on the record.
| Record | Bureau of Vital Statistics (Jacksonville) | County health department | Clerk of Court |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth certificate | Yes | Yes — births 1917 to present | No |
| Death certificate | Yes | Yes — deaths 2009 to present | No |
| Marriage certificate | Yes — June 6, 1927 to present | No | Yes — the county where the license was issued; the only source before June 6, 1927 |
| Divorce (dissolution) certificate | Yes — June 6, 1927 to present | No | Earlier dissolutions, and the full divorce judgment |
Two practical notes from the Department of Health's pages. Marriages and divorces take about 60 days to reach the state's records after the clerk records them, so for a very recent event the clerk of court is the faster source. And certificates from a county health department are still signed by the State Registrar, which is why the Florida Department of State accepts them.
Sources: the Department of Health's birth, death, marriage and divorce certificate pages.
Divorce certificate vs. divorce decree
These are two different documents, and foreign authorities often care which one you send.
- The dissolution of marriage certificate is a one-page vital record from the Bureau of Vital Statistics. The Department of Health describes it as a summary of the judgment — proof the divorce was finalized, not the judgment itself.
- The final judgment of dissolution of marriage (the divorce decree) is a court record. It comes from the clerk of court in the county where the divorce was granted, must be certified by that clerk, and carries the $20 state fee.
If you're remarrying abroad or updating civil status in another country, ask the receiving office which one it wants before you order. Many want the full judgment. The court-record route is covered in the court records guide, and both options are on our divorce certificate apostille page.
Short form vs. long form birth certificates
"Short form" and "long form" are what most people call them, but the Department of Health uses different terms. Its birth certificates page describes two kinds of certified copies:
- Computer-generated certificates — printed on security paper with the Florida embossed seal. This is the standard certificate most people receive.
- Photocopy-generated certificates — a manually produced copy of the original record. They cost more, take longer, and can't be ordered through VitalChek.
Both are certified copies. Which one you need depends on the receiving country, not on Florida. Some citizenship-by-descent programs and foreign registries want details that may only appear on the original record. The Florida Department of State also notes that computer-generated birth records from before 2004 contain limited information and suggests confirming with the consulate that they'll be accepted. Check what's printed on the certificate type you plan to order, and confirm with the receiving office before ordering.
Never send a hospital keepsake certificate. It isn't a vital record and can't be apostilled. For country-specific needs, see our birth certificate apostille page.
How to order a certified copy
The Department of Health offers four ways to order:
- Online or by phone through VitalChek, the only vendor contracted by the Bureau of Vital Statistics. VitalChek adds a $7 processing fee to the state's fees. The Department of Health recommends against using any other online vendor.
- By mail to the Florida Department of Health, Vital Statistics, P.O. Box 210, Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042, with the application, a copy of your photo ID, and a check or money order payable to "Vital Statistics."
- In person at the Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1217 N. Pearl St., Jacksonville, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM.
- At a county health department for births from 1917 and deaths from 2009 to present; fees vary by county.
Birth records are confidential. A certified copy can be issued to the registrant (if 18 or older), a parent listed on the record, a legal guardian or legal representative with documentation, or by court order. If the registrant has died, a spouse, child, grandchild or sibling can request it with a copy of the death certificate. Death certificates without the cause of death are available to anyone 18 or older; the version with cause of death is restricted. Someone who isn't eligible needs a notarized affidavit to release, signed by an eligible person. Fees and forms are on each certificate page.
The Department of Health also has an apostille page with apostille-specific application forms. If you order from the Bureau that way, you still forward the certificate to the Florida Department of State yourself. VitalChek offers a combined option in which the Florida Department of State ships the finished certificates to you by UPS; you pay both agencies' fees, VitalChek's $7 processing fee and two shipping charges. Either way, it's the Florida Department of State that issues the apostille.
What a notary can't do with vital records
This catches people every week. Florida notaries cannot certify or attest copies of birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, or other public records available as certified copies from an official source. A photocopy with a notary stamp on it isn't a certified copy, and the Florida Department of State won't apostille it. Neither will we.
This is also why our online notarization service isn't an option for vital records. It works for private documents such as affidavits and powers of attorney, not for public records.
If you need something sworn alongside a vital record — for example a single-status affidavit for a marriage abroad — that's a separate notarized document. See single-status affidavit and the notarized documents guide.
Once you have the certificate
Check that it's a certified copy signed by the State Registrar (or a Clerk of the County Court for marriage and divorce), certified in 2014 or later, and not laminated or damaged. Then file it yourself using how to get a Florida apostille, or send it to us. We file in person in Tallahassee for $220 per certificate, $380 for two, or $160 each for three or more — state fee and FedEx inside the U.S. included — in 5–7 business days. Citizenship applications often need several certificates at once, which is where the multi-document pricing helps. Order online or see the marriage and death certificate pages.