Apostille Services in Tampa

Sending a document abroad? I notarize it correctly and help coordinate apostille certification through the Florida Department of State, so it is accepted internationally.

Appointments by request. Same-day and urgent appointments available when scheduling permits.

I do not issue the apostille — and neither does any notary

Only the Florida Department of State, Bureau of Notary Commissions and Apostilles issues an apostille. My role is to make sure your document is notarized correctly in the first place, and if you want, to help prepare and coordinate the submission. Anyone who tells you they can issue one themselves is describing something that does not exist.

What is an apostille?

An apostille is a certificate that authenticates a public document for use in another country that participates in the Hague Apostille Convention. It confirms that the notary or official who signed the document is legitimately commissioned, so foreign governments and institutions can accept it without further legalization.

Documents that commonly need one

• Power of attorney intended for use abroad
• Birth, marriage, and death certificates
• Adoption paperwork
• Diplomas and school transcripts
• Business and corporate documents
• Background checks (FDLE)
• Single status affidavits, or affidavits of eligibility to marry

How the process works

1. Your document is notarized correctly — many documents must be notarized before they are even eligible for an apostille.
2. I help prepare the request for submission to the Florida Department of State.
3. The Department processes it, on a timeline that depends on the submission method.
4. Your apostilled document comes back to you, ready to use abroad.

Apostille FAQs

Do you issue the apostille yourself?

No. Apostilles are issued only by the Florida Department of State. My role is to make sure your document is notarized correctly and, if needed, to help coordinate submission on your behalf.

How long does it take?

That is the Department’s timeline rather than mine, and it moves. Mail-in requests have commonly run several weeks; expedited routes are faster. Tell me your deadline before we start and I will tell you honestly whether it is realistic.

Does the destination country matter?

Yes. An apostille only applies to countries in the Hague Convention. A document going somewhere outside it needs consular legalization instead, which is a different and longer process.

What I cannot do

I cannot tell you which document your destination country will accept, translate it, or advise on what the underlying document should say — those are questions for the receiving institution or a lawyer, and answering them would be practising law without a licence.

Ready to start?

Tell me what the document is and where it is going, and I will tell you what it needs.