Apostille · /apostille

Florida's apostille, explained and half-handled.

An apostille is a one-page certificate the Florida Department of State staples to a notarized document so the document is accepted abroad — required by most embassies and consulates under the 1961 Hague Convention. Ernest handles the on-site notarization and copy certification; the client submits the notarized package to the FL SOS in Tallahassee by mail or in person.

Phase 1
Ernest notarizes
Phase 2
Client → FL SOS
From
$75/doc + state
Get an apostille quote →Email Ernest

Section 01 · What an apostille actually is

A one-page stamp. Required by the 1961 Hague Convention.

An apostille is the international shorthand for “yes, this notarized document is genuine” — a certificate most embassies and consulates want to see before they act on the underlying document. The U.S. state that issued the apostille is the authority on the signature.

Definition · who can issue

Apostille · Florida Department of State · Ernest's part of the deal
Two-syllable summary: an apostille is a state-issued certificate that authenticates a notarized document for use in a foreign country that signed the 1961 Hague Convention. Ernest notarizes the underlying document on-site; the FL Department of State in Tallahassee is the only entity in Florida authorized to affix the apostille.
  • Mail-in to the FL Department of State in Tallahassee: roughly 7–10 business days once the FL SOS receives the package, plus the round-trip mail time in and out of Tallahassee.
  • Walk-in to the FL SOS office in Tallahassee: same-day or next-day service for most document types — the same package, just hand-delivered instead of mailed.
  • Expedited mail service is available from the FL SOS for an additional state fee — Ernest includes the published expedite options on the written quote.
  • Existing prepaid return envelope or courier account: bring it, and the apostilled document comes back on your account — FedEx, UPS, USPS Priority, whatever you prefer.
  • Foreign-country tracking: the destination country is often the slowest leg. Plan two to four weeks end-to-end (mail-out + SOS turnaround + international shipping) and confirm embassy timing separately.

Per-document fee

$75 / doc + state

Includes the on-site visit, ID review, the notarization itself or certified copy, and the journal entry Florida requires. State filing fees are billed at cost — no markup — and travel fee quoted in advance by reply.

If the destination country isn't a Hague Convention signatory, the process is different (full consular legalization, not an apostille) — bring the country and a one-line note about the document type and Ernest will quote against the right procedure on the first reply.

Section 02 · The two-phase process · Ernest · Client

Phase 1 on-site. Phase 2 to Tallahassee.

Ernest handles the notarization (and any required copy certification) on-site; the client submits the notarized package to the FL Department of State in Tallahassee. The line between the two phases is the moment the document leaves the appointment.

  1. Step · 01
    Phase 1 · Ernest
    Prepare the underlying document

    Ernest reviews the document you need apostilled, confirms it is the original (or a properly-notarized certified copy), and walks you through what the FL SOS will require — a clean copy, the right cover page, no missing signer fields.

  2. Step · 02
    Phase 1 · Ernest
    Notarize the document on-site

    A standard acknowledgement or jurat notarization. Ernest verifies your government-issued photo ID, signs and stamps the document, records the journal entry Florida requires, and hands the notarized original back to you ready for the FL SOS.

  3. Step · 03
    Phase 1 · Ernest
    Certify a copy if the original is unavailable

    Some documents (birth certificates, certain corporate filings) cannot be re-signed — for those, Ernest certifies a true copy with a Florida-approved notarial certificate so the SOS will accept it in lieu of the original.

  4. Step · 04
    Phase 2 · Client
    Prepare the FL SOS cover sheet

    The Florida Department of State requires a transmittal cover sheet with each apostille request. Ernest sends you the current form ahead of the appointment; you fill in the destination country, document type, and return address so the package is ready to mail when notarization is complete.

  5. Step · 05
    Phase 2 · Client
    Submit to the FL Dept. of State · Tallahassee

    Mail the notarized document, the cover sheet, payment for state filing fees, and a prepaid return envelope to the Office of the Secretary of State in Tallahassee — or hand-deliver it to the Tallahassee office for same-day or next-day turnaround, your choice.

  6. Step · 06
    Phase 2 · Client
    Track the package and retrieve the apostilled doc

    The FL SOS returns the document with the apostille certificate attached. Once you have it back, ship or carry it to the foreign country that requested it — most embassies/consulates want to see the apostille stamp before they will act on the underlying document.

Section 03 · Accepted document types

The documents Ernest apostilles in Brevard County.

Three families of documents Ernest handles on a regular basis. Send the document type, the destination country and a one-line note about the signer — Ernest replies the same business day with a written quote.

Document · 01
Hague Convention
Birth · death · marriage certificates
Vital records from any U.S. state. For foreign-country apostille, Ernest certifies a true copy of the certificate you already hold so the FL SOS can apostille it without you ordering a new certified copy from the issuing state.

Not on this list? Send the document type and destination country to reliable-notary@polsia.app — reply the same business day.

Document · 02
Hague Convention
FBI background checks · diplomas · transcripts
An Identity History Summary from the FBI, an official diploma, or a sealed college transcript. For diplomas/transcripts, Ernest certifies the copy only after you show the original; the FL SOS will accept the certified copy as the document being apostilled.

Not on this list? Send the document type and destination country to reliable-notary@polsia.app — reply the same business day.

Document · 03
Hague Convention
Corporate good-standing · business filings · POAs
A certificate of good standing from the FL Division of Corporations, certified copies of articles / bylaws, powers of attorney, and contracts intended for use in a foreign jurisdiction. Ernest notarizes the cover document and certifies any required copies on-site.

Not on this list? Send the document type and destination country to reliable-notary@polsia.app — reply the same business day.

Document-type notes are general guidance — actual eligibility is confirmed against the destination country and the FL Department of State's published requirements before a quote is sent.

Section 04 · Turnaround & who does what

Half on Ernest. Half on you. Both halves lock in the apostille.

The two phases aren't optional. Ernest notarizes the document on-site; the client submits the notarized package to the FL Department of State in Tallahassee — the FL SOS is the only entity in Florida that can affix the apostille.

What Ernest handles
On-site · Phase 1
The notarization itself
Everything that happens at the appointment. ID review, the notary journal entry, signing and stamping the document, certifying a true copy when the original can't be re-signed.
  • Notarize the underlying document, or certify a true copy when an original can't be re-signed (vital records, certain corporate filings).
  • Review what the FL Dept. of State requires for the destination country — clean copy, right cover sheet, no missing fields — before the appointment is over.
  • Record the Florida notary journal entry, sign and stamp the document, and hand back a notarized package that is ready to mail to Tallahassee the same day.

The appointment ends with the notarized package in your hands, ready to mail to the FL Department of State. From there the apostille is a state filing.

What the client handles
FL SOS · Phase 2
Submission to the FL Department of State
The client submits the notarized package to the FL SOS in Tallahassee — by mail, in person, or by courier — and pays the state filing fees directly. This is what makes the apostille a state action, not a notary action.
  • Privacy and chain-of-custody: keeping control of the notarized original from the moment it leaves the appointment until it reaches the FL SOS — that is why submission is on you, not on Ernest.
  • Choice of delivery method: mail to the FL Dept. of State in Tallahassee (cheapest, ~7–10 business days), walk-in to the Tallahassee office (fastest, same-day or next-day), or a private courier — you pick based on the deadline the embassy or consulate set.
  • State filing fees and the prepaid return envelope: paid directly to the FL SOS, billed at cost, no markup from Ernest. The return envelope is what gets the apostilled document back to you.
  • Foreign-country tracking: once the apostilled document is back in your hands, the leg from there to the destination country is on you — Ernest's role ends at the FL SOS boundary.

Why the client submits themselves? Privacy and chain-of-custody — the apostilled document travels under your chosen courier, on your timeline, with you in control of every handoff.

Get a written apostille quote →

Send the document, get a quote

Ernest notarizes on-site. You submit to Tallahassee.

Send the document type, the destination country, and a preferred on-site window — Ernest replies the same business day with a written quote (per-doc fee + travel fee, state filing fees billed at cost). The on-site appointment is locked in by reply; you handle the FL SOS submission on your own timeline from there.

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Direct linereliable-notary@polsia.app

Replies the same business day · State filing fees billed at cost, no markup · Cocoa Beach & Brevard County, FL.

Multi-document apostille pack? Send the details →

Ernest Adulai · Florida Commissioned Notary Public

Serving Cocoa Beach and Brevard County, FL · NNA Certified · Nationally Background Screened