How to Apostille a Florida Certificate of Status

A Sunbiz Certificate of Status is one of the easiest Florida documents to apostille: it already carries the Secretary of State's signature and the Great Seal, so it goes straight to the state's Apostille Section with no notary involved.

Federal Apostille & Notary Processing, Tallahassee office. Updated September 23, 2026. Fees checked against the Florida Department of State.

Foreign banks, registries and business partners regularly ask a Florida company to prove it exists and is in good standing. The document that proves it is the Certificate of Status issued by the Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, which most people order online through Sunbiz. Before a foreign authority will rely on it, the certificate usually needs an apostille. This guide walks through what the certificate says, who apostilles it, what it costs and how long it takes.

What your Certificate of Status actually certifies

Every Florida Certificate of Status follows the same layout. Knowing what each paragraph does helps you check the document before you submit it, because the Apostille Section will only authenticate what is on the page.

Who apostilles it: Florida, not Washington

A Certificate of Status is a state record signed by a state official, so the apostille comes from the state. The Florida Secretary of State is the only competent authority for Florida apostilles, and the Division of Corporations issues them from a single location: 2415 N. Monroe Street, Suite 810, in Tallahassee.

The U.S. Department of State's Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C. handles federal documents such as FBI background checks. It does not apostille Florida corporate records. If you are unsure which track a document belongs on, our guide to federal vs. state apostilles explains the split.

Two ways Florida will accept it

The Division of Corporations lists two routes for Certificates of Status and certified copies:

• Submit a certificate you already have. It must be the original certificate the Division issued, not a photocopy.
• Order a new certificate with the apostille. Send the apostille request together with a Certificate of Status request. The state requires two separate checks or money orders, one for each fee.

The second route is useful when your certificate is old, because many foreign recipients want proof of good standing that was issued recently. The Hague Convention sets no expiry date, but banks and registries often set their own. Ask the recipient what issue date they will accept before you file.

Florida state fees

These are government fees only. Shipping, translation and service fees are separate. The full list of Florida document fees is in our Florida apostille document requirements guide.

Hague and non-Hague countries

If the destination country belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention, the Florida apostille is the last step. You can check a country on the HCCH status table.

If the country is not a member, Florida issues a notarial certification instead of an apostille. That certificate then goes to the U.S. Department of State for authentication and finally to the destination country's embassy or consulate for legalization. Our embassy legalization guide covers that chain country by country.

How long it takes

The Apostille Section does not offer expedited service. Mailed requests are handled in the order received, and current processing dates are posted on Sunbiz. The fast route is the walk-in counter in Tallahassee, open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., where most requests are completed while you wait.

That counter is the reason we keep an office in Tallahassee. Our staff submit Florida documents in person rather than mailing them into the queue.

The process, start to finish

1. Confirm the entity is active

   Check the entity on Sunbiz. A certificate cannot show "active" if an annual report is overdue.

2. Get the certificate

   Use a recent original, or order a new one alongside the apostille request.

3. Check the destination

   Confirm Hague membership, the issue date the recipient will accept, and whether they need a translation.

4. Submit to the Apostille Section

   Include the request form, the certificate, the $10 fee per document and a return envelope or air bill.

5. Translate if required

   Many non-English-speaking countries require a translation of the certificate and the apostille. The state does not translate, and the translator cannot also notarize the translation. See our certified translation service.

Key takeaways

• A Florida Certificate of Status is apostilled by the Florida Secretary of State, not the U.S. Department of State.
• No notarization is needed, and a notarized copy will be rejected. Submit the original.
• The state fee is $10 per apostille, payable only by check or money order.
• Walk-in submission in Tallahassee is the only way to avoid the mail queue.
• Non-Hague countries need a certification, U.S. Department of State authentication and embassy legalization.

Federal Apostille & Notary Processing is a private document processing company and is not affiliated with the Florida Department of State or the U.S. Department of State. Government fees and procedures change; confirm current requirements with the issuing agency. This article is general information, not legal advice.