Articles of Incorporation Apostille in Florida
Florida's official apostille authority processes all Articles of Incorporation apostilles for the state. The state charges $10 per apostille. Select your city to get started with a localized quote.
Florida Apostille Requirements
- Authority: Florida Secretary of State
- Office Location: Tallahassee
- State Fee: $10
- Important Rule: Only issues apostilles for Florida documents.
Select your city to view local apostille processing options and courier times.
What Is a Articles of Incorporation Apostille?
Something many Florida residents overlook is that the apostille does not translate your document. Most foreign authorities require a sworn or certified translation as well as the apostille. Most EU countries and many Middle Eastern authorities typically require both the apostille and a certified translation. Ask us about comprehensive apostille-plus-translation packages.
The Hague Apostille Convention replaced the cumbersome embassy-by-embassy authentication process that existed before 1961. Previously, getting a US document recognized abroad required multiple rounds of authentication at different government levels followed by embassy stamps. The apostille replaced this with one standardized certificate issued by one designated authority. In Florida, that authority is the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee.
Articles of Incorporations are among the most frequently apostilled documents in the United States. This is because Articles of Incorporations come up in many international processes including immigration, employment, international education, and cross-border legal matters. If you are in Florida, the apostille for a Articles of Incorporation must come from the Florida Secretary of State.
Florida: State vs Federal Authority
The most commonly misunderstood thing to know about the apostille process for your document is determining which government authority issues apostilles for your specific document type. In the US, there are two distinct apostille pathways: state-level and federal-level. Documents issued by Florida, including Articles of Incorporations go to the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee. Documents from US federal agencies, like FBI Identity History Summaries and federal agency documents, must go to the US Department of State in Washington D.C..
For state-issued Articles of Incorporations, the apostille can only be issued by the Florida Secretary of State's office. Typically, the document must carry an original official seal or notarization. The Florida Secretary of State verifies the document's origin and seal and attaches the apostille usually within 1 to 4 weeks.
The most common apostille mistake is routing documents to the incorrect government authority. For example, if you mail a Articles of Incorporation issued in Florida to the US Department of State in DC, the federal office will refuse to process it. Similarly, sending an FBI Background Check to the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee results in the same rejection. In both cases, the wasted transit time adds 2 to 4 weeks to your timeline.
Why Local Offices Cannot Help
If you are working under a tight deadline, mail-in self-processing is rarely the right option. A courier-assisted submission is the only way to access same-day processing at the Florida Secretary of State. Our team serves all cities in Florida with complete end-to-end shipment tracking on every submission.
Many residents of Florida initially assume they can obtain Hague legalization through any notary in FL. This assumption is wrong. A local notary is authorized only to witness signatures and administer oaths. They cannot issue an apostille certificate — only the Florida Secretary of State can do this.
Something else to consider is that Hague member countries will verify that the apostille came from the correct authority. If your Articles of Incorporation is apostilled by the wrong authority, your documents will be rejected at the destination. This may delay your entire application even if everything else in your application is correct.
The Florida Apostille Authority
The Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee is accessible for walk-in and mail-in submissions during standard business hours. Turnaround times without expedited service generally range from 5 business days to 4 weeks depending on submission backlog. For Florida residents who need faster turnaround, a physical courier dramatically cuts the wait.
Before your document can be submitted to the Florida Secretary of State: it may need to be notarized or certified first. Educational records and private documents typically require notarization as a first step. Our team identifies whether any notarization is needed before submitting to the Florida Secretary of State so there are no delays from missing prerequisites.
When apostilling a Articles of Incorporation from Florida, the designated apostille authority is the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee. Only the Florida Secretary of State is authorized to grant Hague Apostille certificates on records from Florida government agencies. The Florida Secretary of State holds the official seals of Florida government officials and is therefore the only authorized source for apostilles on Florida-issued records.
How to Get Your Articles of Incorporation Apostilled in Florida
One of the most overlooked steps is ensuring the document is not expired. Federal background checks, for example, have a shelf life of six months or less at the time of submission to the foreign authority. If your Articles of Incorporation is outdated, a new document must be requested before apostilling. Our team verifies document currency as a standard step to avoid submitting documents that will be refused.
Depending on your document type require notarization before they can be apostilled. If your Articles of Incorporation is a private document — such as an affidavit, power of attorney, or diploma, it will typically need to be notarized by a licensed notary before submission to the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee. Our service handles this coordination so you never have to navigate this alone.
Once we have your documents, we inspect each document for compliance with the Florida Secretary of State's submission requirements. This pre-flight review identifies issues like improper certification, wrong document versions, or missing state fees. Finding problems upfront saves days or weeks — a first-attempt rejection.
How Long Does a Articles of Incorporation Apostille Take in Florida?
Turnaround for apostille certification vary depending on how the document is submitted and the Florida Secretary of State's current workload. Documents sent by postal mail from Florida to the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee usually require 3 to 6 weeks round trip — accounting for shipping each way plus processing. At busy times, particularly during visa application seasons, wait times can extend further.
If you need your Articles of Incorporation apostilled urgently, the most time-efficient route is a runner that hand-delivers to the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee. Many Florida Secretary of State offices can complete apostilles same-day for in-person deliveries. Our runner uses this option wherever available to get Florida clients their apostilles faster than any postal alternative.
The US Department of State operates on a separate schedule for FBI Background Checks and other federal records. Regular postal submissions to DC for federal apostilles can take 6 to 11 weeks because of the volume of requests from all 50 states. A physical courier in Washington D.C. gets the federal authentication done in 2 to 5 business days by physically submitting at the federal office.
What to Include With Your Submission
An easy-to-miss detail: if your Articles of Incorporation was issued in a language other than English, some Florida Secretary of State offices may require a certified English translation before apostilling. Alternatively, the apostille is issued without requiring a translation and translation is handled separately after the apostille. We advise you on this when you place your order.
Before sending your document to the Florida Secretary of State, ensure you have: the original document or a certified copy, notarization if required for your document type, the Florida Secretary of State's request form if applicable, correct fee payment for the state apostille, and a prepaid return envelope or shipping label. Leaving out any item will cause rejection.
Some Florida residents ask whether a cover letter is needed with their apostille submission. For mail-in submissions, including a short cover page is advisable stating your name, document type, document count, and return address. The Florida Secretary of State processes high volumes of requests and a clear cover letter helps the office handle your request correctly and quickly.
Common Apostille Mistakes to Avoid
Submitting a photocopy instead of the original document is a common rejection reason. The Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee requires the original document or a properly certified copy. Sending a photocopy will be rejected without processing. Request a new certified copy before starting the apostille process.
Forgetting to include return shipping is an easily preventable error that delays apostille returns. The Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee does not automatically return documents. Without a return label, your apostilled document may sit uncollected for days. We handle return shipping as part of our flat-rate fee — no separate arrangements needed.
The number one mistake is sending your document to the wrong government authority. People in Florida sometimes mail state documents like Articles of Incorporations to the US Department of State in DC. Either way, the office will reject the submission and return the document unprocessed. This mistake costs weeks — the time lost in transit to and from the wrong authority — before you are even back to square one.
Get Your Articles of Incorporation Apostilled in Florida
Our courier network covers the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee, typically returning your apostilled document in 2 to 5 business days. No need to visit any government office.
Order NowFrequently Asked Questions — Articles of Incorporation Apostille in Florida
Who issues apostilles for Articles of Incorporations in Florida?
Corporate documents like Articles of Incorporations are apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state where the company was formed or the document was originally filed. In Florida, that is the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee. If your company was incorporated in a different state, the apostille must come from that state's authority — not Florida.
How quickly can I get a corporate Articles of Incorporation apostilled from Florida?
Standard processing at the Florida Secretary of State can take 1 to 4 weeks depending on volume. For international contracts, M&A due diligence, and foreign regulatory filings with hard deadlines, our courier service can deliver apostilled Articles of Incorporations in 2 to 5 business days from Florida.
Does my company need a new apostille for each foreign jurisdiction where we use the Articles of Incorporation?
Typically yes. An apostille issued by the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee is recognized in all 124 Hague Convention member countries, so you do not need a separate apostille per country. However, if you need the document in a non-Hague country, embassy legalization is required instead. For multiple simultaneous submissions, we recommend obtaining apostilled copies of each document.
Can I apostille multiple copies of the same Articles of Incorporation at once?
Yes. You can submit multiple certified copies of the same Articles of Incorporation together, and the Florida Secretary of State in Tallahassee will apostille each copy separately — each receiving its own apostille certificate. Each copy incurs its own state fee of $10. We handle bulk corporate apostille orders and can coordinate submission and return of multiple documents simultaneously.