How the Philippines handles Florida documents now
The Apostille Convention took effect for the Philippines on 14 May 2019 (HCCH status table). Before then, U.S. documents needed Philippine consular authentication, the old "red ribbon." That's finished. The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. says it "does not apostille documents or issue 'red ribbon' certificates," and that an apostilled document will be recognized in the Philippines. A Florida document gets its apostille from the Florida Department of State, and that's what we file.
Florida falls under the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C. for civil registry reports such as Reports of Birth and Reports of Marriage. English is an official language of the Philippines and Florida documents are issued in English, so translation generally isn't an issue.
Reports of Birth and Marriage for the Philippines: when you need an apostille
A child born in Florida to a Filipino parent is reported through a Report of Birth, and a marriage through a Report of Marriage. A PSA copy can be requested six months after the report is approved. This is where Florida apostilles do and don't come in, based on the Embassy's current checklists:
- Report of Marriage. The checklist asks for the original foreign marriage certificate plus four photocopies. It doesn't list an apostille for the certificate, so don't pay for one you don't need.
- Report of Birth. The checklist asks for the original birth certificate and four photocopies, with no apostille listed for the certificate itself.
- Report of Birth for a child of unmarried parents. The Affidavit of Admission of Paternity and the Affidavit to Use the Surname of the Father are each submitted as four originals, and every original must be notarized and apostilled. If both apply and you sign them before a Florida notary, that's eight apostilles: 8 × $160 = $1,280. Have every original notarized correctly the first time.
The Embassy also notarizes these affidavits for signers who appear in person. If you can't get to Washington, the Florida notary and apostille route works by mail. Checklists change, so read the Embassy's current list before you order.
Special powers of attorney and Florida divorces in the Philippines
SPA (special power of attorney)
Selling land, transferring a title, or handling a bank account or an estate back home usually takes a Special Power of Attorney. There are two legitimate routes. You can sign in person before a Philippine consular officer (the Embassy requires personal attendance). Or you can sign before a Florida notary and get a Florida apostille. The second route works entirely by mail. With our online notarization, you sign over video and never ship a paper original. We print the notarized SPA with a Florida attested-copy certificate and file it for the apostille.
Ask the lawyer or office in the Philippines for the SPA wording. Florida requires the notarial certificate to be complete and in English.
Florida divorce and remarriage
The Embassy's FAQ explains that a foreign divorce involving a Filipino spouse must first be "judicially enforced or confirmed in the Philippines" through a civil case in a Regional Trial Court. Your lawyer there will need the Florida final judgment, certified by the Clerk of Court (wet-ink or the clerk's official e-certification) and then apostilled. A dissolution-of-marriage certificate from Vital Statistics is a different document, so ask the lawyer which one they want. See court records for apostille.
Before you order a Florida apostille for the Philippines
Pricing: $220 for one document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more. Shipping the finished documents to the Philippines adds $100 per order.
- Check whether the receiving office actually requires an apostille. The Embassy's Report of Birth and Report of Marriage checklists don't list one for the Florida certificate itself.
- Vital records must be a fresh certified copy, certified in 2014 or later and signed by the current State Registrar. Order through VitalChek if yours is older.
- Report of Birth for unmarried parents: four originals of each affidavit, and each original notarized and apostilled.
- SPA: use the wording from the Philippines, with a complete Florida notarial certificate in English, or sign online.
- Divorce: get a Clerk of Court-certified copy of the final judgment, not a plain copy.
- Want it delivered straight to the Philippines? Add international return shipping (+$100 per order).