South Florida Apostille Services
Hours 9am-6pm. Mon-Fri.
We Review School Documents Before They Go to Tallahassee. 2-Day Express Available.
If you attended school in the United States and now live abroad, a university application will eventually ask for an apostilled diploma or transcript. Most of the students we help are in exactly that position: the document is here, they are not, and the school's instructions don't match what the State of Florida actually requires.
We also work with schools directly. Small schools and private schools with international students see these requests every year, and we serve as the standing apostille provider for their records offices.
Why School Documents Are Different
A birth certificate arrives from the state with an official signature Florida already recognizes, so it can be apostilled as-is. A diploma or transcript cannot. It comes from your school, which means the signature of the registrar or records custodian must be notarized by a Florida notary before the Secretary of State can apostille it.
Notarization first, apostille second. If the notarization is missing or done incorrectly, the state returns the document without issuing anything, and the process starts over. That is why we review every school document before it goes to Tallahassee.
The Sealed-Envelope Problem
Schools often tell students their transcript must reach the state in a sealed envelope, and that opening it beforehand makes the document invalid. We hear this regularly, and it puts students in a difficult spot.
The problem: a sealed envelope means nobody can confirm what is inside, including whether the notarization is there and done correctly. If it is wrong, the state returns the document. Students are often afraid to open the envelope, and understandably so.
What we recommend: order two copies from your school. One gets opened so we can review the notarization before submission. The other stays sealed, so nothing is lost if a sealed copy is ever needed. We do not submit a document we have not been able to review.
Already Outside the United States?
Many of our transcript orders come from students and parents who have already left the U.S. The path looks like this: you or a parent request the document from the school's records office, the school prepares and notarizes it, and the document is mailed to our office. We review it, obtain the apostille, and ship it to you.
School request procedures and fees vary widely, and handling them from another country can be the hardest part of the whole process. Contact us before you contact the school. Every school runs its records office differently, so we cannot promise a script, but we have walked many students and parents through this and will help you as far as we are able.
For Schools and Registrars
If your school has international students, apostille requests from former students are already landing in your records office, usually with a deadline attached. We work as the standing apostille provider for schools: your office prepares the record, and we handle the notarization review, the state submission, and international shipping. One point of contact, the same process every time, instead of a new scramble whenever a former student writes from abroad.
Most academic documents go to Hague Convention countries and take a standard apostille. For destinations outside the Convention, we handle the longer authentication process as well.
Call 800-208-2128 to set this up for your school.
Processing Times
Apostille processing starts when we receive your documents, not when you place the order.
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Florida Express: 2 business days
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Regular Express: 3 to 5 business days
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Standard: 6 to 8 business days
International delivery time depends on shipping transit to your country. Processing times are estimates, not commitments.
Common Questions
My school said the transcript must reach the state sealed, or it is invalid. Is that true?
We hear this advice from schools regularly, and it does not line up with how Florida processes an apostille. The state has to be able to review what it receives: every document goes in with a notarization the state must verify and a request that names the destination country. A sealed envelope cannot be reviewed by anyone, including us. Order two copies: one for us to open and review, one to remain sealed.
Can you order the transcript or diploma for me?
We can assist, but communicating with the school is the student's responsibility, since schools release records to the student or a parent. You can request that the school send the certified, notarized transcript or diploma directly to us.
My documents are going to a country that is not a Hague Convention member. Can you still help?
Yes. Those destinations use a longer authentication process instead of an apostille, and we handle both. Contact us for timelines and pricing.
Do you handle both diplomas and transcripts?
Yes, both, along with other school records. Every document is reviewed before submission.
I'm overseas. How do I get the finished document?
We ship internationally. Delivery time depends on shipping transit to your country.
¿Hablan español?
Spanish language assistance is available by email and text.
Ready to Get Started?
Our team is available Monday through Friday, 9am to 6pm EST. Call us, order online, or send a message with any questions about your documents.
📞 Call us: 800-208-2128
📧 Email us: info@southfloridaapostilleservices.com
🕐 Hours: Monday–Friday, 9am–6pm EST
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