How a Florida birth certificate is used in South Africa
A Florida birth certificate goes to South Africa in two common situations. A child born in Florida to a South African parent is registered as a South African through a registration of birth abroad with Home Affairs, filed through a South African mission. And children traveling through South African ports of entry may be asked for an unabridged birth certificate or an equivalent document naming the child and parents. A Florida certified birth record lists both parents, which is what Home Affairs wants to see. We only file copies certified in 2014 or later.
Translation for South Africa
English is one of South Africa's official languages and Florida documents are issued in English, so they usually go without a translation. Home Affairs' sworn-translator requirement covers documents that aren't in an official South African language. If a Florida document is in another language, our standard applies: translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille, and ask whether Home Affairs instead wants a sworn translator.
What your Florida birth certificate must look like
The Florida Department of State apostilles the signature of the State Registrar, so you need a certified copy issued by the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or a county health department — not a hospital certificate, a photocopy or a scan. Copies certified before 2014 carry an older signature and are not accepted; order a fresh certified copy through VitalChek or your county health department before you send it. The certified copy itself (about $9–$14 from the issuing office) is the only cost on top of our $220.
Step by step: birth certificate apostille for South Africa
- Order online — pick "Birth certificate" and "South Africa" on the order form; $220 per document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more.
- Send a photo — reply to the confirmation email with a picture of the document. We check the certification before anything ships, so a defect is caught before it costs you a round trip.
- Drop it at FedEx — after approval, FedEx emails you a prepaid QR code; show it at any FedEx Office or Ship Center, no printer or label needed.
- Filed in person in Tallahassee — we walk the document into the Florida Department of State and ship the apostilled original back by FedEx within 5–7 business days of receipt — to your U.S. address, or to South Africa with international return shipping (+$100).
One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs for South Africa. Whatever the office there asks for after that — a translation, a filing deadline — is covered above.