How a Florida marriage certificate is used in South Africa
Home Affairs asks for proof of the marriage when a foreign spouse applies for a spousal or relative's visa, and the Florida marriage certificate is the core of that. A South African attorney may also need it to show that a Florida couple's marriage affects ownership of property in South Africa or an estate. The certified copy must be signed by the State Registrar or a Clerk of the County Court; the decorative certificate from the ceremony can't be apostilled. Order a fresh copy if yours was certified before 2014.
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 marriage certificate must look like
Two versions can be apostilled: a certified copy from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics (signed by the State Registrar; the $10 state apostille fee applies) or a certified copy from the Clerk of Court in the county that issued the license (the $20 state fee applies). The decorative certificate from the ceremony and church certificates cannot be apostilled. Vital Statistics copies certified before 2014 must be replaced; order a new one through VitalChek or the county clerk. The state fee is included in our price either way.
Step by step: marriage certificate apostille for South Africa
- Order online — pick "Marriage 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.