North Florida
Alachua County, Florida apostille filing
Every Alachua County paper that needs a foreign-use stamp still goes to Tallahassee. We cover 9 cities and 19 ZIP codes in this county.
Alachua County, without the jargon
Alachua County is in North Florida. 9 cities and towns and 19 ZIP codes here still use one Tallahassee office for the foreign-use stamp.
North Florida towns send a mix of University of Florida and local clerk documents. Gainesville diplomas need the school’s stamp first. Lake City and Live Oak court documents need the clerk in that county, not a printout from a website.
If the document is a court file — divorce, name change, adoption — the Alachua County clerk has to certify it first. We cannot take a website printout to the state.
How documents leave Alachua County
Inbound shipping from this county is overnight to our Tallahassee desk. We drop the original at the state office and send it back with tracking.
Birth and marriage records still come from Florida vital records. Powers of attorney still need a Florida notary. An FBI report still cannot be stamped here.
Latin America from this county
Families in Alachua County send documents to Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Brazil, and Central America more than anywhere else. Those countries take the Florida stamp. Cuba does not.
Cities and towns in Alachua County
AlachuaArcherEarletonGainesvilleHigh SpringsLa CrosseMicanopyNewberryWaldo
Questions people ask
Can the Alachua County clerk add the apostille?
No. The clerk can certify a court copy. Only the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee can add the foreign-use stamp.
Do I have to visit the county seat?
Only if you still need a certified court copy. Once you have that document, you can ship it to us from anywhere in the county.