Clearwater · Pinellas County

Signature notarization and apostille. Documents in any language — no translation needed.

Notary Public commissioned by the State of Florida. Powers of attorney, child travel consents, diplomas and affidavits prepared for use in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Latvia and other countries.

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Jurijs Nikulcovs

Notary PublicState of Florida

Commission ID1812017

Commission expires06 / 05 / 2028

CountyPinellas

Commission: Valid through 06/05/2028
Verify: Florida registry →
Languages: English · Russian · Latvian
Hours: Flexible, evenings and weekends

Services

What I do

A Notary Public verifies the identity of the signer and the fact of signing — not the contents of the document. Below is what falls within my authority under Florida law.

Acknowledgment

You confirm that you signed the document willingly. The most common notarial act: powers of attorney, contracts, consents.

from $10 per signature

Jurat / oath

You swear that the statements in the document are true. Required for affidavits and filings with courts and agencies.

from $10 per signature

Apostille

Preparation and filing with the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee through an agent. Full cycle: review, filing, return to you.

up to 7 business days

Apostille

Why you need one

A document signed in the United States carries no automatic weight abroad. An apostille is the Florida Department of State's certification that the notary's signature and seal are genuine. With it, your document is accepted in any country party to the Hague Convention without going through a consulate.

Important: an apostille certifies the notary's authority, not the contents of the document. It does not make a power of attorney legally sound — it makes it recognizable abroad.

An apostille is issued once and does not expire. Only the receiving institution can impose a time limit — for example, by requiring a power of attorney no older than six months.

Your document's route

Signing

You sign in front of me. The certificate carries the actual date of that day.

Day 0 · Clearwater

Review

I check the formatting: required fields, wording, requirements of the receiving country.

Day 0–1

Shipping

Couriered to the agent in Tallahassee, tracked the whole way.

Day 1–2 · FedEx / UPS

Department of State

The agent files in person. Documents are dropped off one day and collected the next business day.

Day 3–5 · Tallahassee

Return

The apostilled document comes back to you, or ships straight abroad.

Day 6–7

Timeline comparison

Filed in person through an agent — how I do it

up to 7 business days

Mailed to the Department of State yourself

25–35 business days

Timelines are estimates and depend on the Department of State's workload, shipping time and whether the document is prepared correctly.

Warning

Why there is no such thing as a same-day apostille

Apostilles are issued by the Florida Department of State in Tallahassee. The document physically has to travel there and back. That is logistics, not red tape — nothing shortens it.

The date on a notarial certificate is the date you actually signed in front of me. No other date belongs there.

No notary keeps apostilles ready in advance. An apostille is issued for one specific document bearing one specific signature and seal — stockpiling them is physically impossible.

If someone offers to backdate the certificate, have you sign a blank form in advance, or mail you a document to sign without meeting in person, that is not a faster process. The document may be rejected abroad, and the notary is exposed to criminal liability for a false certificate.

Foreign-language documents

Translation is usually not required

A common misconception: that a document must be translated into English before a U.S. notary can handle it. Not so. I notarize your signature — the language of the text is irrelevant to that act. The Department of State places the apostille on the notarial certificate, not on the body of the document.

So a power of attorney written in Russian or Ukrainian can be notarized and apostilled as it stands, then sent to Kyiv, Almaty, Moscow or Riga and read there in the original language.

That saves both money and time: certified translation costs more than the notarization itself and adds several days before the document can even be filed.

When translation is still needed: when the receiving institution asks for it. Check with them in advance.

Have my document checked

Service	Fee
Notarization of a signatureThe maximum notary fee is set by Florida law	$10 / signature
Apostille — Department of State feeState filing fee, per document	$10 / document
Apostille — preparation and filing through an agentReview, request form, courier, tracking, return shipping	on request
Document check before you commitWhether it qualifies, what it costs, when it will be ready	free

Document check

Send the document — I'll tell you what it needs

Whether it qualifies for an apostille, what it will cost, and when it will be ready. No obligation.

What you need

Document type

Destination country

Timing

Name

Phone or email

Preferred contact

WhatsApp Telegram Phone call Email

Best time

Weekday morning Weekday afternoon Weekday evening Weekend

Document (optional)

PDF, JPG, PNG or DOCX, up to 10 MB. Files are deleted after 30 days.

Do not upload passports, driver's licenses, Social Security cards or bank statements. Identification is reviewed in person only.

Anything else

Submitting this form does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not legal advice. I am not an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Florida.

Questions

Frequently asked

Case not covered here? Message me on WhatsApp — no form needed.

Message on WhatsApp

Can you notarize for someone with a foreign passport?

Yes. A valid passport from any country works, as does a driver's license from another U.S. state. What matters is that the ID is unexpired and bears a photograph and a signature.

I live in another state. Is that a problem?

No. A Florida notary's authority depends on where the notary is physically located at the time of the act, not on where the signer resides. If you come to me in Clearwater, you are covered.

Does the document have to be in English?

Generally no, for either notarization or apostille. A translation may be required if the receiving institution abroad asks for one — check with them before you file.

Does an apostille work for every country?

Only for countries party to the 1961 Hague Convention. Everywhere else requires consular legalization, which is a different process handled through that country's embassy. Tell me where the document is going and I'll tell you which route applies.

Can I sign the document beforehand and bring it in?

No. Notarization means you either signed in my presence or personally acknowledged to me that the signature is yours. I cannot notarize a signature made without me and without that acknowledgment.

Can you draft the document or tell me what to put in it?

No. A Notary Public does not draft documents or give legal advice — that is an attorney's work. I notarize signatures and handle apostilles. If the text needs to be prepared, speak to an attorney or to the institution requiring the document; they usually have a form.

Signature notarization and apostille. Documents in any language — no translation needed.

What I do

Acknowledgment

Jurat / oath

Apostille

Why you need one

Signing

Review

Shipping

Department of State

Return

Why there is no such thing as a same-day apostille

Translation is usually not required

Fees

Send the document — I'll tell you what it needs

Frequently asked

How to reach me