Florida Personal Records: Certificates, IDs, and Name Changes

Personal records in Florida sit with several different agencies, and the way to get or change one depends on which agency keeps it. Birth and death certificates come from the Florida Department of Health. Circuit court clerks handle name changes and requests to seal or expunge a criminal record. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issues driver licenses, identification cards, and vehicle titles. This reference explains how Florida groups these records, who is allowed to request each one, and where the underlying rules come from.

Which agency keeps which record

Knowing the custodian of a record is the first step, because each agency has its own request process, identification rules, and fees.

The Florida Department of Health, through its Bureau of Vital Statistics, holds birth, death, marriage, and dissolution-of-marriage records. The circuit court in each county handles matters that require a judge: legal name changes, adoptions, and petitions to seal or expunge a criminal record. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement maintains statewide criminal history records and issues the certificate a person needs before a court will seal or expunge a record. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issues driver licenses, state ID cards, and motor vehicle titles. The Governor and the Department of State commission notaries public and authenticate documents for use in other countries.

Two terms recur across these records. The “registrant” is the person a vital record is about, such as the baby named on a birth certificate. A “certified copy” is an official copy bearing the registrar’s seal, which is what banks, courts, and agencies accept, as opposed to an informational photocopy.

Birth, death, and marriage certificates

Florida treats birth records as confidential. Under Fla. Stat. § 382.025, birth records stay confidential except those more than 125 years old, and a certified copy of a birth certificate is issued only to the person named on it once of legal age, to a parent or legal guardian, or to certain close relatives after the registrant has died.

Death certificates work differently. A certified copy is available to any requester, but the part of the certificate showing the cause of death is confidential. That confidential portion is released only to the spouse, parent, adult child, grandchild, or sibling of the deceased, or to someone with a documented interest in the estate. All portions of a death certificate become public 50 years after the date of death.

The identification a requester must show, and the fees charged, are set by the Department of Health through the Florida Administrative Code, Chapter 64V-1. Marriage and divorce certificates are also vital records, and a certified copy of either is generally available to the public on request.

Changing your legal name

An adult name change in Florida is a court proceeding, not a form filed with an agency. Fla. Stat. § 68.07 gives the circuit court authority to change the name of a person who lives in Florida, on a petition filed in the county where that person resides. The petition is sworn and must disclose specific background information, including prior name changes, any bankruptcy, and any criminal history.

In most cases the petitioner must submit fingerprints for a state and national criminal history check, and the hearing is held after the clerk receives the results. A person who is restoring a former name is the main exception: that hearing can be held immediately, without the fingerprint check. Marriage and divorce follow separate paths. A spouse can restore or change a name within a dissolution case, and a child’s name is changed through an adoption case, so neither uses the § 68.07 petition.

Sealing or expunging a criminal record

Florida offers two related remedies for a criminal history record. Expunction directs agencies to destroy the record, while sealing keeps the record but makes it confidential and removes it from public view. Both start at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, not the courthouse.

Before petitioning a court, a person must obtain a certificate of eligibility from that department. Fla. Stat. § 943.0585 sets the process: the application requires a $75 processing fee as of 2026, a certified statement from the state attorney, and a certified copy of the disposition of the charge. A certificate of eligibility is valid for 12 months from its issue date. A person can obtain only one court-ordered expunction in a lifetime, and even with a valid certificate, the court has discretion to deny the petition. Sealing follows a parallel eligibility-and-petition process.

An expunged record carries a specific benefit: the person may lawfully deny the arrest in most situations. That protection does not apply in a defined set of circumstances, such as applying for work with a criminal justice agency, seeking admission to The Florida Bar, or applying for certain jobs involving children, the elderly, or people with disabilities.

Driver licenses, ID cards, and REAL ID

The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issues driver licenses and state identification cards. A first-time applicant presents documents proving identity, a Social Security number, and two proofs of a Florida residential address.

REAL ID is a federal standard layered on top of the state credential. Since May 7, 2025, federal agencies require a REAL ID-compliant license or ID, or another acceptable document such as a U.S. passport, to board a domestic flight or enter certain federal buildings, under the federal REAL ID Act. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security explains the standard and the list of acceptable alternatives in its REAL ID overview. A Florida credential that meets the standard shows a gold star in the upper corner; one that does not is marked as not for federal identification.

Vehicle titles and registration records

Ownership of a motor vehicle is tracked through its certificate of title. Fla. Stat. § 319.22 provides that a buyer does not acquire marketable title until a certificate of title is issued in the buyer’s name. A seller who has delivered a vehicle to a buyer must notify the department within 30 days of the sale, which also limits the seller’s liability for what happens with the vehicle afterward.

In a private sale, the seller’s name must already appear on the face of the title before it can be transferred, and the sale price is entered in the labeled space on the title. Title work is filed through the county tax collector’s office, which acts as an agent of the state for motor vehicle records.

Notarization and authenticating documents

Many record procedures call for a notarized signature. Florida notaries are commissioned by the Governor for a four-year term under Fla. Stat. § 117.01. An applicant must be at least 18, a legal resident of Florida, and able to read, write, and understand English, and must post a $7,500 bond and file an affidavit of good character. As of 2026, the state application fee is $25, along with a $10 commission fee and a $4 surcharge. A notary must report a change of address or a lawful name change to the Department of State within 60 days.

A record headed for use in another country usually needs an apostille or certification rather than an ordinary notarization. The Department of State issues that authentication, confirming that the notary or official who signed the underlying document held a valid commission.

Specific procedures and topics