State document · certified copy · do not notarize
Death certificate apostille
A US death certificate is apostilled by the Secretary of State of the state where the death was registered, using a certified copy from vital records. It is never notarized. $99 standard per document; most estates need two or three, and each one is its own apostille.
What this document is
A certified copy of the death record issued by the state office of vital records or, in some states, the county. It carries the registrar's signature and seal, which the Secretary of State verifies.
Foreign institutions ask for it to release funds, transfer real estate, stop or start pension payments, settle insurance, and update civil registries where the deceased held citizenship or property.
Does it need notarization first?
No. It is certified by the registrar. Do not notarize it.
State or federal?
State: the state where the death was registered. If the death occurred abroad and was reported to a US consulate, the Consular Report of Death Abroad is a federal document.
What you need to provide
- A certified copy with seal and registrar's signature. Not a photocopy, not a funeral home document.
- One certified copy for each institution that will keep the apostilled original. They generally do not return them.
- The destination country and, if you have it, the institution's written requirements. Estates frequently also need an apostilled will, letters testamentary, or a power of attorney; we can handle those in the same order.
What happens
- Quote request with the state, the destination, and how many copies. We confirm and quote the total.
- You mail the certified copies, tracked.
- We submit to the issuing state.
- Apostilled copies return to us and ship to you or straight to the foreign lawyer or institution.
Common mistakes
- Ordering one copy when three institutions each need one. Round trips cost weeks.
- Sending a funeral home or hospital document. Only the vital records certificate has a verifiable signature.
- Forgetting the related documents. A death certificate alone rarely settles a foreign estate; letters testamentary, a will, and a power of attorney for the executor usually go with it.
- Translation. Most civil-law countries want a certified translation for probate. Ask, and we bundle it.
How to start
Request a quote with the state, the destination country, and the number of copies. Mention any related documents (will, letters testamentary, POA) so we can quote them together.
Price: $99 standard per document; three-document bundle $549. State fee and shipping quoted separately.
Background reading: our affiliated company's guide.
Get your exact price, all fees included
Two business hours to a written total. Nothing to pay and nothing to mail until you have it.
Start My ApostilleFrequently asked questions
Who can request an apostille on a death certificate?
Anyone holding a certified copy. The apostille verifies the registrar's signature, not the requester's relationship. Getting the certified copy in the first place is what is restricted to family and legal representatives, under each state's rules.
Will I need more than one apostilled copy?
Often. Foreign banks, courts, pension funds, and land registries frequently each keep the original apostilled document. Order as many certified copies as institutions you are dealing with; the three-document bundle covers the common case.
Does the cause of death need to appear?
Some states issue a version with cause of death and a version without. Foreign institutions usually accept either, but a few insist on the full version. Ask them; if in doubt, the full version is safer.