Death Certificate Apostille and Authentication Service
Need a death certificate apostille? SF Notary + Apostille explains how the process works.
What is a death certificate?
A death certificate is an official document (often called a “vital record”) that states the cause of death, location of death, and time of death. It also contains other identifying details about the deceased.
In California, death certificates are issued by county officials in the county in which the person died.
What is a death certificate apostille?
In California, a death certificate apostille is a Secretary of State apostille certificate that is stapled to the death certificate and sealed with a red circular stamp to give your death certificate higher government legal certification required by many foreign countries. Apostilled death certificates are often needed for widows/widowers remarrying abroad, obtain pension benefits from a foreign country, submitting life insurance claims, settling estates, and transporting bodies to be buried overseas.
How do I get a death certificate apostilled or authenticated?
Step 1: Confirm that the death certificate is eligible for an apostille
Skip to the next step if you need to order a death certificate.
Certified copies (also called unrestricted copies) of death certificates issued in any of California’s 58 counties are eligible for California Secretary of State apostilles. Although we mainly focus on obtaining CA SOS apostilles for clients, if you have a death certificate issued outside of California, we may be able to help you. Please email [email protected] with details or call +1 (415) 655-9455 to discuss.
In our experience, requesting parties overseas will usually reject self-certified/notarized photocopies and older certified copies of death certificates, even if the CA SOS will adhere an apostille to them. In addition, informational death certificates are not eligible for apostille certification.
Step 2: Obtain a certified copy of the death certificate, if needed
You can obtain a certified copy of a death certificate in person, online, or by mail. Please choose the relevant Bay Area County below for detailed instructions. For other California counties, please contact the county directly for ordering instructions.
Please note that if you order a death certificate online or via mail, it can take several weeks to arrive. If you need the death certificate soon and are not able to pick it up in person, we can retrieve it for you from the Alameda, San Francisco, or San Mateo County offices. Please email [email protected] or call +1 (415) 655-9455 to learn more about this option.
San Francisco County Alameda County San Mateo County
Step 3: Email us for a price quote
Pricing varies depending on a number of factors. For a quick price quote, send an email to [email protected] with the following information:
- Your name, telephone number, and current physical location
- The name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person to whom we will ship the apostilled death certificate
- The destination country (e.g. France)
- The physical location of the death certificate, ordering status (if you ordered one), or your need for assistance obtaining a death certificate
We will respond with a price quote without delay. Once we’ve agreed upon a price, we will start the apostille/
Step 4: Send the death certificate to us (when applicable)
If you are shipping us a certified copy or recent original of a death certificate and we have given you the green light to proceed, please send the death certificate to:
SF Notary + Apostille
2511 Carlsbad Ave
Sacramento, CA, US, 95821
If you are paying by check, please make it out to “SF Notary + Apostille.” Otherwise, we will send you an invoice by email with a payment link that allows you to pay by credit card.
Step 5: We do the rest
We will obtain an apostille from the Secretary of State in Sacramento. Some countries require apostilles plus additional certifications, details of which we will provide in the price quote. Once the document is apostilled (or apostilled and authenticated/legalized), we’ll ship it via FedEx Priority Overnight Service (USA destinations) or FedEx International Priority Service (overseas destinations).
Frequently asked questions about California death certificate apostilles
Can I get an apostille on a photocopy of a California death certificate?
Although the California Secretary of State will issue an apostille on a signed and properly notarized statement written directly on a photocopy of a death certificate or on a separate page attached to a photocopy of a death certificate, the requesting party overseas will often reject death certificates that are certified this way. Please confirm with the requesting party whether or not they will accept a self-certified photocopy.
Can I get an apostille on an informational death certificate?
Informational death certificates that bear a disclaimer—such as “INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY”—are not eligible for CA SOS apostille certification. You will need to obtain a certified copy of the death certificate.
What if the death certificate is old?
Recipients may reject older death certificates. Check with the requesting party to ensure that the issue date on the death certificate is recent enough for your matter. Clients have reported that their death certificates were rejected because they were older than six months or a few years.
Whose death certificate can I order?
California death certificates are not public record, so only certain individuals are authorized to obtain a certified copy. You can generally request a copy of the death certificate of your child, legal ward, spouse, domestic partner, parents, and certain extended family members.
In addition, you can also give authority to a third party by power of attorney or other legal instrument to obtain one of these death certificates on your behalf.
What if I’m located outside of the county, state, or country?
If you are located outside of the county in which the person passed away or you don’t have time to run to the county office to obtain a death certificate, we can go in person to retrieve the certified copy of the death certificate on your behalf with a notarized Limited Power of Attorney. You can also order it online or by mail and have the certified copy shipped directly to us.
Please note that most methods of retrieval require notarization of your signature. If you are in another county or state, you can visit your local notary in person or have your signature notarized using a remote online notarization (RON) service. If you are outside of the country, you can use a RON service or visit a US notary at a US Embassy or Consulate. Regardless of your location, we can help to arrange an electronic notarization—please contact us for more information. Please contact us to discuss.
How long does a death certificate take to arrive?
Online and mail-in death certificate application processing times often exceed several weeks (we’ve recently seen quotes of six weeks on agency websites). The fastest method of retrieval is to go in person to the relevant County Clerk. If you are unable to go personally, you can have another authorized family member, your attorney, or us pick up the death certificate. In general, we can obtain the certified copy within a couple of business days.
If you want us to pick it up, you will need to execute a limited power of attorney granting us authority to retrieve the death certificate on your behalf. Generally, this will require you to appear before a notary public in person or remotely using a remote online notarization service, which we can help arrange. Please contact us to discuss.
Contact us
For more information or to place your order, please email [email protected] or call +1 (415) 655-9455.
Disclaimer: Information on this website is for informational purposes only. These instructions are based on our knowledge and experience and are meant to be helpful; however, they might contain errors. Please let us know if you encounter mistakes so that we can promptly correct them. SF Notary + Apostille is not a law firm, and its agents are not attorneys. Please contact a licensed attorney or your local bar association for counsel on legal matters.