Death Certificate Apostille and Authentication Service
What is a death certificate?
According to Dictionary.com, a death certificate is a “certificate signed by a doctor, giving pertinent identifying information, as age and sex, about a deceased person and certifying the time, place, and cause of death.”
How do I get a death certificate apostilled or authenticated?
This process can be confusing, so if you’d like to talk to us live, please give us a call at +1 (415) 655-9455.
1. Check the location of passing.
Only California death certificates can be apostilled by the California Secretary of State. Did the person pass away in another state or country? We may still be able to help you obtain an apostille. Call +1 (415) 655-9455 for details.
2. Check the signing official’s job title.
On the bottom right of the California death certificate, you should see a signature from a local official.
If it was signed by the county clerk or recorder, the California Secretary of State will compare the signature to the one on record and issue an apostille.
However, the Secretary of State does not maintain a database of health officer signatures; therefore, any certificate signed by a county health officer will require a health officer signature certification by a county clerk to make the certificate eligible for an apostille.
You can visit the county clerk’s office in person to request a health officer signature authentication, make your request of the county clerk by mail, or we might be able to do it for you. Please contact us at (415) 655-9455 to discuss.
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, address, and phone number
- The name, address, phone number, and email address of the person to whom we will ship the death certificate once we obtain the apostille
- The name of the country in which the apostilled death certificate will be presented
- The job title of the person who signed the death certificate (found in the lower right-hand side of the certificate)
- The name of the county in which the individual passed away
We will respond with a price quote ASAP.
If the destination country has signed onto the Hague Apostille Convention, then we will just need to obtain an apostille from the relevant state governing body (ex: California Secretary of State). Conversely, if the destination country has not signed the Hague Convention, we will need to obtain an additional legalization from the destination country’s consulate or embassy (and possibly authentication by the US State Department). Please call or email us to discuss.
4. Send the death certificate to us.
Send an official copy of the death certificate to our office:
SF Notary + Apostille
315 Montgomery Street, 10th floor
San Francisco, CA 94104
Please include a check or money order made out to “AMN SF” or call us at +1 (415) 655-9455 to arrange credit-card payment.
4. We’ll take it from there.
If needed, we will take the death certificate to the relevant county clerk to certify the public-health officer’s signature. Then we will obtain an apostille from the Secretary of State in Sacramento.
In the case of non-Hague countries, we generally also need to obtain legalization from the relevant consulate or embassy (and US State Department, if needed). At any rate, we’ll let you know what’s required when we send you the price quote.
Whichever procedures we follow for your specific needs, we will ship the apostilled death certificate to you or directly to a party in the receiving country via FedEx Priority.
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. 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.