Apostille for Death Certificate

The California Secretary of State can only apostille death certificates for people who were passed away in California. If the person died in another state, you have to get the apostille through that state's Secretary of State. We may be able to help with apostilling death certificates from other states--call +1 (415) 239-6600 for timing and rates.

If the person named on the death certificate passed on in California, proceed to step 2.

The California Secretary of State will only apostille certified copies of death certificates--no scans or photocopies. You can order a certified copy from the county in which the person passed away. We may be able to order a certified copy for you--call +1 (415) 239-6600 for time and rates.

If you have an original or certified copy of a California death certificate, proceed to step 3.

We will take your certified copy of a California death certificate to Sacramento to be apostilled. The California Secretary of State will check the name and signature of the signing official (usually a County Clerk or Public Health Officer) and then issue an apostille. For countries that have signed the Hague Convention for Apostilles, no further legalization is needed. For countries that have not signed the Hague Convention, a consular visit will be necessary.

For more information about California apostilles or Hague member countries, call +1 (415) 239-6600.

If the death certificate is being authenticated for a country that has not signed the Hague Convention, proceed to step 4.

If the birth certificate is being authenticated for a country that has signed the Hague Convention, skip to step 5.

Countries that have not signed the Hague Convention for Apostilles require additional processing for death certificate legalization. Typically, this is done at the country's consular office in San Francisco. After we get the death certificate apostilled by the California Secretary of State, we will bring it to the relevant consulate for legalization. For more information about the process for non-Hague countries, call +1 (415) 239-6600.

You're almost done! To decide what to do with the document, proceed to step 5.

Once the death certificate has been apostilled/authenticated, we can send it back to you or directly to the receiving country. Shipping within the United States is included in the apostille price. For shipping rates to other countries, call +1 (415) 239-6600 for a quote.

Once you know where the document is going, you're ready to order. Proceed to step 6.

If you know the answers to all of the above questions, you're ready to place an order. You can place your order online or over the phone at +1 (415) 239-6600.

To place your order online, click here.