Apostille of a US Death Certificate
A death certificate is a legal vital record that serves as the official record of the death circumstances of an individual.
A death certificate apostille will be required for most cases of death registration abroad, for foreign inheritance claims, or for proving widowhood and obtaining certain spousal benefits. Other foreign transactions may require the apostille of a death certificate.
Death certificates in your state may be long-form or short-form, depending on the purpose you request it for. Always indicate that you require it for apostille or international purposes so that you get the long-form certificate, which often times is the certificate requested abroad.
Not sure if your certificate is the correct one? Request a quote and use our upload document feature so that our team can provide guidance for your documentation and apostille needs!
NYC Death Certificates
New York City Death Certificates are issued by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene of New York City (formerly known as the Department of Health). Located in Downtown Manhattan, they are the only agency in charge of issuing records for deaths that occur across the five boroughs.
Third party agencies are prohibited from making requests on behalf of clients. Please consult with an attorney if you are unable to request a record, or go to www.vitalchek.com, the only website authorized by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to make your death certificate request.
Apostille Requirements for a New York City Death Certificate
There is no short-form death certificate in New York City. Instead, for most recent certificates, you can request your record with or without a confidential medical report. Confirm with the country of destination if they require to see this as well.
Your certificate must be signed by the current city registrar, Gretchen Van Wye (certificates signed by Steven P. Schwartz are no longer acceptable).
Your certificate must be accompanied by an Exemplification of Birth or Death Record.
Your certificate must be certified by the New York County Clerk office.
Failure to comply with any of the above requirements will result in a rejected application from the New York Department of State.
In a bind? Global Apostille Group can assist with your NYC death certificate apostille within 5 business days or within the same business day. Contact us today for a quote!
True Copy Apostille
What if my record does not comply with the above requirements?
What if I do not want to give up my original record? It’s my original record!
Or what if I simply no longer have the original record and obtaining a certified copy will take months? I need my apostille now.
Global Apostille Group can provide a “true copy” apostille of copies of your record. We can attach an affidavit to your document, certifying the record as a true copy of the original, and notarize the affidavit. This process bypasses the need to have the original, as the apostille will certify the notary’s signature, not the signature on the official record. The apostille of this notarized true copy will be done in New York State.
Before opting for this process, please contact the authorities who are receiving your document if they will accept the apostille of your document via a notarized copy. If the country of destination:
Requires the apostille to certify the official signature of the record,
Will not accept a notarized copy of your record, or,
Requires the apostille must be issued by the official Department of State where the document was issued (i.e. if your document is from the State of Virginia, the apostille is from Virginia).
If any of the above apply, please obtain a correct, certified copy of your record prior to submitting for apostille.