The death certificate is a permanent legal record of the fact of death, and depending on the State of death. State law specifies the required time for completing and filing the death certificate. Death certificates are permanent legal records from which official copies are made.
The death certificate provides important personal information about the decedent and about the circumstances and cause of death. Death certificates issued to the general public for deaths after 1990 may in some states be redacted to erase the specific cause of death (in cases where death was from natural causes) to comply with HIV confidentiality rules. In New York State , for instance, the cause of death on a general death certificate is only specified if death was accidental, homicide, suicide, or declared in absentia; all other deaths are only referred to as "natural". All states have provisions, however, whereby immediate family members, law enforcement agencies, and governmental authorities (such as occupational health and safety groups) are able to obtain death certificates containing the full cause of death, even in cases of natural death.
Before issuing a death certificate, the authorities usually require a certificate from a physician or coroner to validate the cause of death and the identity of the deceased. The attending physician is responsible for certifying the cause of death.
Death certificates may also be issued pursuant to a court order or an executive order in the case of individuals who have been declared dead in absentia. Missing persons and victims of mass disasters may be issued death certificates in one of these manners.
In some jurisdictions, a police officer is allowed to sign a death certificate. This usually occurs when the cause of death seems obvious and no foul play is suspected
The registration of deaths is a State function supported by individual State laws and regulations. The original death certificates are filed in the States and stored in accordance with State practice.
Most State certificates conform closely in content and arrangement to the standard. Minor modifications are sometimes necessary to comply with State laws or regulations or to meet specific information needs.
State laws and supporting regulations define which persons have authorized access to vital records. Some States have few restrictions on access to death certificates. However, there are restrictions on access to death certificates in the majority of States.
Foreign Death Certificate:
Foreign death certificates are issued by the local registrar of deaths or similar local authority. The certificates are written in the language of the foreign country and prepared in accordance with the laws of the foreign country. Although authenticated copies of the foreign death certificate can be obtained, since the documents are written in the language of the foreign country they are sometimes unacceptable in the United States for insurance and estate purposes. In the United States, a “Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad“ issued by the U.S. consular officer is generally used in lieu of a foreign death certificate as proof of death.
Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad:
The consular "Report of Death of an American Citizen Abroad" is a report that provides the essential facts concerning the death of a U.S. citizen, disposition of remains, and custody of the personal effects of a deceased citizen. This form is generally used in legal proceedings in the United States in lieu of the foreign death certificate. The Report of Death is based on the foreign death certificate, and cannot be completed until the foreign death certificate has been issued.
Certified copies of the Report of Death:
The U.S. consular officer will send the family up to 20 certified copies of the Report of Death at the time the initial report is issued.
If in the future you find that you need additional copies, submit a signed, written request including all pertinent facts along with requester's return address and telephone number.
An apostille or exemplified copy is a standard certificate provided under the Hague Convention of 1961 for authenticating documents for use in foreign countries.
The apostille certificate contains the original signature of the State Registrar and the Secretary of State and a statement of authenticity.
An apostille certifies to a country that the document is a true copy. It does not certify that the original document's contents are correct.
A regular certification without the statement of authenticity can not be used in creating an apostille or exemplified copy.
related to the preparation of a Death Certificate
for submission in USA or in any foreign countries
of the world.
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Retrieve a certified copy of
Death Certificate |
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Obtain an Apostille (for Hague Convention countries) or Embassy Legalization (for non-Hague countries) |
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Translate the Death Certificate into the
target language |
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Have the Death Certificate authenticated
by the Consulate or Embassy of the target country |
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