Death certificate apostille is legalization of a death certificate for use in a country that is signatory to the Hague apostille convention. It affirms the fact that the death certificate is a legal and genuine document being issued by the concerned authority of the country in which the death took place.

Death certificate apostille is required where legal processes have to be performed in the other country like in the activities of wills, assets, and any other matter of the deceased. When an apostille is secured for a specific document it is accepted in the international level without necessarily having to go through the process of legalization in the member countries of the Apostille Convention.

The death certificates are very important in various international affairs like burial and repatriation of the dead persons. For efficient operations of these activities, it is crucial to know the right steps to follow in death certificate apostille. Let us have a view on the details of how to use the death certificate apostille in cross border burial and repatriation.

Before moving to the depth of the death certificate apostille it is crucial to understand what an apostille is. An apostille is a certification of documents that has been authorised by the legal authority of a country, which does endorse the seals and signatures used in official documents. It acts an authenticity certificate and is recognized in countries that are signatories to the Hague convention.

Every country has its peculiarities of a death certificate apostille process. Hence, there is a need to identify the conditions or guidelines of the given destination country before going for death certificate apostille. Some common requirements include:

Original death certificate: The death certificate has to be the original document given.
Notarization: As it is in most countries, the death certificate must be authenticated by a notary public or any other similar officer.
Legalization of documents: In certain cases, the death certificate will need to be legalized in the country’s embassy or consulate before recognition.
English translation: In case the death certificate is not in English language, it may be necessary to produce an English translation thereof which has been authenticated.
However, if you have resolved on the exact requirements of the destination country, you can go ahead advance the apostille process. Here are the general steps to follow. It is essential to acquire the complete death certificate from the relevant government office.

Notarization: The document should be taken to a notary public or any other officially authorised person for notarising the document. They will also enclose their signatures and seal on the certificate thus confirming the genuineness of the document.

Legalization: In case of legalisation of the death certificate, one should go to the embassy or a consulate of the respective country. Others will give the certificate what is legally akin to a rubber stamp which will act as proof of the authenticity of the certificate.

Translation: If you have a death certificate in a language other than English, get an English translation of the certificate legalized. This translation has to be notarized by a sworn translator.

Apostille application: Fill a job application form and enclose all the necessary documents. Pay the fee and submit the application to the approve apostille authority approved to handle apostille services.

Apostille stamp: After the apostille application has been granted, the particular authority that been assigned, will attach an apostille stamp to the death certificate. This stamp then affirms the legitimate status or the acceptability of the documents in all the member countries of the Hague convention.

The death certificate apostille process is still complicated in the case of international burials and repatriations since every country has its unique provisions on what is acceptable. When you adhere to these requirements and get all the relevant document then you can be confident to have a proper international burial and repatriation.