For foreign probate, estate transfers, insurance claims and repatriation. $190 per certificate, 5 business days. Handled carefully, and quickly, for families in Carrollwood.
When someone dies holding property, accounts, a pension or family abroad, the foreign institution handling the estate will ask for a death certificate it can verify. That means a certified Florida death certificate with an apostille attached — and usually on a timeline set by a court or an insurer rather than by the family.
We handle these with the priority they deserve. Certified copies come from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or the county health department where the death was registered. We review the copy, confirm whether the destination needs the version with or without cause of death, file it in person in Tallahassee, and return it within 5 business days. For Carrollwood families, we hold appointments open so nobody is left waiting during a difficult week.
Foreign probate courts require an apostilled death certificate before an estate held in that country can be opened or distributed.
Transferring or selling real estate held overseas by the deceased runs through the apostilled certificate and, often, a related power of attorney.
Returning remains to another country requires an apostilled death certificate alongside the consular and transit paperwork.
Life insurers and annuity providers outside the U.S. will not release funds without a death certificate they can authenticate.
Foreign pension systems and social insurance agencies require proof of death in apostilled form before adjusting or paying survivor benefits.
Many countries require a citizen's death to be recorded in their own civil registry, which means submitting the apostilled U.S. certificate.
Carrollwood is home to roughly 35,000 people, covering Original Carrollwood and Carrollwood Village. Carrollwood is one of Tampa's most established suburbs, with a professional population and a notable concentration of second-generation families holding dual citizenship. Estate matters abroad, foreign property transactions, and citizenship-by-descent applications make up the bulk of what we handle here.
We serve clients throughout Carrollwood's neighborhoods including Original Carrollwood, Carrollwood Village, Lake Carroll and Village Green. Landmarks like Lake Carroll, Carrollwood Village Park and the Dale Mabry corridor put us on familiar ground — this is local service, not a mail-order processor.
The Westshore office is about 20 minutes away from Carrollwood. Appointments are confirmed within one business hour, so the drive is never wasted. The same service runs to Northdale, Town 'n' Country and Lutz just up the road.
Documents leaving Carrollwood most often head to Italy, Ireland, Poland, Colombia and Canada. Second-generation families pursuing citizenship by descent make up a large share, along with estate documents and property powers of attorney for assets held abroad.
Close enough that same-day appointments from Carrollwood are routine rather than exceptional. Whichever route you take, the document is filed in person at the Florida Department of State rather than mailed, which is what holds the return to 5 business days.
The Department of State accepts a certified copy issued by the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or the county health department where the death was registered, bearing the registrar's seal and signature. Funeral home copies, hospital paperwork and photocopies do not qualify. Florida issues two versions — one showing cause of death and one without — and access to the cause-of-death version is restricted for the first fifty years to the spouse, parent, child, sibling, or a legal representative of the estate.
Which version you need depends on the destination. Foreign probate courts and insurers often require cause of death; civil registry updates and pension offices usually do not. We'll ask before anything is filed, because ordering the wrong one costs a week. Bring the certified copy to our Westshore office — about 20 minutes from Carrollwood — at a time we hold for you.
Call or send a request and we'll hold an appointment at our Tampa Westshore office — confirmed within one business hour.
Before anything is filed, we vet the document itself — the certification, the notarization, and what your destination country expects — so rejections don't happen.
We hand-carry your paperwork to the Florida Department of State counter ourselves. No mail-in pile, no batch processing, nothing left to chance.
Your apostilled originals come back in 5 business days, ready for collection at the office — and you get a call the minute they arrive.
A single figure per document, with the Florida Department of State's fee already included. Bundles bring the per-document rate down from there.
The $10 Florida Department of State fee is built into every price, along with in-person filing and end-to-end handling of the document. Documents that require notarization first can have that added on.
Grab the Apostille and Notarial Certificate Request Form from the Florida Department of State here. There's no need to fill it out ahead of time — we'll complete it with you at your appointment.
Yes — we work by appointment only, which is deliberate: it means no queue when you arrive and no wasted trip from Carrollwood. Ring us and we'll confirm a time inside one business hour.
We're at 4830 W Kennedy Blvd, Suite 633K in Tampa's Westshore district — about 20 minutes away from Carrollwood. Book a time and we'll have it held when you arrive.
Five business days after handoff. The clock is set by the Department of State counter, not by the drive, so Carrollwood is on the same schedule as the rest of our area. Tight deadline? Ring us and we'll be straight with you about what's possible.
The version without cause of death is a public record and anyone may order it. The cause-of-death version is restricted for fifty years to the decedent's spouse, parent, child or sibling, or to a legal representative of the estate or of one of those family members.
Foreign probate courts and insurance companies commonly require the cause-of-death version. Civil registry updates, pension offices and property transfers usually accept the version without it. Tell us the destination and what's being filed, and we'll confirm before you order.
Yes — this is a routine situation for us. We can coordinate the certified copy, handle the apostille, and arrange international shipping of the completed document. Everything can be arranged by phone and email from wherever you are.
Usually. The apostille form is multilingual, but the death certificate underneath is in English, and most foreign probate courts require a certified translation into the local language. We coordinate that alongside the apostille.
Yes, provided you have a currently issued certified copy. Age of the death isn't the issue; what matters is that the copy in hand carries a current registrar's seal and signature that the Department of State can verify.
Order certified Florida death certificates.
Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough CountyLocal vital records office for deaths registered in the county.
Florida Department of StateThe office that issues the apostille itself.
One flat rate, volume bundles, and the few things that add cost.
Processing timeThe 5-day timeline vs the mail-in queue.
Same-day & rush serviceA straight answer on what a tight deadline allows.
Booking an appointmentHow office visits work, and what to bring.
We move quickly on estate matters — call and we'll confirm a Carrollwood appointment within one business hour.
