For foreign probate, estate transfers, insurance claims and repatriation. $190 per certificate, 5 business days. Handled carefully, and quickly, for families in Town 'n' Country.
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 Town 'n' Country 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.
With roughly 85,000 residents, Town 'n' Country sits one of the largest communities in Hillsborough County. Town 'n' Country is one of the most heavily Hispanic communities in the Tampa Bay area, with large Cuban, Colombian, Venezuelan, Puerto Rican and Dominican populations. Spanish-language apostille demand here is significant and persistent — actas de nacimiento, poderes notariales, and antecedentes penales headed to consulates across Latin America and Spain.
Clients come to us from across Town 'n' Country — Country Village, Bay Crest, Twin Lakes and Woodbridge among them. the Sheldon Road corridor, Town 'N Country Park and Tampa International Airport are part of the everyday geography here, and we work it in person rather than by post.
The Westshore office is about 12 minutes away from Town 'n' Country. Appointments are confirmed within one business hour, so the drive is never wasted. We also handle death certificate apostille work for clients in nearby Westchase, Tampa and Carrollwood.
Documents leaving Town 'n' Country most often head to Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Spain. This is the most consistently Spanish-language caseload in the county: actas de nacimiento and matrimonio, poderes notariales, and antecedentes penales bound for consulates across Latin America and Spain.
Minutes from the office, and served in Spanish where preferred throughout the appointment. 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 12 minutes from Town 'n' Country — at a time we hold for you.
We work by appointment, which means no queue and no wasted trip. Ring us and we'll confirm a time within the hour.
We check that what you have is actually apostillable — certified copy, correct seal, complete notarization — and that it matches what the receiving country asks for.
A person carries your document to the state counter in Tallahassee. That single decision is what removes the multi-week postal queue from the timeline.
Your originals come back apostilled inside 5 business days, available for collection at the office, with a call the moment they arrive.
No courier surcharge, no rush upsell, no handling fee appearing at the end. The figure below covers the work and the state's filing fee together.
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.
Usually the same day or the next. Tell us when suits and we'll hold the slot; confirmation comes back within one business hour of the request, not the following morning.
Ours, at 4830 W Kennedy Blvd, Suite 633K in Tampa's Westshore district — about 12 minutes away away. Appointments only, confirmed within one business hour of your request.
Five business days from the moment we take the document to the moment it's back apostilled. That figure doesn't change with distance — Town 'n' Country runs on the same in-person filing schedule as everywhere else we serve. On a tighter deadline, call and we'll tell you honestly what's achievable.
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 Town 'n' Country appointment within one business hour.
