For foreign probate, estate transfers, insurance claims and repatriation. $190 per certificate, 5 business days. Handled carefully, and quickly, for families in Valrico.
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 Valrico 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 38,000 residents, Valrico sits between Brandon and Plant City in eastern Hillsborough. Valrico's family-heavy population and steady growth eastward from Brandon generate a reliable flow of apostille work — children's birth certificates for foreign school enrollment and dual-national passports, marriage certificates for spousal visa petitions, and notarized consents for international travel.
Across Valrico we handle documents for residents of Bloomingdale, Diamond Hill, River Hills and Copper Ridge. Working near Lithia Springs Park, the Bloomingdale corridor and River Hills Country Club keeps this a local operation rather than a mail-order one.
The Westshore office is about 30 minutes away from Valrico. Appointments are confirmed within one business hour, so the drive is never wasted. Nearby Brandon, Plant City and Riverview are served on the same terms.
Documents leaving Valrico most often head to the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Germany and Mexico. Family-driven paperwork leads here — children's birth certificates for foreign school enrollment and dual passports, marriage certificates for spousal petitions, and notarized travel consents.
Valrico clients come in along Brandon Boulevard or the Selmon; a day's notice gets a firm morning window. 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 30 minutes from Valrico — at a time we hold for you.
You come to West Kennedy Boulevard at a time we've reserved for you. One exchange, and the document is in our hands.
Every document is examined before filing — issuing seal, signature, notarial certificate, and the specific requirements of the country it's headed to.
We present the document at the Florida Department of State in person. Nothing sits in a mailroom, and nothing waits behind a batch of other people's paperwork.
The apostilled original is back and ready to collect at the office. You'll hear from us the moment it's in.
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.
Filing fees are not extra: the state's $10 per document is already inside these numbers, as is in-person submission and the handling either side of it. Notarization is available as an add-on where required.
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.
We'd rather you called first. The office runs by appointment, so an unannounced visit risks arriving while we're at the state counter in Tallahassee. One phone call avoids a wasted drive from Valrico.
Five business days after handoff. The clock is set by the Department of State counter, not by the drive, so Valrico 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 Valrico appointment within one business hour.
