How a Florida death certificate is used in Nicaragua
When a Nicaraguan family member dies in Florida, the apostilled death certificate is what lets the family deal with what was left in Nicaragua: recording the death in the civil registry, the declaration of heirs, and transferring land through the Registro Público de la Propiedad. Florida issues death certificates with or without the cause of death, and only close relatives and certain others can order the version with the cause. Ask the Nicaraguan notary or lawyer which version they need before you order, so the right relative places the order.
Translation for Nicaragua
Our standard for a translation is a translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille. Nicaragua may instead require the translation to be made in Nicaragua: its notarial law (Ley 139) allows translations in a public deed before a Nicaraguan notary with at least ten years of incorporation, through an interpreter the notary appoints. Ask the receiving office which version it accepts before you pay for either.
What your Florida death certificate must look like
Only a certified copy from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or a county health department can be apostilled: it carries the State Registrar's signature that the Department of State verifies. Funeral-home copies, photocopies and scans are rejected, and copies certified before 2014 must be replaced with a fresh certified copy (order through VitalChek or the county health department). If the receiving office needs the cause of death, ask for the version that includes it — both versions can be apostilled.
Step by step: death certificate apostille for Nicaragua
- Order online — pick "Death certificate" and "Nicaragua" on the order form; $220 per document, $380 for two, $160 each for three or more.
- Send a photo — reply to the confirmation email with a picture of the document. We check the certification before anything ships, so a defect is caught before it costs you a round trip.
- Drop it at FedEx — after approval, FedEx emails you a prepaid QR code; show it at any FedEx Office or Ship Center, no printer or label needed.
- Filed in person in Tallahassee — we walk the document into the Florida Department of State and ship the apostilled original back by FedEx within 5–7 business days of receipt — to your U.S. address, or to Nicaragua with international return shipping (+$100).
One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs for Nicaragua. Whatever the office there asks for after that — a translation, a filing deadline — is covered above.