How a Florida death certificate is used in Venezuela
When a Venezuelan dies in Florida, the family usually needs the apostilled death certificate to settle what was left in Venezuela: the succession declaration (declaración sucesoral) filed with SENIAT, transfer of property through the SAREN registries, and closing bank accounts. Recording the death in the Venezuelan registro civil may also be required. Florida issues death certificates with or without the cause of death, and only certain relatives can order the version with the cause. Ask the Venezuelan lawyer handling the succession which version and how many copies to order.
Translation for Venezuela
Our standard for a translation is a translator's certification, notarized by a different notary, with its own Florida apostille. Venezuela may instead require an intérprete público: under the Ley de Intérpretes Públicos (2022), official translations with public faith are made by titled translators registered in the national registry kept by the Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace. Ask the registro civil, notary or registry which version it accepts, and translate after the apostille.
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 Venezuela
- Order online — pick "Death certificate" and "Venezuela" 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 Venezuela with international return shipping (+$100).
One Florida apostille is all the U.S. side needs for Venezuela. Whatever the office there asks for after that — a translation, a filing deadline — is covered above.