Death Abroad

May 7, 2008 4:08 PM

Has anyone had any experience with using a US Consul "Report of US Citizen Death Abroad" in lieu of a Death Certificate? My Mom died in Mexico City. We will be getting a death certificate in Spanish, which is the basis for the above mentioned "Report." Wondering if the report is going to be enough. Any experiences? We are wondering if it will be accepted at banks, insurance companies, etc. where they usually require a death certificate.
posted by bobduckles to Travel & Transportation (3 answers total)

You can have your mother's death certificate translated into English by a sworn translator, you can find one here. Once translated, sworn and notarized, it should serve as a valid legal document for whatever purposes you may intend. If you run into any problems, I would contact the State Department, or even the Embassy in Mexico City.
I am very sorry to hear about your mother.
posted by msali at 4:34 PM on May 7, 2008

The State Department's Report of Death of American Citizen Abroad will be sufficient.

Birth and death certificates are the realm of the individual states, where that is appropriate. When no state has jurisdiction (such as in this case), but an American citizen is involved, the State Department steps in, verifies the foreign document, and issues the report of death abroad (which is very much an official document). In effect, it is used instead of the foreign death certificate, under almost all legal circumstances in the US... and its accuracy is backed up by the US State Department. (cite)

Sorry about your mom.
posted by toxic at 4:57 PM on May 7, 2008

If they are anything like State Department Reports of American Citizen Births Abroad, you will have zero problem. I've done it six times without any difficulty. They call it a "report" but it functions like a birth certificate in every respect. I'm sure the Death Report is the same, as toxic said. Just make sure you have the right Mexican document when you go to the embassy. Condolences for your mother's death.
posted by BinGregory at 7:06 PM on May 7, 2008