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Homepage for Replacing and Certifying Documents > Requesting a Life Event Record as a U.S. Citizen > How to Request a Copy of a Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRDA)
The U.S. embassy or consulate in the country the U.S. citizen died creates a Consular Report of Death Abroad (CRDA). We issue copies of CRDAs filed in 1975 or after to next of kin and legal representation for estate purposes. We do not issue CRDAs for legal permanent residents.
Contact the National Archives and Records Administration for CRDAs issued before 1975.
To request a copy, follow these steps:
1. Fill out a notarized, completed Form DS-5542
2. Get a photocopy of the front and back of your valid photo ID. Examples include:
If you don't have any of these IDs, please see Passport Vital Records IDs.
3. Get a check or money order. The cost is $50 for each record you request.
4. Mail Form DS-5542, a photocopy of the ID, and payment to:
U.S. Department of State
Passport Vital Records Section
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1213
Sterling, VA 20166-1213
We can only provide official copies of records on file with the U.S. Department of State.
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We will send your vital record to you. You can select First Class Mail or 1-2 Day Delivery:
An apostille certifies a document so countries in the 1961 Hague Convention will recognize it.
We only put apostilles on CRDAs issued in the last five years. We cannot place an apostille on a CRDA issued overseas without certifying the signature of the officer on the record.
If you need an apostille on a CRDA, you must submit a:
Mail your notarized Form DS-5542, photocopy of your ID, and payment to:
U.S. Department of State
Passport Vital Records
44132 Mercure Circle
PO Box 1213
Sterling, VA 20166-1213