The California VS-9 Burial Permit

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All Burials at Sea off the Coast of California Require a Burial Permit

List of California​
​Vital Records Offices

VS-9 Burial Permit

All California burials, whether a full body land burial, full body sea burial, or a scattering of ashes require a permit issued from the County. If the death occurred in California, you may already have the correct permit. If the death occurred out of state or abroad, a permit will definitely need to be obtained.

An original or certified death certificate or transit permit is required in order to obtain the California permit. A permit cannot be obtained with a photocopy of a death certificate, even if it is full color.

E-file FAQ: What if my transit permit or death certificate was electronically filed? As electronically filed death certificates and transit permits are becoming more common, the policy is to accept electronically filed documents as proof in order to obtain the VS-9 permit. If you are unsure whether your document fits this criteria, please email me to take a look. We are compiling a list of States who are now using e-file.

Unusual cases: If the deceased was an American citizen and died abroad, you will receive a document entitled "Report of an American Citizen Who Died Abroad" from the Embassy. This original document can also be used to procure the permit.

If the death certificate is in any language other than English, the County requires a Certified Translation along with the death certificate. See Certified Translation on our Resources page.

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How to Obtain the Permit Yourself

• Bring (1) an original death certificate or (2) an original transit permit from the state of death to the nearest County office of Vital Records. 
• Tell them you need to obtain a VS-9 Burial Permit and that it needs to state "at sea off the coast of [insert county of disposition here] County."
• It will cost $12.00.

Download a pdf Burial Permit

We Can Obtain the Permit For You

• Mail (1) an original death certificate or (2) an original transit permit from the state of death to (see e-file FAQ to the left):
  Ashes on the Sea
  P.O. Box 710693
  San Diego CA 92171
• It will cost $69.00 - $12 for the permit and $57 for processing - Click the Pay Now button below
• You will receive your original documents back.