New York Apostille
New York apostilles are issued by the New York Department of State. An apostille certifies the signature and seal of the official who signed your document, so a foreign government will accept it. Most New York documents need one step before the apostille: certification by a county clerk. Requests that skip it are returned.
Which New York documents can be apostilled
The document must be issued in New York and signed by a New York official or county clerk.
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Birth, death and marriage certificates from the NYS Department of Health, signed by the Director of Vital Statistics or the State Registrar. These go straight to the Department of State.
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Birth, death and marriage certificates from a town, city or county registrar, once certified by the county clerk of that county
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New York City birth and death certificates from the NYC Health Department, ordered with a Letter of Exemplification and certified by the New York County Clerk
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New York City marriage records from the City Clerk's Marriage Bureau, certified by the New York County Clerk
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Notarized documents such as powers of attorney and affidavits, certified by the county clerk where the notary is commissioned
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School records certified by the school and notarized, and New York State criminal background checks from DCJS
What gets New York documents rejected
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No county clerk certification on a local vital record or a notarized document.
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The wrong county clerk. Notarized documents go to the clerk of the notary's county. New York City records go to the New York County Clerk in Manhattan, whatever the borough.
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A New York City birth or death certificate without its Letter of Exemplification.
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Reading the "New York State" heading as proof the state issued it. What counts is who signed the certificate.
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A short-form certificate. Order the long form, also called the full or vault copy.
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An incomplete request form.
How it works with us
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Send us your document, or tell us what you have and we'll tell you what to order.
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We check it against New York's rules and get the county clerk certification it needs.
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We file with the New York Department of State. Most state apostilles come back in 3 to 5 business days after filing, and the county clerk step can add a few days.
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We return it by FedEx Priority, shipping included, anywhere in the world. You pay after the apostille is complete.
New York apostille FAQ
My certificate says "New York State" at the top. Do I still need the county clerk?
Usually yes. Only certificates signed by the State Registrar or the Director of Vital Statistics at the NYS Department of Health skip the county clerk. Local registrars often use the same heading.
My New York City birth certificate is from Brooklyn. Which county clerk certifies it?
The New York County Clerk in Manhattan certifies New York City Health Department records from every borough. Order the Letter of Exemplification with the certificate so it can be certified.
Can New York apostille my FBI background check?
No. FBI checks are federal documents apostilled by the US Department of State. See our federal apostille page.
My country isn't in the Hague Convention. What then?
New York issues a certificate of authentication instead, followed by US Department of State authentication and embassy legalization. See our embassy legalization page.
Common New York legal document Apostilles:
New York Birth Certificate Apostille
New York Marriage Certificate Apostille
New York Power of Attorney Apostille
New York Death Certificate Apostille
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Our support team is here to help you with any apostille or authentication request. Fill out the form and we’ll respond with next steps and instructions.
