Apostille or Certificate of Authentication

When a document is to be used in another country, it may be necessary to have the document authenticated.  This is known either as an “apostille” or “certificate of authentication.” Examples of documents that are frequently authenticated by the Department of State are birth, marriage, and death certificates.

The Department of State only authenticates public documents issued in New York State which are signed by a New York State official or county clerk.

At this time, New York State Department of State Apostille services may be obtained by the following methods:

• Mail
• Walk-in service (New York City and Albany only)

NOTE: Customers are allowed to drop off Apostille requests at our Albany and New York City locations only. Drop off requests will not be treated as a priority and will be processed according to receipt date. Once completed, the documents will be returned in the return envelope provided by the customer or by first class mail. Please read the following instructions regarding the Apostille process. If you have questions, please contact us at: 518-474-4429.

Step 1: Obtain a copy of the document that needs to be authenticated.

For information on where to obtain a copy of a vital record (birth, death, marriage certificates), please refer to the NYS Department of Health’s website.

For New York City records, other than divorce certificates, please contact the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene or the New York City Marriage Bureau.  The records must then be certified by the New York County Clerk’s Office. For NYC birth and death certificates, when ordering your record you will also need to request a “Letter of Exemplification.”

For educational documents, please contact the school, college or university that you attended.  The document must be certified by an official at the educational institution stating that the document is an official record or a true copy of the original document.  The official’s signature on the certification must be notarized by a notary public.

For other documents, such as power of attorney, obtain a notarized copy of the document.

Step 2: Have the document certified by a New York State official or County Clerk

Birth, Death, and Marriage certificates and Certificate of Divorce issued by a local or county official or county Department of Health must first be certified by the County Clerk of the county where the document was issued.

Birth, Death, and Marriage certificates issued by the New York State Department of Health and bearing the signature of the Director of Vital Statistics or NYS Registrar may be submitted for Apostille or Certificate of Authentication and do not require a County Clerk certification.

Notarized documents must be certified by the County Clerk of the County where the notary is certified to notarize.

Step 3: Submit the document with the necessary certifications to the NYS Department of State with the required fee ($10 per document).

Step 4: Submit a prepaid envelope for express delivery- Optional

Apostille and certificates of authentication are returned by first class mail.  You may request that your documents be returned to you by overnight delivery service by enclosing a prepaid shipping label. Please note that the Department of State does not accept shipping labels that direct the carrier to bill your credit card or “bill sender.”

Walk-in same day Apostille/Authentication services are available at our New York City customer service counter from 9:00am-4:00pm.

Walk-in same day Apostille/Authentication services are available at our Albany customer service counter from 9:00am-4:15pm.

Prior to arriving to our Customer Service counter, please ensure all documents are in good order as described in the Obtaining an Apostille/Certificate of Authentication section above, that your request form is complete, and payment is ready.

Due to the volume of customers visiting our offices, the number of documents per customer is limited to 10 for same-day service.

• The Department of State now allows you to verify whether an Apostille or Certificate of Authentication was issued by the New York State Secretary of State's office. Apostilles and Certificates of Authentication issued on or after April 9, 2013 may be verified here.
• If you are unable to locate an Apostille or Certificate of Authentication or you wish to verify an Apostille or Certificate of Authentication issued prior to April 9, 2013, please contact the New York Department of State at (518) 474-4429.

• An Apostille is an authentication of a public document issued pursuant to the 1961 Hague Convention abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. The Convention provides for the simplified certification of public (including notarized) documents to be used in countries that have joined the convention. Under the Hague Convention, signatory countries have agreed to recognize public documents issued by other signatory countries if those public documents are authenticated by the attachment of an internationally recognized form of authentication known as an Apostille. The Apostille ensures that public documents issued in one signatory country will be recognized as valid in another signatory country.
• A Certificate of Authentication is issued by the New York Secretary of State to authenticate public document for use in any country which is not a member of the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. Please Note: Certificates of Authentication may also require an additional certification from the United States Department of State prior to submission to the foreign country.
• An Apostille or Certificate of Authentication issued by the New York Secretary of State is a one-page document with a blue laser printed facsimile of the New York Department of State Seal. Both the Apostille and Certificate of Authentication include the facsimile signature of the New York Secretary of State or his/her deputy.