State-Issued Apostille Requirements

State-issued documents for use in countries that are members of 1961 Hague Convention must be authenticated by the competent authority in the state where the document was executed.

A state-issued document with an apostille does not require additional certification by the U.S. Department of State or legalization by a U.S. embassy or consulate overseas to be recognized in a participating country.The U.S. Department of State will not issue an apostille for state-issued documents.

State-issued documents for use in countries that are not members of the 1961 Hague Convention may be authenticated with an authentication certificate from the U.S. Department of State. Please see Authentication Certificate Requirements for more information.

    Examples of state and local documents include:

• Birth Certificates
• Marriage Certificates
• Death Certificates
• Divorce Decrees
• Probate Wills
• Judgments

   Requirements for state and local documents include:

• Original or certified document must include the raised and/or stamped seal of the court or department of vital records.

• Must be certified by the Secretary of State from the state in which the documents were issued. The Secretary of State will certify to the official signing the document under the Seal of the State.

Other Documents

Examples of other documents include:

• Affidavits
• Agreements
• Articles of Incorporation
• Bylaws
• Commercial Invoices
• Copy of a U.S. Passport (identification page only)
• Deeds of Assignment
• Diplomas
• Home Study
• Income Verification
• Powers-of-Attorney
• Single Status
• Transcripts
• Other business documents

Requirements for other documents include:

• Must be certified with a stamp or seal by a notary public
• Must be certified by the clerk of court from the county in which the notary is commissioned
• Must be certified by the Secretary of State from the state in which the document was executed
• Documents from the District of Columbia must be certified by the Government of the District of Columbia Notarial Section
• Note: the document doesn't have to be certified by the clerk of court from the county in which the notary is commissioned if the Secretary of State will certify directly to the notary.

In the State of New York apostilles for certificates of birth, marriage, divorce and death, articles of incorporation, powers of attorney and academic records are issued by the New York Secretary of State.

Processing Time:

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• Walk-in: Same Day
• Drop-Box: 5-7 Business Days
• Mail: 2-3 Weeks

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Cost: $10

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Documents submitted for apostille need to comply with the following guidelines:

• 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.

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• 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.

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Mail-in requests

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• Notarized documents must be certified by the County Clerk of the County where the notary is certified to notarize.
• Submit the document with the necessary certifications to the NYS Department of State with the required fee ($10 per document).
• 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.”

Address

Visit in person or mail documents to:

New York Department of State

State Records

One Commerce Plaza

99 Washington Avenue

Albany, NY 12231

Phone (518) 473-2293

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