Apostilles

  • An apostille is a form of authentication for documents to be used in foreign countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention Treaty. It verifies the authenticity of the signature, seal, or stamp on public documents (e.g., birth certificates, diplomas). In the U.S., these are typically issued by the Secretary of State for state documents or the U.S. Department of State for federal documents.

    • Diplomas

    • Marriage certificates

    • Birth certificates

    • Criminal background checks

    • Commercial documents

    • Business agreements

    • FDA, IRS, Certificate to Foreign Government, or other Federal Government issued documents

    • Albania

    • Andorra

    • Antigua and Barbuda

    • Argentina

    • Armenia

    • Aruba

    • Australia

    • Austria

    • Azerbaijan

    • Bahamas

    • Bahrain

    • Barbados

    • Belarus

    • Belgium

    • Belize

    • Bolivia

    • Bosnia and Herzegovina

    • Botswana

    • Brazil

    • Brunei

    • Bulgaria

    • Burundi

    • Canada

    • Cape Verde

    • Chile

    • China

    • Colombia

    • Cook Islands

    • Costa Rica

    • Croatia

    • Cyprus

    • Czech Republic

    • Denmark

    • Dominica

    • Dominican Republic

    • Ecuador

    • El Salvador

    • Estonia

    • Fiji

    • Finland

    • France

    • French Guiana

    • Georgia

    • Germany

    • Greece

    • Grenada

    • Guatemala

    • Honduras

    • Hong Kong

    • Hungary

    • Iceland

    • India

    • Indonesia

    • Ireland

    • Israel

    • Italy

    • Jamaica

    • Japan

    • Kazakhstan

    • Kosovo

    • Kyrgyzstan

    • Latvia

    • Lesotho

    • Liberia

    • Liechtenstein

    • Lithuania

    • Luxemburgo

    • Macau

    • Macedonia

    • Malawi

    • Malta

    • Marshall Islands

    • Mauritius

    • Mexico

    • Moldova

    • Monaco

    • Mongolia

    • Montenegro

    • Morocco

    • Namibia

    • Netherlands

    • New Zealand

    • Nicaragua

    • Niue

    • Norway

    • Oman

    • Pakistan

    • Panama

    • Paraguay

    • Peru

    • Philippines

    • Poland

    • Portugal

    • Romania

    • Russia

    • Rwanda

    • Saint Kitts and Nevis

    • Saint Lucia

    • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

    • Samoa

    • San Marino

    • Sao Tome and Principe

    • Saudi Arabia

    • Senegal

    • Serbia

    • Seychelles

    • Singapore

    • Slovakia

    • Slovenia

    • South Africa

    • South Korea

    • Spain

    • Suriname

    • Swaziland

    • Sweden

    • Switzerland

    • Tajikistan

    • Tonga

    • Trinidad and Tobago

    • Tunisia

    • Turkey

    • Ukraine

    • United Kingdom

    • United States

    • Uruguay

    • Uzbekistan

    • Vanuatu

    • Venezuela

Obtaining an Apostille/Certificate of Authentication

3 Notaries can provide the notarization of the signature(s) on the documents or facilitate the completion of the apostille process for you.

Step 1: Notarize the Document

  • Documents must have an original signature from a NYS Notary Public, a Clerk of the County, or a state official. For school documents, a school official must certify the record before notarization.

Step 2: County Clerk Authentication

  • Before sending to the Department of State, the document must be authenticated by the County Clerk where the notary is qualified.

  • Note: If the document is a birth, death, or marriage certificate, you may need a Letter of Exemplification from the NY Department of Health or a Clerk in the five boroughs of NYC.

Step 3: Complete the Request Form

  • Fill out the NYS Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request Form, specifying the destination country.

Step4: Submit to NYS Department of State

  • Submit the notarized, authenticated document, along with the form and a check or money order per document (payable to "NY Department of State").

By Mail: NYS Department of State, Division of Licensing Services, P.O. Box 22001, Albany, NY 12201-2001.

In-Person (by appointment/drop-off): Offices are located in Albany and New York City (123 William Street, 19th Floor).