Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request
How do I obtain an Apostille or Certificate of Authentication from the New York Department of State?
1. Have your document notarized
2. Have your document certified by the County Clerk where the Notary is qualified
3. Complete the Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request Form
4. Submit documents to be apostilled/authenticated with a completed Apostille/Certificate of
Authentication Request Form
5. Include applicable fees and mailing instructions as indicated on page 1 of this form
6. For In-Person Service, the physical addresses to our offices are as follows:
NYS Department of State
Division of Licensing Services
123 William St. 2nd Fl.
New York, NY 10038-3804
NYS Department of State
Division of Licensing Services
1 Commerce Plaza
99 Washington Avenue, 6th Floor
Albany, NY 12231
Please Note: The New York Department of State is unable to Authenticate/Apostille Federal Documents.
Background checks
Background checks from Division of Criminal Justice Services are required to be accompanied by a letter,
signed by the Commissioner or designee, verifying the fingerprint results.
Birth, death and marriage certificates
Birth, death, and marriage certificates issued by the New York State Department of Health and signed by the
Director of Vital Statistics may be submitted for Apostille/Authentication.
Birth, death, and marriage certificates issued by the New York City Department of Health must first be certified
by the New York County Clerk’s office. Additionally, birth and death certificates must be accompanied by a
Letter of Exemplification prior to being submitted to the New York County Clerk’s office.
Birth, death, and marriage certificates issued and signed by a local official (i.e. city/town/village clerk) must first
be certified by the County Clerk in the county where the document was issued.
Educational documents
Educational documents submitted to the New York Department of State for an Apostille or Certificate of
Authentication must first be certified by an official at the educational institution attesting that the document is an
official record or a true copy of the original document. The official’s signature then must be notarized by a
notary public. The notary public’s signature must then be certified by the County Clerk in the county where the
notary public is qualified.
All other documents
All other documents (such as power of attorney) must first be notarized. The notary’s signature must then be
certified at the County Clerk’s office where the notary is qualified.
Any questions about a specific county, please contact that county. You may contact the New York Department
of State at (518) 474-4429. For additional information, please visit our website at https://dos.ny.gov.
DOS-1917-f (Rev. 02/24) Page 2 of 2