How to apostille New York State Vital Records?

Some countries require you to submit authenticated New York State documents when moving there. For Hague member countries, the apostille form of authentication is used. You will have to also get Consular legalization if your destination country is not an Apostille Convention member.

So you can either get an Apostille or a Certificate of Authentication depending on the part of the world you plan to travel to. The requirements that you need to keep in mind for the apostille process vary from document to document, as there are prerequisites for some common document types such as birth and marriage certificates. Read on to learn about the New York State vital records apostille process and how you can get your apostilled documents delivered to you in your current country of residence.

You have to follow two key steps before submitting your New York State birth certificate for an apostille certificate. Begin by getting a Long Form Certificate from the New York State’s Health and Mental Hygiene Department. Don’t forget to also ask them for a Letter of Exemplification as it will be required to verify that the accompanying certificate is original or a certified true copy. Both of these documents can be requested in a single application addressed to the DOHMH. 

With the Long Form birth certificate and Exemplification letter in hand, you can move to the second preparatory step of contacting the Manhattan County Clerk. They will check and verify if the Health Department signature on your certificate is authentic. This step can be contacted in person or via mail but you will first have to book an appointment if you choose to go to the County Clerk’s office. On the other hand, a self-addressed envelope is required for mail-in applications which will be used to send the verified record back to you.

Now you can submit your birth certificate to the Department of State’s Authentications Unit for the apostille stamp. Please remember that you will have to also include the County Clerk’s verification along with your birth or marriage certificate. The Department of State’s apostille request form requires you to specify the country where the document will be used. This is a universal apostille requirement as documents apostilled for one country cannot be used in another location without verification.   

Marriage and Divorce certificates in New York also require preparation before their apostille certification. You will need to apply at your city’s Marriage Beauru to get a certified copy of your Marriage certificate. Don’t forget to make sure that the certificate bears your city clerk’s signature. Certified copies of Divorce decrees can be obtained from the County Clerk’s office. The second step is the same for all document types, where you have to submit the certificate to the Manhattan County Clerk’s office for signature verification.  

New York State Apostille Authority Addresses

You can visit the New York Department of State’s office in person at 123 William Street, 19th Floor, New York. The office accepts in-person apostille requests through appointment only between 9 am and 3:30 pm, Monday through Friday. You can call their number (518) 474-4429 and press 4 on your phone for appointment booking. 
You will need to attach a self-addressed envelope to your application when sending it in via mail. Mail-in requests must be sent to the following address:

NYS Department of State

Division of Licensing Services

P.O. Box 22001

Albany, NY 12201-2001

While you can complete the steps mentioned above by yourself, it can be pretty time-consuming and the costs of multiple visits to the County Clerk, the Marriage Bureau, and the Department of Health can pile up. There is still a chance that you might miss some details even if you follow all of the steps. In that case, the entire process will have to be repeated. 

This is why having a professional New York State apostille service in your corner helps you avoid common apostille application mistakes. Globeia understands the document preparation requirements of the apostille legalization process and can submit your application to the Secretary of State through our experts.  

Start your New York State Vital Records apostille application today by using the Globeia contact form below. You can choose the type of document from the drop-down menu and provide us with your basic details. One of our staff will go through your request and get back to you with further details. Getting your vital records apostilled with Globeia is simple and convenient, thanks to our highly experienced and well-trained staff. You will receive updates from us throughout the application process with the option to get your apostilled records delivered anywhere around the globe.