Apostille Services in New York
New York has an extra link in its authentication chain, and it is the reason most New York apostille requests fail the first time. A document notarized by a New York notary must be authenticated by the County Clerk of the county where that notary is commissioned before the Department of State will issue an apostille.
The Department of State authenticates county clerks. County clerks authenticate notaries. Miss the middle step and the package comes back unprocessed.
Filing details for New York
- Apostille authority
- New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services
- State court system
- New York State Unified Court System
We serve New York remotely from our office in Edgewater, New Jersey.
Where the County Clerk fits in
Needs the County Clerk: anything notarized in New York. Powers of attorney, affidavits, notarized diplomas, notarized translator certificates. The clerk is in the county where the notary is commissioned, which is not necessarily where you are.
New York City birth and death certificates have their own route. Order the certificate from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene together with a Letter of Exemplification, have the New York County Clerk in Manhattan authenticate it, and only then send it to the Department of State. A certificate ordered without the exemplification letter cannot be apostilled and has to be requested again.
Court records are a third case: certified copies from a court are authenticated by the County Clerk in that county before the Department of State, because the clerk is the custodian.
A shorter route for translator certificates
When the thing being apostilled is our certificate of accuracy rather than your underlying document, the notary attesting the signature can be a New Jersey notary — which routes through the New Jersey Division of Revenue and skips the New York county-clerk step entirely.
This does not change how your underlying New York document is authenticated. It only affects the translator's certificate.
Apostille and translation together
Apostille service is $195 per document and takes about five business days. Certified translation is $49 for the first page and $0.12 per word thereafter.
Where both are needed, the apostille normally attaches to the original and the complete package is translated afterwards — but the receiving country decides, so send us their written requirement first.
Délai
Apostille processing 5 business days
Price
$195 per document, about 5 business days. Details
Langues
100+ languages. See all
Questions fréquemment posées
Why does New York require a County Clerk certification?
Because the chain of authentication runs Department of State to county clerk to notary. The Department of State does not hold notary signatures directly, so it cannot authenticate one without the clerk in between.
Do NYC birth certificates need the County Clerk step?
Yes. Order the certificate with a Letter of Exemplification from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, have it authenticated by the New York County Clerk, then send it to the Department of State.
Which county clerk do I use?
The one for the county where the notary is commissioned, which may not be the county where you live or where the document was signed.
What does the apostille cost?
$195 per document through us, taking about five business days.
Document translation for New York
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