New York apostille services for city and state documents
The office that issued your New York document determines its preparation. New York City records, local certificates and state-issued vital records can follow different steps. Miami Dade Apostille reviews vital, court, school, corporate and notarized private documents and coordinates the appropriate process. We are a private coordinator, not a government office or law firm.
New York apostilles are a multi-step process. Depending on your document, this can include obtaining the correct certified record, notarization, county clerk authentication and the final state apostille. Miami Dade Apostille can handle and coordinate the entire process for you from start to finish.
Before you start
- Identify the actual issuing office and signature on the record — not just the heading.
- Confirm the destination country's treaty relationship and the receiving authority's exact requirements.
- Send us a scan for preparation review before committing originals. If mailing, use a trackable shipping method and keep your tracking number.
Check the issuer before arranging county certification
- A New York State heading alone does not identify the issuing office.
- Local vital records generally need certification from the issuing county's clerk.
- Birth, death and marriage certificates issued by NYS Department of Health with the Director of Vital Statistics or NYS Registrar signature bypass that county step.
- Check the certification on the actual record to determine which route applies.
NYC birth records need an exemplification letter
- For a New York City birth record, order the certified long form with a Letter of Exemplification for apostille use.
- NYC311 directs online applicants to choose Apostille/Authentication as the request reason.
- The record and letter then go to the Manhattan County Clerk for signature verification, followed by the state authentication request.
- The letter itself is not an apostille — it is a step in the process.
- Check eligibility and identification requirements before ordering.
- In-person vital-record orders require an appointment; use each office's own current guidance for later stages.
State Health record ordering and forwarding
- For certificates available from NYS Department of Health, its apostille instructions describe a mail-order forwarding option: request the required expedited record service, provide separate payments for Health and State, and include a letter naming the destination country.
- Check current fees and forms before mailing.
- A phone or online order is sent to you instead; request a long form (also called a full or vault copy), then arrange the separate Department of State submission.
- This state Health procedure does not replace NYC or local-clerk preparation.
A divorce certificate is different from the decree
- The court-prepared decree contains the divorce terms, is signed by the judge and is filed with the County Clerk — contact that clerk for a copy.
- State Health holds a separate certificate summarizing the spouses and the date and place the marriage ended for divorces from January 1, 1963 onward.
- Either spouse or a person with a New York State court order can request that certificate.
- For an earlier divorce, the decree is the available record type.
- Ask the receiving authority which document it needs before ordering.
School records, private documents and background checks
- A school official must certify the educational record and have that signature notarized.
- Notarized documents then require certification by the clerk of the county where the notary is qualified.
- For a New York DCJS background check, submit both the report and its signed cover letter; its official signature does not require notarization.
- An FBI report follows federal authentication instead.
Submit to the appropriate authority
- Send the prepared documents with the current state request form, payment and return arrangements.
- Consult the Department of State for current mail, courier and counter instructions.
- Destination requirements determine apostille versus authentication and any further legalization.
Plan the entire package before sending originals
- Confirm the receiving authority's required document format, age and translations.
- Authentication does not guarantee acceptance of the contents.
- Florida remote online notarization may suit eligible private documents subject to identity, witness, document and recipient requirements; it follows the applicable Florida route and cannot replace New York public-record certification.
- Keep documents issued by other states on their appropriate state routes.
New York document routing
| Document | Start here |
|---|---|
| Birth certificate (NYC) | NYC311: order certified long form with Letter of Exemplification (choose Apostille/Authentication). Record + letter → Manhattan County Clerk → NY Department of State. |
| Birth certificate (NYS Health — Director/Registrar signature) | NYS Department of Health: mail-order forwarding option (separate payments for Health and State, letter naming destination country). Phone/online order sent to you — request long form, then submit separately to NY DOS. |
| Birth certificate (local — other county) | Issuing county clerk for certification → NY Department of State. |
| Death certificate | Identify issuer and signature. NYS Health Director/Registrar signature → NY DOS directly. Local record → issuing county clerk → NY DOS. |
| Marriage certificate | Identify issuer and signature. NYS Health Director/Registrar signature → NY DOS directly. Local record → issuing county clerk → NY DOS. |
| Divorce decree (court-prepared) | County Clerk where the decree was filed. Confirm foreign-use certification → NY DOS. |
| Divorce certificate (NYS Health, 1963+) | NYS Department of Health (either spouse or court order required). Confirm which document the recipient needs before ordering → NY DOS. |
| School transcript / diploma | School official certifies record → notarized → county clerk where notary is qualified → NY DOS. |
| DCJS background check | Submit report and signed cover letter together. Official signature does not require notarization → NY DOS. |
| Notarized document (POA, affidavit, etc.) | County clerk where the notary is qualified → NY DOS. |
| Corporate / business document | Contact NY DOS for preparation and filing requirements → NY DOS. |
| Out-of-state public record | Belongs with the issuing state — New York cannot authenticate another state's records. |
| FBI background check / federal record | Federal document — U.S. Department of State route, not New York. See our FBI apostille guide. |
How Miami Dade Apostille can help
- Send your document type, issuing office, destination country and deadline before mailing originals. We can review preparation, coordinate the appropriate process and discuss translations with qualified translators.
- Government processing and delivery remain separate from our initial review. Acceptance also depends on the recipient's document, format and translation requirements.
We handle the required steps from start to finish, so you do not have to navigate each office on your own.
Working toward a deadline? Send us a scan before committing originals — we can review requirements and help coordinate the correct process.
Frequently asked questions
New York locations served
Miami Dade Apostille serves clients throughout New York by mail. Documents can be sent from anywhere in the state — no in-person visit to our office is required.
- New York City
- Buffalo
- Rochester
- Yonkers
- Syracuse
- Albany
- New Rochelle
- Mount Vernon
- Schenectady
- Utica
- White Plains
- Hempstead
Sources
MIAMI DADE APOSTILLE IS NOT A LAW FIRM AND DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE. WE ARE A PRIVATE DOCUMENT COORDINATION SERVICE. THE INFORMATION ON THIS PAGE IS FOR GENERAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE. FOR LEGAL QUESTIONS, CONSULT A LICENSED ATTORNEY.
Ready to start your New York apostille?
Send us your documents by mail from anywhere in New York. We review, coordinate the appropriate authentication process and return your documents.
Submissions are accepted 24/7, 365 days a year. We typically reply within approximately two hours during regular business hours.
If you're working toward a deadline, message us before sending your documents. We can review requirements, help avoid preventable delays and coordinate the correct process.
State documents: same day to 4 days. Federal documents (FBI, U.S. Department of State): 7–14 days. Contact us with your document type and deadline to confirm availability.
Miami Dade Apostille is a private document coordination service. We are not the New York Department of State, a government agency, or a law firm. We do not issue apostilles or government records.