Open Hours: 24/7

Federal Apostille and Notary Processing

Apostille Services at 175 Pearl Street — DUMBO, Brooklyn

Our Brooklyn office at 175 Pearl St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 handles both halves of the process under one roof: New York State apostilles filed with the NY Department of State, and federal apostilles hand-delivered to the U.S. Department of State by our Washington team. Where a document needs county clerk certification first, we handle that step too — the Kings County Clerk is a few blocks away.

NY State & Federal County Clerk Step Handled Walk-In Drop-Off Tracked Return Shipping

Start My Apostille

New York & Federal Authentications

One Office, Both Authentication Routes

Most people who need an apostille discover partway through that there are two entirely separate systems, and that theirs is in the other one. A New York birth certificate goes to the New York Department of State. An FBI background check goes to the U.S. Department of State in Washington. Neither office will process the other's paperwork, and a document sent to the wrong one simply comes back.

This office files both. Documents that belong in Albany or at the NY Department of State's New York City counter are handled here in Brooklyn; federal records are prepared here and hand-delivered by our Washington, DC team. Pricing: $120 flat for federal apostilles, government fee included, and {{NY_PRICE}} for New York State apostilles.

Start My Apostille

What We Authenticate

Documents Handled at the DUMBO Office

Birth & Marriage Certificates

New York State and New York City vital records. City-issued certificates need a letter of exemplification before they can be apostilled — we request it as part of the job rather than sending you back to the Health Department.

FBI Background Check

A federal record, so it is authenticated in Washington, not Albany. Drop it here and it is prepared, reviewed and hand-delivered to the U.S. Department of State by our DC office.

Diplomas & Transcripts

Degrees and academic records for teaching licenses, graduate admission and work permits abroad. These need a notarized registrar signature and a county clerk certification before the state will act — both handled here.

Powers of Attorney & Notarized Documents

Affidavits, consent letters, single-status declarations and POAs signed before a New York notary. The notary's commission must be certified by the county clerk first — that step is part of the service.

Corporate & Commercial Records

Certificates of good standing, articles of organization, board resolutions and commercial invoices for opening a foreign subsidiary, tendering abroad, or registering with an overseas authority.

Federal Certificates & Court Records

Naturalization and citizenship certificates, U.S. District Court judgments, IRS Form 6166 and DD-214s — all authenticated federally through our Washington office.

Simple · Tracked · Reliable

How It Works From Pearl Street

The first thing we do is work out which system your document belongs in — that decision drives everything after it, and getting it wrong is the most common reason an apostille comes back rejected. From there the routing is ours to manage. DUMBO, Brooklyn Heights, Vinegar Hill and Fort Greene are all a short walk away, and documents also arrive by mail and through the portal from across the country.

Start My Apostille

Submit & Review

Drop off at 175 Pearl St, mail originals, or upload through the portal. We confirm the document is in a form the issuing authority will accept.

Filed on the Right Track

County clerk certification where required, then the NY Department of State — or hand-delivery to the U.S. Department of State for federal records.

Secure Return

Apostilled originals returned by tracked courier, or collected in person at the Brooklyn office.

Location Advantage

Why Brooklyn Is a Practical Place to Start

Most New York apostille delays are not caused by the state — they are caused by the steps that have to happen before the state ever sees the document.

The county clerk step is around the corner Kings County Clerk sits by Borough Hall, minutes from Pearl Street. For anything notarized in Brooklyn, that first certification does not cost you a separate errand.
Both authentication systems, one intake You do not have to know whether your document is state or federal. We sort it, and we file it in the right place the first time.
Vital records handled end to end A New York City birth or marriage certificate is not apostillable as issued. We obtain the letter of exemplification rather than handing that problem back to you.
Destination checked before filing Countries outside the Hague Convention need consular legalization, not an apostille. We confirm which one your destination requires before anything is submitted.

Questions & Answers

175 Pearl Street Office — Common Questions

Where is the Brooklyn office?

175 Pearl St, Brooklyn, NY 11201 — in DUMBO, between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, a short walk from the York Street and High Street stations and from Brooklyn Borough Hall.

Is my document a state or a federal apostille?

The rule of thumb: if a New York agency, court, school or notary produced it, it is a New York State apostille. If a U.S. federal agency produced it — the FBI, USCIS, the IRS, a federal court, the military — it is a federal apostille and can only be issued in Washington. Send it either way; sorting this is part of intake.

What does it cost?

Federal apostilles are $120 flat, with the government fee included. New York State apostilles are {{NY_PRICE}}. Where a county clerk certification or a letter of exemplification is required first, that is quoted with the job rather than added at the end.

What is the county clerk step, and do I need it?

New York will not apostille a notarized document until the county clerk in the county where the notary is commissioned certifies that notary's authority. It applies to affidavits, powers of attorney, consent letters and notarized school records. It does not apply to documents issued directly by a state agency or court.

Can I apostille a New York City birth certificate?

Not the standard copy. A certificate issued by the NYC Department of Health needs a letter of exemplification — a separate document signed by the City Registrar — before the state can authenticate it. This surprises most people at the counter; we handle the request as part of the job.

How long does it take?

It depends on which route the document takes and whether a preliminary certification is needed. Federal apostilles run about 10 business days through our Washington office. New York State filings are quoted at intake, once we know whether the county clerk or a vital-records step is involved.

My destination country isn't in the Hague Convention. What then?

Then an apostille will not be accepted and the document needs consular legalization instead — authentication by the state or federal government, then by the U.S. Department of State, then by that country's embassy or consulate. We handle those chains as well; tell us the destination country and we will map the sequence before you commit to anything.

Get In Touch

Apostille Services at 175 Pearl Street — DUMBO, Brooklyn