New York is the only state where the same document — a birth certificate — takes two completely different routes depending on which office printed it. A certificate from the State Health Department goes straight to the Department of State. One from New York City needs a Letter of Exemplification and a County Clerk certification first, and that Letter cannot be added after the fact.
Which office issued yours?
This is the question that decides everything, and the certificate itself is deliberately unhelpful about it. Every New York vital record says New York State somewhere on it, which tells you nothing about the issuer. Local registrars use words like registrar, vital records and vital statistics that look official and state-level but are not.
Read the certification block at the bottom:
- Issued by the New York State Department of Health, bearing the signature of the Director of Vital Statistics or the NYS Registrar — this goes directly to the Department of State. No County Clerk step.
- Issued by a local or county official or a county Department of Health — this must first be certified by the County Clerk of the county where it was issued.
- Issued in New York City (Bronx, Kings, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island) — a separate route described below.
For New York City birth certificates, order the Letter of Exemplification at the same time as the certified copy. It cannot be requested afterwards; if you already hold the certificate without one, you have to order the whole thing again. The certified copy comes from NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene — not NYS DOH — and both the copy and the Letter are then certified by the County Clerk’s Office before the Department of State will touch them.
Fees and the same-day counter
The Department of State fee is $10 per document. County Clerk certification is a few dollars more per document, and the certified copy itself is billed by whichever health department issued it.
Walk-in same-day service runs at five Department of State counters: New York City (123 William Street, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.), Albany (until 4:15 p.m.), and Binghamton, Buffalo and Utica (9:00 to 12:00 and 12:45 to 4:00). Same-day service is limited to ten documents per customer, which matters for anyone filing a multi-generation family file. Documents can also be dropped off at the New York City and Albany offices, but drop-offs are not treated as priority and are processed in date order — so a drop-off is a mail request that saved postage, not a fast track.
Where New York birth certificates go
Citizenship by descent is the largest category — Italy, Ireland, Poland — followed by civil registry and dual nationality filings for the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Ecuador, and study, work and residency applications for China and Israel.
Each destination has its own translation standard and several require the translation to be produced in-country after the apostille. Ask before commissioning one.
How we handle it
- You send us the certificate, or we order it — including the Letter of Exemplification where the record is a New York City one.
- We read the certification block and route it: straight to the Department of State, or through the correct County Clerk first.
- We obtain the County Clerk certification where required, then present the document at the Department of State counter in person.
- Certified translation runs in parallel where the destination needs one.
- The apostilled original comes back to you by trackable courier, anywhere in the world.
Does my New York birth certificate need a County Clerk certification?
Only if it was issued by a local or county official or a county Department of Health. A certificate issued by the New York State Department of Health bearing the Director of Vital Statistics or NYS Registrar signature goes straight to the Department of State. Read the certification block, not the words ‘New York State’ on the face.
What is a Letter of Exemplification and do I need one?
It is a supplementary certification issued by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for New York City birth and death records. It must be ordered at the same time as the certified copy and cannot be added later. If your record is from any of the five boroughs, you need it.
How much does a New York apostille cost?
$10 per document to the Department of State, plus a few dollars for County Clerk certification where required, plus whatever the issuing health department charges for the certified copy.
Can I get it the same day?
Yes, at the walk-in counters in New York City, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Utica, provided the certification chain is already complete. Same-day service is capped at ten documents per customer. Drop-offs at NYC and Albany are processed in date order and are not a fast track.
I already have the certificate but no Letter of Exemplification.
For a New York City record, you will need to order a new certified copy together with the Letter. The Letter cannot be issued against a copy you already hold.
New York documents, filed at the counter
Tell us the document and the destination country. We confirm the certification chain before anything is filed, quote the exact total, and present it in person.
Start an order Ask a question firstCall (760) 469-2997 or email submissions@federalapostille.org.
