Apostille for China · Apostille guide

Apostille for New York birth, marriage, and death records: identify the issuing agency first

For vital records issued by the New York State Health Department, New York City agencies, and local registrars, pre-certification requirements may be different.

New York vital records are not from one source

Certificates may come from the New York State Department of Health, the New York City Health Department, the New York City City Clerk, or the local city/town/village registrar. "New York" may appear on the document, but the next steps are different.

State Health Department Version

Birth, death, and marriage records issued by the New York State Health Department and signed by a designated official, which the State states may be submitted to the Department of State as required and generally do not require county clerk certification.

New York City and local versions

New York City birth and death records generally require a Letter of Exemplification and New York County Clerk certification. Records issued by the local registrar are usually certified by the county clerk of the county where they are issued.

Check before processing

• Issuing agency and signatory;
• Whether it is a certified copy;
• Whether it is accompanied by exemplification;
• Whether the county certification belongs to this file path;
• Translation and validity period required by the recipient.

Do not characterize the Apostille as a guarantee of the authenticity or legal validity of the body of the document.