How a New York apostille actually works
An apostille is not one stamp; it is the end of a chain, and every link has its own window, line and fee. Most services make you learn this the hard way. Here is the whole chain, and we walk every step of it for you.
| Step | Who does it | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Notarization | Our notary, at your door | The document is signed and notarized at your home or office, any borough, 7am to midnight |
| 2. County authentication | We stand in the line | The clerk of the county where the notary qualified or filed a signature card certifies the notary's signature, for example at 60 Centre St in Manhattan |
| 3. State apostille | We file it | The New York Department of State attaches the apostille, $10 per document |
| 4. Delivery | Courier to you | The finished apostille comes back to your door, tracked |
You attend one signing. Everything after that is our problem, which is the entire point of paying someone for an apostille.
What comes back is the apostille itself, a certificate the state attaches to your document, laid out in the same ten numbered lines that every member country uses.
Apostille pricing, in full
| Service | Price | Timeline, door to door |
|---|---|---|
| Standard apostille handling | $150 + government fees | 7 to 10 business days |
| Express apostille handling | $275 + government fees | 2 to 3 business days |
| Next business day apostille handling | $325 + government fees | Next business day, document in hand by 6pm |
| Additional document, same order | $50 each | Rides along |
| Notarization visit, when needed | Borough flat rate, $125 to $245 | Same day available |
Government fees run about $13 per document in Manhattan, $10 to the state and about $3 to the county, itemized on your receipt exactly as paid. No service we have found in the city publishes this table; most quote by phone after they have your documents. You see ours before we have anything.
Expedited apostille: express and next business day
Express exists for real deadlines: a visa appointment, a foreign closing, a university enrollment window. We collect the document, walk the county and state legs in person on the next business days the offices are open, and courier it back, 2 to 3 business days door to door.
Next business day apostille
When the deadline is this week, not next, choose next business day. Have the document in our hands by 6pm, notarized at your door or picked up already certified, and we are at the county clerk when it opens the next business morning, then at the Department of State counter at 123 William St the same morning. The apostille comes back to you that same day. It is $325 for the first document and $50 for each additional one, up to 10 documents, which is the state's own limit for walk in service, plus government fees itemized as paid.
Three honest limits. A Friday order is ready Monday, and state holidays do not count as business days. A New York City birth or death certificate qualifies only if you already hold the long form with its Letter of Exemplification, because the city's own processing takes weeks. And records issued outside New York State follow their own state's process, so they cannot ride this chain at all. If your deadline is tighter than next business day, call before you book and we will tell you plainly what is possible.
What we apostille
Powers of attorney headed to another country. Corporate documents, resolutions and certificates of incumbency. School records and diplomas, notarized as certified copies through the registrar or a custodian affidavit. Consent letters for travel and adoption paperwork. Certified court documents. Single status affidavits for foreign marriages. If the receiving country asks for an apostille and the document is a New York public document or was notarized in New York, it fits this chain; federal documents go to the US Department of State instead. Not sure whether yours has to be notarized first? See what needs a notary in New York.
Birth certificates and vital records, the honest version
Vital records are the most common apostille order and the most commonly botched, because they are never notarized. A New York City birth or death certificate must be the long form with a Letter of Exemplification from the city Health Department, which then goes to the New York County Clerk, whatever the borough, and only then to the state for the apostille. A New York City marriage certificate from 1950 on needs the City Clerk's Extended Certificate instead, and follows the same county and state path, while older city records come from the Municipal Archives with their own letter. Records from the State Department of Health go straight to the state, and records from a town or city clerk go to that county's clerk first. We run the county and state legs for you, and we tell you upfront that the city leg is the slow one: plan on four to seven weeks for the long form and letter, so start as early as you can (our guide to ordering an NYC birth certificate compares the online, mail and in person routes). Every step and fee is in our birth certificate apostille guide. One thing we do not handle: FBI background checks are federal documents, and the New York Department of State says they must be authenticated by the US Department of State.
Countries outside the Hague Convention
If your document is headed to a country that has not joined the Hague Convention, an apostille will not be accepted; the document needs legalization instead. The first legs are the same, notarization and county certification, then the Department of State issues a Certificate of Authentication rather than an apostille. Some countries also want a certification from the US Department of State in Washington, and finally your country's consulate does its own legalization. The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana are among the countries outside the Convention as of October 2026, and the Convention took effect for China, Canada, Bangladesh and Vietnam between November 2023 and September 2026. We prepare the package to the consulate's requirements and hand it off ready to file. When a certified translation is required, we arrange it through a certified translation partner so the translation and the apostille land in the right order.
Not sure which side your country is on? Check our list of Hague apostille countries, updated November 2026.
Doing it yourself, and when you should
Honesty first, as always: you can walk this chain yourself, and for one document and a free weekday morning it is a fair choice. The county clerk leg comes first, at 60 Centre St for a New York County notarization, and costs a few dollars. The state leg is the Department of State office at 123 William St in Manhattan or 99 Washington Ave in Albany, weekdays during business hours, $10 per document, and a small batch can clear the same morning. All in, expect about $13 in government fees and two to three hours across two lines. Appointment and mail policies change, so check the state's apostille page before you go.
The trap that catches most first timers: the county clerk who certifies the notarization must be the county where that notary's signature is on file. A document notarized by a notary commissioned in Brooklyn is turned away at 60 Centre St unless that notary has also filed a signature card with the New York County Clerk, and the trip starts over. It is the single most common reason a DIY apostille takes three visits instead of one, and it is exactly the kind of thing we get right the first time because we do it weekly. Our fee exists for the people whose week cannot absorb two government lines; if yours can, the state will treat you fine.
Apostille FAQs
What is an apostille?
A certificate from the New York Department of State that confirms the signature, the signer's capacity and any seal on a New York public document, for use in countries that are party to the Hague Apostille Convention. The Hague Conference lists 130 contracting parties, and the Convention is in force for 129 of them as of October 2026. Foreign banks, universities, courts and consulates ask for it because they cannot verify a US notary or clerk on their own.
How long does an apostille take in New York?
Standard orders run 7 to 10 business days door to door. The express tier runs 2 to 3 business days, and next business day means exactly that when the document reaches us by 6pm. Every clock starts when we have the document in hand and includes the return to you.
What does an apostille cost in NYC?
$150 handling per order standard, $275 express, $325 next business day, plus government fees of roughly $13 per document in Manhattan: $10 to the state and about $3 to the county clerk. Additional documents in the same order are $50 each. If the document first needs notarizing, the normal borough visit rate applies and the notary collects everything in one stop.
Do you pick up documents near me?
Yes, in all five boroughs. If the document needs notarizing, the pickup is the notary visit itself. If it is already certified, we arrange a courier pickup instead; mention it in the booking notes.
Can you apostille a birth certificate in NYC?
Yes, but not by notarizing it; vital records are never notarized. A New York City birth certificate must be the long form with a Letter of Exemplification from the city Health Department. It goes to the New York County Clerk, whatever the borough, and then to the state for the apostille. We run the county and state legs. The city takes about four to seven weeks to issue the long form with its letter, so start early.
What if my country is not in the Hague Convention?
Then it needs legalization instead of an apostille: the state issues a Certificate of Authentication, some countries also require a US Department of State certification, and the consulate legalizes it last. We prepare the notarization, county and state legs and hand you a package ready for the next step. Check your country's status first; we can confirm it when you book.
Do you handle translation and apostille together?
Yes. When the receiving country wants a certified translation, we arrange one through a certified translation partner and apostille the right document in the right order. Tell us the country and the document and we set the order of operations.
Can I walk in and get the apostille myself?
Yes. County clerk first, then the state office at 123 William St in Manhattan or 99 Washington Ave in Albany, weekdays, about $13 per document in government fees, and a small batch can clear in one morning. Check the state's apostille page before you go, since appointment and mail policies change. Our service is for when your week cannot absorb two government lines.
Can I get an apostille the same day in NYC?
A true same day apostille, collected, walked through the county and the state and back in your hands, rarely survives contact with office hours. Next business day is the honest fast option: get the document to us by 6pm and the apostille is back with you the next business day, for $325 plus government fees. If your deadline is tighter than that, call us and we will tell you plainly what can be done.