The short answer
A Letter of Exemplification is a letter issued with a long form New York City birth or death certificate by the city office that holds the record: the Health Department's Office of Vital Records for most records, or the Municipal Archives for older ones. It is what allows the New York County Clerk to authenticate the certificate, the step that has to happen before the New York Department of State will add an apostille. No letter, no apostille.
You get it by requesting it when you order: choose Apostille as your reason at the Health Department, or "I need a Letter of Exemplification" at the Municipal Archives. The Health Department lists no separate fee for the letter; the Archives charges $12. Either way it comes with a certificate order, and we have found no way to add it to a certificate you already have.
Which records come with one, and which do not
| Record | Letter of Exemplification? | What to order |
|---|---|---|
| NYC birth certificate, long form, 1910 or later | Yes, when you choose Apostille as the reason | Health Department, the standard route |
| NYC birth certificate, short form | No | Order a new long form |
| NYC death certificate, after 1950 | Yes: answer Yes where the application asks "Do you need a Letter of Exemplification?" (question 10 on the standard form), at no extra cost | Long form death certificate with the letter |
| Births up to 1909, deaths up to 1950, marriages up to 1949 | Yes, from the NYC Municipal Archives, $12 | Certified copy plus the letter, by mail |
| NYC marriage certificate, 1950 or later | No. These come from the City Clerk, not the Health Department | An Extended Certificate for foreign use from the City Clerk (below) |
| New York State certificate signed by the State Registrar (outside NYC) | Not needed | Goes straight to the Department of State |
| Certificate from a town or city clerk outside NYC | Not needed | Certified by that county's clerk instead |
How to get a letter of exemplification from the Health Department
Who can order: the person named on the birth certificate, if 18 or older; a parent named on it; a legal guardian, with the original guardianship or custody court order; or an attorney for the person named or either parent. Online orders only go through for people named on the record or otherwise entitled to it. For a deceased person's birth certificate, eligible relatives order by mail and automatically receive the long form with the letter. Death certificates go only to the relatives and representatives the city lists as entitled. For the short form, ID rules and wait times, see how to order an NYC birth certificate.
- Online through VitalChek, the only vendor the Health Department authorizes. Select Apostille/Authentication from the request reasons. $15 per certificate plus $9.30 processing.
- By mail with the city's application: select Apostille as a reason and have the application notarized. For a death certificate, answer Yes where it asks about a Letter of Exemplification. Premium mail is $15 plus $7.50 processing, about 2 to 3 weeks on the city's fees page, though its main Birth and Death Records page says mail orders take approximately 12 weeks; standard mail is $15 with no processing fee, 8 to 12 weeks. Check or money order only.
- In person at 125 Worth Street (entrance at 45 Lafayette Street), by appointment only. At the kiosk, select Apostille/Authentication. $15 plus $2.75 processing.
For online orders the city quotes 2 to 3 weeks and asks you to allow 2 more weeks for a long form, plus mail time. Sources: the city's birth certificate page, death certificate page and fees page. Step by step fees and timing for the whole apostille are in our birth certificate apostille guide.
Ordering a death certificate for use abroad? Our NYC death certificate guide covers who can order one, the fees, and the notarized mail forms.
Older records: the Municipal Archives
Births up to 1909, deaths up to 1950 and marriages up to 1949 are held by the NYC Municipal Archives, and those are the records most often needed for citizenship by descent. The Archives sells its own Letter of Exemplification with a raised seal. On its 2026 mail order form, a certified copy is $23 when you supply the certificate number and the letter is $12; choose "I need a Letter of Exemplification", and the record must be mailed. Then it follows the same two steps as any city record.
Once it arrives: the two remaining steps
- New York County Clerk, 60 Centre Street, Room 141B. The certificate and its letter are authenticated together as one document for $3, whichever borough the record is from. Weekdays 9am to 4:45pm; the County Clerk says cashiers close at 4:15pm and anyone paying must be in the office by 4pm. (County Clerk operations)
- New York Department of State, 123 William Street, 2nd floor. The apostille is $10, same day for walk ins, no cash. (walk in service)
The clerk does not forward anything to the state, so plan both stops for the same day, or let us carry it.
Five mistakes that cost people a month
- Ordering online without choosing Apostille/Authentication. Expect the certificate to arrive without the letter, and you start over.
- Starting from the short form. It never comes with a letter.
- Separating the letter from the certificate. The County Clerk authenticates them as one document. Leave them exactly as they arrive.
- Going to the borough's own county clerk. A Brooklyn or Queens certificate still goes to the New York County Clerk in Manhattan.
- Asking for a letter on a marriage certificate from 1950 or later. Those follow the City Clerk's process, with no letter at all.
Marriage certificates: the City Clerk's version
Marriage records from 1950 on come from the Office of the City Clerk, not the Health Department, so there is no Letter of Exemplification. What you order instead is an Extended Certificate, the marriage certificate for foreign use. The certificate handed to you after the ceremony cannot be apostilled. According to the City Clerk's FAQ, last updated in August 2022 and the newest it has published, and its mail request form:
- Fee: $35 for the first copy, $30 for each additional copy, by money order or certified check to The City Clerk of New York.
- How: by mail to the City Clerk's Record Room at 141 Worth Street, or in person by appointment only.
- Time: about 6 to 8 weeks by mail, as of 2022.
- Who: for records less than 50 years old, the spouses or someone with their written authorization; attorneys only when the record is needed as evidence.
Then the same two steps: the New York County Clerk, which requires the City Clerk's original stamp and signature, and the Department of State. Marriages up to 1949 are at the Municipal Archives instead, with a letter.
Letter of exemplification vs. an exemplified copy
The words sound alike, and search results mix them up. An exemplified copy is a court term: a copy of a court record attested by the court clerk under the court's seal, with an added certificate from a judge that the attestation is in proper form. It is how court records, such as judgments or probate papers, are proven in another state's courts under federal law. A Letter of Exemplification is the New York City letter for vital records headed toward an apostille. If a court or lawyer asked you for an exemplified copy, contact the court clerk that holds the record; if a consulate or foreign office asked for an apostilled NYC birth or death certificate, the letter is what you need.
How we help
- Notarizing the application. The city's mail application must be notarized before you send it. We come to your home, office or hospital room in any borough, 7am to midnight.
- Running the rest of the chain. When the certificate and letter arrive, we take them to the New York County Clerk and the Department of State and courier the apostilled record back to you: $150 standard, $275 express, $325 next business day, plus $13 in county and state fees at cost.
Holding the certificate and letter already? We can take it from here.
Start an apostille orderCommon questions
What is a letter of exemplification?
A letter issued with a long form New York City birth or death certificate, by the Health Department or, for older records, the Municipal Archives. It allows the New York County Clerk to authenticate the certificate, which is required before the Department of State will issue an apostille.
Does a letter of exemplification cost extra?
Not at the Health Department, which lists no separate fee: you pay $15 for the certificate plus the processing fee for how you order, $9.30 online, $7.50 premium mail, none for standard mail, $2.75 in person. The Municipal Archives, which holds older records, charges $12 for its letter.
Can I get a letter of exemplification for a birth certificate I already have?
We have found no way to add one later. The letter is issued in the same order as the long form certificate, so plan on a new order with Apostille chosen as the reason.
How long does it take to get a letter of exemplification in NYC?
The city quotes 2 to 3 weeks for online orders, plus 2 more weeks for a long form and any mail time, so 4 to 7 weeks is realistic. Premium mail takes about 2 to 3 weeks and standard mail 8 to 12 weeks.
Can I order a letter of exemplification through VitalChek?
Yes. VitalChek is the only online vendor the Health Department authorizes. Choose Apostille/Authentication as the reason for your request, or expect the certificate to arrive without the letter.
Do I need a letter of exemplification for a marriage certificate?
Not for marriages from 1950 on. Those records come from the City Clerk, which issues an Extended Certificate for foreign use instead; it then goes to the New York County Clerk and the Department of State. Marriages up to 1949 are at the Municipal Archives, which does issue a letter.
Do I need one for a New York State birth certificate from outside the city?
No. A certificate signed by the State Registrar goes straight to the Department of State, and one from a town or city clerk is certified by that county's clerk instead.
Does the letter of exemplification itself need to be notarized?
No notary public is involved. The city's form says the letter must be "notarized by the Office of the County Clerk", which confuses people: what it means is that the New York County Clerk authenticates it, for $3. The notarization the city does require is on the mail application, if you order by mail.