Where to get something notarized in NYC

Where to get something notarized in NYC: every option compared

Free notary in NYC: the County Clerk in every borough

NYC has five County Clerk offices, one per borough, and each must offer a free notary. County Law 534 says each county clerk "shall designate from among the members of his or her staff at least one notary public" to be "available to notarize documents for the public in each county clerk's office during normal business hours," "free of charge." NYC 311 lists all five as open weekdays, 9am to 5pm.

Only Manhattan and the Bronx describe the service. Manhattan's current page lists no fee, and an older page that calls the service free notes Wednesday closures from 2021, so call before a Wednesday visit. The Bronx says "there is no fee charged for notarizing documents." The Brooklyn and Queens pages cover only related services, and we found no Staten Island notary page, so call those three first.

Sending a notarized document abroad? The Manhattan Clerk authenticates a New York County notary's signature for $3 but does not send documents to the Department of State for apostilles; see our guide to getting an apostille in NYC. To have a notary come to you, see a mobile notary in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx or Staten Island.

Free notary at NYC public libraries

Brooklyn Public Library notarizes free at 15 branches and NYPL at one Manhattan branch, both by appointment. Queens Public Library says it "does not offer Notary Services," so in Queens itself the free options are the County Clerk (call first) and your bank, if it offers the service. Our mobile notary in Astoria can also come to you.

Brooklyn Public Library: free notary in Brooklyn

BPL says "the library does not charge for notarization services" and "reservations are required and must be made online," 1 to 7 days ahead. The branches: Adams Street, Bay Ridge, Bedford Learning Center, Cortelyou, Cypress Hills, DeKalb, Flatlands, Gerritsen Beach, Highlawn, Paerdegat, Red Hook (Interim Site), Rugby, Saratoga, Sunset Park and Williamsburgh. Notary hours are limited.

• Up to 3 documents a day (BPL counts one signature and one stamp as one notarization); originals only, complete and in English; no translators.
• Every signer is 18 or older and present, and whoever books must be the signer. More than 10 minutes late may mean cancellation.
• Bring valid government photo ID (IDNYC accepted) and, if needed, your own witness, who must know the signer and show ID.

BPL does not accept wills, trusts, powers of attorney, depositions, real estate documents, I-9 forms, birth, marriage or death certificates or documents not in English, among others. For a birth certificate headed abroad, see our NYC birth certificate guide.

Two other branches, Greenpoint Library and Jamaica Bay Library, have listed occasional free notary sessions, including an evening one at Jamaica Bay. Check the library's notary page or call the branch for upcoming dates.

NYPL Kips Bay Library: a free pilot in Manhattan

NYPL, which also serves the Bronx and Staten Island, is "piloting limited notary services, at no cost" only at Kips Bay Library, 446 Third Avenue, (212) 683 2520. Its September 2024 rules: Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, subject to availability; online booking up to 2 weeks ahead, with no walk ins or same day appointments; 2 notarizations a day, in English, with current ID (IDNYC accepted). The library does not provide witnesses, and translators are not permitted. Accepted documents include passport parental consent, travel consent for minors and passport and visa applications; real estate documents, wills, trusts, powers of attorney and vital records are not.

Can a bank notarize it? Banks and credit unions in NYC

Bank of America and TD Bank say they notarize free for customers. Other banks we checked publish no policy, so call your branch and ask whether the notary is in.

• Bank of America: free for clients at many, but not all, financial centers, by appointment (about 30 minutes). It asks for acceptable ID, all pages, every signer and any required witness, and no signing or dating ahead. Its notary decides document by document.
• TD Bank offers "free notary services to TD Bank Customers" and says it serves people who are not customers in New York "as required by law," with no fee stated. It asks all signers to come in lobby hours with complete documents and a state license or ID, military ID or passport.
• Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, Capital One and Municipal Credit Union publish no notary policy we could find. Bethpage Federal Credit Union lists "Notary services" at its Sunnyside and Chelsea branches, with no cost or membership rule stated.

Free notary sessions at a state senator's office

At least one state senator's district office has held them. The Senate District 19 office in Canarsie, 1222 East 96th Street, (718) 649 7653, listed free notary at Saturday open office hours on four dates in 2025, but not in its May 9, 2026 listing. We found no City Council or Assembly office that does. Find yours with the Senate's find my senator lookup, and call first.

Paid walk in notaries: The UPS Store and other shops

For in person notarization, any New York notary, including one at The UPS Store, may charge no more than $2 per notarial act; the Department of State says "a notarial fee may not exceed this amount" unless the law authorizes more. Executive Law 136 sets $2 per oath or affirmation, $2 per person for an acknowledgment and $2 per witness sworn, so two people acknowledging one document pay $4 at most. National articles quoting $5 to $15 do not reflect this, and a bill raising the fee to $5 (A3360 and S10280) had not passed as of November 5, 2026. See what a notary costs in NYC.

UPS Store locations are "independently owned and operated by franchisees." The NYC pages we checked say "make an appointment online or stop by," list no notary prices, warn that witnesses may not be available, and say to "check with your local store to confirm which documents their notary can notarize." One Brooklyn store, 6823 Fort Hamilton Parkway, lists notary service 7 days a week. Ask the full price first. We did not verify pharmacies, check cashers or other storefronts.

Can you get something notarized online in New York?

Yes, through a notary registered with the Department of State as an electronic notary. Executive Law 135-c has allowed notarization over live audio and video since February 1, 2023. The notary must be in New York, "regardless of the location of the document signer." A signer outside the US can use it only for a document filed with, or concerning a matter before, a body subject to US jurisdiction, or involving US property or a transaction substantially connected with the US. The Department of State's publication says an electronic notary is entitled to $25 per act, "inclusive of all costs incurred by the notary public." Ask the receiving office first whether it accepts electronic notarization; we did not confirm which do.

Where to get something notarized, borough by borough

Manhattan

Manhattan has two free options open to the public: the New York County Clerk at 60 Centre Street notarizes up to 5 simple English documents free on weekdays, and NYPL's Kips Bay Library runs a free pilot by appointment. Bank branches and shipping stores are on nearly every Midtown and Downtown block. For evenings, Sundays, hospitals and anything with witnesses, a mobile notary in Manhattan starts at $125.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn Public Library notarizes free at 15 branches by online reservation, up to 3 documents a day, but not wills, powers of attorney or real estate documents. The Kings County Clerk at 360 Adams Street must also offer a free notary, so call first. For anything the library declines, or anything after hours, a mobile notary in Brooklyn starts at $165. Our neighborhood notes for Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope and Bay Ridge list the free options closest to each.

Queens

Queens Public Library does not notarize, so in Queens itself the free options are the Queens County Clerk in Jamaica (call first) and your own bank, and the nearest free library option is a Brooklyn Public Library branch by reservation. Shipping stores fill the gap at the state's $2 fee cap. Near JFK and LaGuardia, and for anything urgent, a mobile notary in Queens starts at $175 (same day and emergency visits cost more). In Astoria, our Astoria notary page compares the options in the neighborhood.

The Bronx

The Bronx County Clerk at 851 Grand Concourse notarizes up to 5 documents free on weekdays, in English, with no wills, trusts or deeds. We found no public library notary service in the Bronx, so the other options are your bank and a shipping store with a notary on shift. Hospital visits at Montefiore, Jacobi and the rest of the borough are where a mobile notary in the Bronx earns its fee: $195, plus $25 for a hospital visit.

Staten Island

Staten Island has the fewest walk in options of any borough: the Richmond County Clerk at 130 Stuyvesant Place (call first), your bank and a few shipping stores. That is why many Staten Island signings happen at home; a mobile notary on Staten Island starts at $245, tolls included.

When a free notary will not work

Free notaries work weekdays, in the daytime, at their own counters. They will not fit when:

• It is evening or Sunday. The County Clerks close at 5pm on weekdays, the only evening session we found was at Jamaica Bay Library, and no free option we found advertises Sunday notary hours.
• The signer is in a hospital or nursing home, or cannot travel. Every free option notarizes only at its own office, with every signer there.
• They decline the document. Wills, trusts and deeds are on every published refusal list, the published rules say English only, and both libraries decline powers of attorney. See notarizing a power of attorney in NYC.
• You have more than a few documents. Limits run from 2 a day at Kips Bay to 5 at the Manhattan and Bronx Clerks.
• You need it today. BPL books at least a day ahead; Kips Bay takes no same day appointments.

Mobile notary rates by borough

When a free option will not work, these are our base rates for visits booked 24 hours or more ahead, plus the state's $2 per notarial act. Same day, emergency, evening, weekend, late night, holiday, hospital and witness extras are on our price page, and the booking form shows the exact total before you confirm.

Where can I get divorce papers notarized?

The first question is whether the form still calls for a notary. Since January 1, 2024, CPLR 2106 has let any person use an affirmation under penalty of perjury in place of an affidavit in a New York court action, and an amendment signed November 21, 2025 extended it to "any other sworn statement," except depositions, oaths of office and oaths required before a specified person other than a notary.

The court system revised many divorce forms on January 1, 2024 to use affirmations and says "notarized affidavits will not be rejected." The Verified Complaint (UD-2) instructions say it "no longer needs to be notarized because of a change in law," and the current UD-4 and UD-7 forms use affirmation wording with no notary section. But the same UD-2 instructions still say the barriers to remarriage statement (UD-4) should be signed before a notary under DRL 253, so ask the court clerk which applies. The court system's matrimonial forms page lists the current revisions.

Matrimonial agreements are different: DRL 236(B)(3) requires a prenuptial, postnuptial or separation agreement to be "acknowledged or proven in the manner required to entitle a deed to be recorded," and the 2025 amendment keeps that rule. CPLR 2106 is about papers used in a New York court action, not papers for a bank, an agency, a real estate closing or use abroad; see which New York documents need a notary. Where a notary is needed, the options above apply.

Where does a will get notarized in New York?

The will itself is not notarized. Under EPTL 3-2.1, it is signed at the end in front of, or acknowledged to, each of at least two attesting witnesses, who sign within one 30 day period; the section does not require a notary.

What gets notarized is the witnesses' self proving affidavit under SCPA 1406, sworn before "any officer authorized to administer oaths," such as a notary. The court accepts it "as though it had been taken before the court" unless a party objects or the court requires the witnesses. It is usually signed at the will signing, supervised by the attorney who drafted the will.

BPL, NYPL and the Manhattan and Bronx Clerks all decline wills, and the Department of State says will signings supervised by a notary "cannot be too strongly condemned." Our notary does not supervise will signings or advise on wills.

What to bring to get something notarized

• The complete document, unsigned. The Manhattan Clerk has you sign in front of the notary; Bank of America and the libraries say not to sign ahead.
• The original. BPL takes originals only.
• A current government photo ID with your signature, which the Manhattan and Bronx Clerks and BPL ask for. The libraries accept IDNYC.
• Every signer, in person.
• Your own witnesses, if the document calls for them; the libraries do not provide them.
• A document in English, or for the Manhattan Clerk, a bilingual one with a translator's affidavit.
• A count of your documents, to check against the office's limit.

What our notaries will not do

Knowing these before you go saves the second trip, whichever option you pick.

• Notarize a blank or incomplete document. Fill in everything except the signature.
• Notarize for someone who is not there. The signer appears in person, every time. A spouse cannot sign for a spouse unless they are the agent under a power of attorney, and then the agent appears in person and signs as agent.
• Accept expired ID. New York's rules call for a valid, current government photo ID that carries the signer's signature, or other proof such as a witness who personally knows both the signer and the notary. If ID is the problem, tell us before the visit.
• Proceed with an unwilling or confused signer. In hospitals this matters most: the signer must understand the document and want to sign it, and New York's rules let a notary refuse when not satisfied of that.
• Choose your legal wording for you. A notary who is not your lawyer cannot decide whether you need an acknowledgment or a jurat. The party receiving the document can, so ask them first and we verify it matches.

Going abroad? You may also need an apostille

Documents headed outside the U.S. usually need a certificate from the New York Department of State after notarization and county clerk authentication. It authenticates the county clerk's certification so the document is recognized abroad: an apostille for Hague countries, or a certificate of authentication for the rest. In NYC the office is at 123 William Street, and the state charges $10 per document. Check whether your destination accepts apostilles in our list of Hague apostille countries. We notarize at your door, take the document through the county clerk and the Department of State, and courier it back: $150 handling plus government fees, plus the borough visit fee for the notarization; see our apostille service.

Free notary NYC: frequently asked questions

Official sources

Last checked November 5, 2026.

• County Law 534: the free County Clerk notary
• Executive Law 136, the Department of State notary FAQ and bill S10280: fees
• Department of State, Notary Public License Law and its January 2023 notice: online notarization, ID, conflicts, wills
• County Clerks: NYC 311 listing for addresses, phones and hours; Manhattan notary and older page; Bronx notary and overview; Kings office and notary; Queens
• Brooklyn Public Library notary reservations and booking system; Greenpoint listings for June and July 2026; Jamaica Bay listings for June 27 and September 10, 2026
• NYPL Kips Bay Library and notary pilot rules; Queens Public Library FAQ
• Bank of America notary page and 2019 guide; TD Bank notary services; Bethpage Federal Credit Union Sunnyside and Chelsea
• Senate District 19 listings for October 2025 and May 2026; find my senator
• The UPS Store notary pages for 33 Park Place, 118A Orchard Street and 6823 Fort Hamilton Parkway
• National Notary Association on family members
• CPLR 2106: NYC Civil Court directive DRP-225-A, bill S8195 and the matrimonial forms page
• Divorce: UD-2 instructions, UD-4, UD-7 and Matisoff v Dobi (1997) on DRL 236(B)(3)
• Wills: EPTL 3-2.1 and SCPA 1406

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