It is safe to say that a birth, marriage, or death certificate will be eligible for an apostille or embassy legalization if

it is a certified copy, and

it has been issued recently (within the last twelve months)

The above is a general rule of thumb.

However, a lot more certificates will be eligible for apostilles. 

In case of locally issued certificates, before a birth, marriage or death certificate is submitted for an apostille, it has to be authenticated on the county level, that is the signature of the local registrar or the town/ city clerk has to be confirmed by the County Clerk's office in the country where the certificate was issued. The requirements differ from county to county and each of the 57 counties outside the five boroughs of New York City has its own rules as to what signatures can and cannot be authenticated. Some counties would accept any document no matter how old it is and who signed it as long as an official seal is present. Other counties (e.g. Westchester county) would accept the signature of the current registrar only, other counties would accept certificates issued within the last five years, etc.

It is always a good idea to email a copy of the document for a free evaluation. We will contact the county and make sure your document will pass the first authentication step (county level) before it is submitted for an apostille.

Birth, marriage and death certificates issued by the New York State Department of Health in Albany and bearing the signature of the Director of Vital Statistics or NYS Registrar do not require a county clerk certification (authentication).

• NYS Department of Health: What is the difference between a certified copy and a certified transcript of birth?
• Birth certificates issued by local Registrars, City or Town Clerks

Certified copy of birth certificate vs. certified Transcript of birth

The New York State Department of Health issues two types of birth certificates: Transcript of birth (which is considered a short form birth certificate) and Certificate of Birth (which is considered a long form birth certificate).

This is a certified Transcript of birth issued by the New York State Department of Health in Albany. It is considered to be a short form birth certificate.

Certified Transcripts of birth typically include the child's name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth, and the names of the child's parents, including the mother's maiden name.

Certified Transcripts of birht are signed by the Director of Vital Records and bear the raised seal of the NYS Department of Health. 

Old documents are acceptable for apostille purposes. The certificates can be signed by Robert LoCicero,  Guy Warner, Peter M. Carucci, Thomas L. Heckert, Jr., Mary E. Hefner.

Certified Transcripts of birth are eligible for a NY apostilles or the legalization by foreign embassies.

Please note that some receiving foreign agencies specifically require long form birth certificates. Please make sure that a Certified Transcript of Birth will satisfy the requirements of the foreign country of intended use.

Please note that some receiving foreign agencies specifically require that the certificate has been issued recently (e.g. within the last six or twelve months). Please find out waht the foreign requirements are before sending an old document for an apostille.

This is a certified copy of NYS birth certificate issued by the NYS Department of Health in Albany. This is considered to be a long form birth certificate as it contains a lot of information: parents' information (address of residence, race, birth place, date of birth, etc.), additional information on the child's birthplace, and the information on the doctor(s) that assisted in the birth of the child. The long form also usually includes the signature of the doctor involved and at least one of the parents.

What official signatures on NYS birth certificates and transcripts of birth are eligible for apostilles?

Both birth certificates and transcripts of birth are signed by Director of Vital Records of the New York State Department of Health. The following signatures of current and former Directors of Vital Records are acceptable for apostilles or legalization by foreign embassies: Robert LoCicero,  Guy Warner, Peter M. Carucci, Thomas L. Heckert, Jr., Mary E. Hefner, Joseph H. Sterzinger, and some others.

Are old New York State birth certificates acceptable?

If your birth certificate is signed by one of the Directors of Vitals Records named above, then your document qualifies for the legalization.

If your birth certificate is very old, please email a copy of a free evaluation.

Please note that some foreign countries require that certified copies of birth certificates are recent, e.g. have been issued within the last six or twelve months. Please find out the requirements of the receiving foreign country before you start with the process of legalization.

Do NYS birth certificate have to be notarized, before they are submitted for apostilles?

The answer is "No". In fact, by law New York notaries cannot notarize copies of vital records.

Is a letter of exemplification required?

Birth certificates and transcripts of birth issued by the New York State Department of Health are not exemplified. There is no need to attach a letter of exemplification as the signature of the Director of Vital Records is authenticated directly. Exemplification letters are issued only with the long form New York City birth certificates (for births registered in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island)

Birth certificates issued by local Registrars, City and Town Clerks 

Locally issued birth certificates signed by local Registrars, City of Town Clerks need to be authenticated on the county level first, that is the signature of the local registrar or the town/ city clerk has to be confirmed by the County Clerk's office in the country where the certificate was issued. The requirements differ from county to county and each of the 57 counties outside the five boroughs of New York City has its own rules as to what signatures can and cannot be authenticated. Some counties would accept any document no matter how old it is and who signed it as long as an official seal is present. Other counties (e.g. Westchester county) would accept the signature of the current registrar only, other counties would accept certificates issued within the last five years, etc.

It is always a good idea to email a copy of the document for a free evaluation. We will contact the county and make sure your document will pass the first uathentication step (county level) before it is submitted for an apostille.

Both the marriage certificates issued by the New York State Department of Health in Albany, and locally issued marriage certificates will be eligible for New York apostilles.

If a marriage certificate is issued in Albany, it will be signed by the Director of Vital Records and will bear the raised seal of the NYS Department of Health. 

Old documents are acceptable for apostille purposes. The certificates can be signed by Robert LoCicero,  Guy Warner, Peter M. Carucci, Thomas L. Heckert, Jr., Mary E. Hefner.

Please note that some foreign receiving agencies specifically require a recently issued marriage certificate. Please check the requirements before submitting your old marriage certificate for an apostille. If you need to order a recent certified copy of the marriage certificate, please note that Vital Records Office of the New York State Department of Health has marriage records (since 1880) for marriage licenses purchased in all of New York State except New York City: Manhattan, Kings (Brooklyn), Queens, Bronx, and Richmond (Staten Island).

Copies of marriage records are also available from the town or city clerk where you purchased (i.e., applied for) your original license.

IMPORTANT! The record will be kept in the county (city, town) where you purchased the license, not where the ceremony was held. For example, if you applied for the marriage license in Nassau county and got married in Queens, the record will be on file with the Nassau county.

Locally issued marriage certificates signed by local Registrars, City of Town Clerks, need to be authenticated on the county level first, that is the signature of the local registrar or the town/ city clerk has to be confirmed by the County Clerk's office in the country where the certificate was issued. The requirements differ from county to county and each of the 57 counties outside the five boroughs of New York City has its own rules as to what signatures can and cannot be authenticated. Some counties would accept any document no matter how old it is and who signed it as long as an official seal is present. Other counties would accept the signature of the current registrar only, other counties would accept certificates issued within the last five years, etc.

It is always a good idea to email a copy of the document for a free evaluation. We will contact the county and make sure your document will pass the first uathentication step (county level) before it is submitted for an apostille.

Death certificates issued by the NYS Department of Helath

This is a certified copy of Certificate of death issued by the New York State Department of Health in Albany. 

These certificates are signed by the Director of Vital Records and bear the raised seal of the NYS Department of Health. 

Old documents are acceptable for apostille purposes. The certificates can be signed by Robert LoCicero,  Guy Warner, Peter M. Carucci, Thomas L. Heckert, Jr., Mary E. Hefner.

Certified copies of death certificates are eligible for a NY apostilles or the legalization by foreign embassies.

Please note that some receiving foreign agencies specifically require that the certificate has been issued recently (e.g. within the last six or twelve months). Please find out waht the foreign requirements are before sending an old document for an apostille.

What official signatures on NYS death certificates are eligible for apostilles?

Death certificates are signed by Director of Vital Records of the New York State Department of Health. The following signatures of current and former Directors of Vital Records are acceptable for apostilles or legalization by foreign embassies: Robert LoCicero,  Guy Warner, Peter M. Carucci, Thomas L. Heckert, Jr., Mary E. Hefner, and some others.

Are old New York State death certificates acceptable?

If a death certificate is signed by one of the Directors of Vitals Records named above, then your document qualifies for an apostille or legalization.

If the death certificate is very old, please email a copy of a free evaluation.

Please note that some foreign countries require that certified copies of death certificates are recent, e.g. have been issued within the last six or twelve months. Please find out the requirements of the receiving foreign country before you start with the process of legalization.

Do NYS death certificate have to be notarized, before they are submitted for apostilles?

The answer is "No". In fact, by law New York notaries cannot notarize copies of vital records.

Is a letter of exemplification required?

Death certificates issued by the New York State Department of Health are not exemplified. There is no need to attach a letter of exemplification as the signature of the Director of Vital Records is authenticated directly. Exemplification letters are issued only with the New York City death certificates (for deaths registered in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island)

Death certificates issued by local Registrars, City and Town Clerks 

Locally issued death certificates signed by local Registrars, City of Town Clerks, need to be authenticated on the county level first, that is the signature of the local registrar or the town/ city clerk has to be confirmed by the County Clerk's office in the country where the certificate was issued. The requirements differ from county to county and each of the 57 counties outside the five boroughs of New York City has its own rules as to what signatures can and cannot be authenticated. Some counties would accept any document no matter how old it is and who signed it as long as an official seal is present. Other counties (e.g. Westchester county) would accept the signature of the current registrar only, other counties would accept certificates issued within the last five years, etc.

It is always a good idea to email a copy of the document for a free evaluation. We will contact the county and make sure your document will pass the first authentication step (county level) before it is submitted for an apostille.