How to Get a Certificate of Disposition in NYC: Fees and Filing

To get a Certificate of Disposition in NYC, bring a completed request form, a photo ID, and $10 to the criminal court in the borough where your case was filed, or mail the same package to that court.¹ There is no online option.² In-person requests are usually processed the same day; mail requests take two to four weeks.

What To Gather First

You need three things: a valid photo ID, the $10 fee, and enough case information for the clerk to pull your file.¹ The single most useful piece of case information is the docket number (sometimes called the case number or indictment number). If you have it, the clerk can locate your file quickly.

No docket number? You can still request the certificate using the defendant’s full legal name and date of birth, or the date of arrest.¹ Use the name as it appeared in court records at the time, including any aliases. The official Criminal Certificate of Disposition Request form has fields for additional identifiers that help the search, including arrest number, complaint number, and NYSID number.³ Fill in everything you can.

One thing to know about looking up your own case online: the state’s WebCrims database only shows cases with future court appearances, so it will not help you find a resolved case.⁴ If you cannot track down a docket number, call the clerk’s office in the borough where the case was heard and ask them to search by name and date of birth.

Paying the Fee

Each certificate costs $10 within New York City’s five boroughs.³ If you need certificates for several cases, it is $10 each.

For in-person requests, NYC311 says to bring exact change.¹ The official form also lists credit card, certified check, and money order, but accepted methods vary by courthouse, so call ahead if you would rather not carry cash.³ For mail requests, do not send cash. Use a certified check or money order and confirm with the court who it should be made payable to.

If you cannot afford the fee, you can ask the court for a fee waiver, formally called poor person’s relief. You may qualify if you receive public benefits, have low income, or cannot cover basic household needs along with court fees. The request involves filing a motion with a sworn statement about your finances.⁵

Submitting Your Request

In Person

Bring the completed form, your photo ID, and payment to the court in the borough where your case was filed.¹ The borough matters. Each courthouse keeps its own records, so a Brooklyn case cannot be pulled from a Manhattan courthouse. In-person requests are typically processed the same day, which is the fastest route if you have a deadline.

By Mail

Mail the completed form and payment to the court that handled your case.³ The court locator on the New York Courts website lists the mailing address for each borough.⁶ Include a self-addressed stamped envelope so the certificate can be mailed back. Expect two to four weeks depending on the records department’s workload. You will not get a confirmation that your request arrived; the certificate itself showing up in the mail is the confirmation.

Online

You cannot request a Certificate of Disposition online. The court system only accepts requests in person or by mail.²

When To Get the Form Notarized

Notarization is not always required, but two situations call for it. First, if your case was dismissed or the charges were dropped, the record has likely been sealed. Getting the request form notarized before you submit it lets the court process a sealed record without sending the form back for notarization, which adds weeks of delay.²

Second, if someone else is submitting the request on your behalf, you need to write a letter giving that person permission and have the letter notarized.² This comes up when the defendant is out of state, out of the country, or detained. Many banks, UPS stores, and libraries offer notary services. If the sealed case belongs to someone else, the same notarized authorization from the defendant is what allows the court to release the certificate to you.¹

What You Get Back

The certificate is a summary of your case printed on an official document bearing the court seal. It includes:⁶

The disposition, meaning how the case ended (dismissal, conviction, acquittal, or adjournment in contemplation of dismissal)
The original charges filed at the time of arrest
The final charges you were convicted of, if any
The date of the conviction, dismissal, or other final action
The sentence imposed, if you were convicted

The court seal is what gives the document its weight. A printout from an online database is not a substitute, which is why employers, immigration judges, and licensing boards ask for this specific document.

Not the Same as a Rap Sheet

A Certificate of Disposition covers one specific case and comes from the court that handled it. A rap sheet (formally called a criminal history record) covers your entire arrest and prosecution history across New York State and can only be obtained through the Division of Criminal Justice Services by submitting your fingerprints.⁷ If you need documentation of one case outcome, the Certificate of Disposition is the right document. If you need the full picture, you need the rap sheet, and some immigration attorneys ask for both.

1
NYC311. Certificate of Disposition
2
New York State Unified Court System. Ask a Law Librarian – How Do I Get a Certificate of Disposition
3
New York State Unified Court System. Criminal Certificate of Disposition Request
4
New York State Unified Court System. WebCrims
5
New York Courts. Fee Waivers (Poor Person’s Relief)
6
New York Courts. Certificate of Disposition
7
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Requesting Your New York State Criminal History