To get an apostille in Queens, NY, you pay $10 per document to the New York State Department of State, but your paperwork has to pass through a county clerk first, and which clerk depends on the document. Notarized documents go through the Queens County Clerk in Jamaica. NYC birth and death certificates have to go through the Manhattan County Clerk, no matter which borough you live in. Getting that routing wrong is the single most common reason applications come back unprocessed.
Which County Clerk Handles Your Document
Before the state can issue the apostille, a county clerk has to verify the signature on your document. The clerk you use is dictated by who signed it, not by where you live.
Birth and death certificates issued by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene must go through the New York County Clerk at 60 Centre Street in Manhattan. The signing official is a city-level officer whose signature is verified through New York County, so the Queens office will decline to process it.1NYC311. Apostille Document Authentication
Notarized private documents, such as powers of attorney, affidavits, and business agreements, go through the clerk of the county where the notary holds a commission. If your notary is commissioned in Queens, you use the Queens County Clerk. If they are commissioned elsewhere, you have to visit that county’s clerk or find a Queens-commissioned notary.
Birth, Death, and Marriage Certificates: The Manhattan Route
When you order the certified record from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, request a Letter of Exemplification at the same time. This companion document verifies the signature of the city official who signed the certificate, and the county clerk will not authenticate the record without it. You cannot add it after the fact without ordering a new certificate.2Department of State. Apostille or Certificate of Authentication
Take both documents to the New York County Clerk at 60 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007. The clerk verifies the signature on the record and charges $3.1NYC311. Apostille Document Authentication Once that certification is on the document, it is ready for the state.
Marriage certificates follow a similar pattern. If the NYC Marriage Bureau issued yours, contact them for the proper certified copy, then bring it to the appropriate county clerk for authentication before submitting to the state.
Notarized Documents: The Queens County Clerk Route
Private documents start with notarization. The document must be signed in front of a notary public who holds a current commission in Queens County. Verify the notary’s commission through the New York Department of State’s licensing database before your appointment. An expired or improperly commissioned notary will invalidate the entire chain.
Bring the notarized document to the Queens County Clerk’s Office at 88-11 Sutphin Blvd, Room 106, Jamaica, NY 11435.3New York Courts. Queens County Clerks Office The clerk confirms the notary is currently authorized and certifies the notary’s signature. The fee is $3 per certification, payable in cash, certified check, or U.S. postal money order made out to the Queens County Clerk. Credit cards are not accepted at this step.4New York Courts. Queens County Clerks Office Notary and Passports
Diplomas and Transcripts
Academic records need one extra step up front. A school official, usually the registrar, must sign a statement confirming the document is an official record or a true copy. That official’s signature then has to be notarized. From there, the notarized document follows the same county clerk authentication path as any other private document.2Department of State. Apostille or Certificate of Authentication
Submitting to the NYS Department of State
Once the county clerk has authenticated your document, you prepare a submission package for the state.
Fill Out Form DOS-1917
Download the Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request Form (DOS-1917) from the Department of State’s website.5New York Department of State. Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request Enter your full legal name, return address, the number of documents, and the destination country where the document will be used. Leaving the destination country blank triggers an automatic return.
Pay the $10 Per Document Fee
Each apostille costs $10. Pay by check, money order, or credit card authorization on the form, which now requires a CVV number for all credit card payments.2Department of State. Apostille or Certificate of Authentication For multiple documents, the total must be exact. An underpayment means the entire package comes back.
Include a Prepaid Return Envelope
Your submission must include a self-addressed, prepaid return envelope or carrier label. The Department of State accepts first-class stamped envelopes, USPS Priority or Express prepaid envelopes, and prepaid labels from FedEx, UPS, or DHL.5New York Department of State. Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request Without it, your document sits.
Walk-In or Mail
Queens residents have two ways to get the document to the state.6Department of State. Apostille or Certificate of Authentication
- Walk-in same-day service at the NYC office, 123 William Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10038, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For most Queens residents working against a deadline, this is the fastest option.
- Mail to NYS Department of State, Division of Licensing Services, P.O. Box 22001, Albany, NY 12201-2001. Use a trackable shipping method; the state does not take responsibility for lost packages, and replacing authenticated county clerk documents adds weeks.1NYC311. Apostille Document Authentication
Mistakes That Get Applications Returned
The Department of State sends packages back without processing if anything is incomplete. Watch for these:
- Skipping the county clerk step. A notarized document without county clerk authentication cannot be apostilled; the state verifies the clerk’s certification, not the notary’s signature directly.
- Sending a NYC birth or death certificate through the Queens County Clerk instead of the Manhattan County Clerk.
- Missing the Letter of Exemplification on birth and death certificates from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
- Using a notary whose commission has lapsed or who notarized outside their commissioned county.
- Wrong payment amount, missing CVV for credit card payments, or a payment type that office does not accept.
- Blank destination country on Form DOS-1917.
When the Queens Route Does Not Apply
New York State cannot apostille documents issued by federal agencies. FBI background checks, federal court orders, and other federally issued documents go to the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications, not Albany, and the federal process uses Form DS-4194 with a $20 fee per document. Do not have a federal document notarized before submitting it; adding a notary stamp breaks the authentication chain.7U.S. Department of State. Requesting Authentication Services
An apostille also only works for countries that participate in the Hague Apostille Convention. If your destination country is not a member, you need a Certificate of Authentication instead, which the NYS Department of State issues using the same DOS-1917 form and $10 fee. After you receive it, non-Hague countries typically require one more step: legalization by that country’s embassy or consulate in the United States.8U.S. Department of State. Office of Authentications Call that embassy before you start, because some impose extra requirements like certified translations, and skipping that call can mean redoing the entire chain.