Three Steps to getting your document Apostille in NYC
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An Apostille makes your document certified for use in foreign countries; however, the procedure of getting your documents Apostilled may confuse you. The New York Department of State issuance of Apostilles for public documents includes a step-by-step process. You need help getting your document Apostille in NYC, so we provided easy steps to guide you through it in this article. Read on!
What is an Apostille?
An Apostille is a certification issued to documents for use in participating countries of the Hague Convention of 1961. It verifies and certifies the origin of an official document. The Apostille authenticates documents issued in a member country for use in another member country of the Hague Convention.
All member countries of the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention recognize the Apostille certification. The document Apostilled in NYC authenticates the signature or seal of the person in the said document for use in another member country of the Hague Convention.
The 1961 Hague Apostille Convention
The 1961 Hague Convention abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents established Apostille guidelines. The treaty set a process standard, a legal document from one member country notarized by a notary public, then certified with a conformant apostille, is certified for use in all other member countries. Under the Hague Convention, signatory countries have agreed to recognize Apostilled public documents issued by other signatory countries.
Before the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, the authentication of public documents used to be a seemingly complicated process, requiring the collection of forms with the notarized document. The Hague Convention of 1961 or the Apostille Treaty provides for the much-simplified certification of public (including notarized) documents to be used in countries that have joined the convention
The following countries are Hague Convention members and accept document Apostille NYC:
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Belize
- Bosnia-Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brunei
- Czech Republic
- Comoros Islands
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- El Salvador
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guyana
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Kiribati
- Latvia
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Malawi
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Mozambique
- Netherlands
- Northern Ireland
- Norway
- Panama
- Philippines
- Portugal
- Russian Federation
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- San Marino
- Republic of Seychelles
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- Spain
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Switzerland
- Turkey
- Tuvalu
- United Kingdom of Great Britain
- United States of America
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Yugoslavia
How to document Apostille in NYC
You will have to visit three offices in New York City to get an apostille for your document, but you can also do it by mail. It can be faster if you do it in person, though. The processing is about two to four days when you do it in person while completing the process by mail takes weeks. Below are the steps you need to go through, from start to finally securing your Apostilled document.
Step1: Secure the document that needs an Apostille.
Most documents that need Apostille are vital records. If your documents are school credentials, you must have them notarized before getting them authenticated by the New York County Clerk. For New York City records, other than divorce certificates, you must contact the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene or the New York City Marriage Bureau.
Important notarization note:
Make sure that the notary public’s signature is original and must match the sample signature filed with the office of the County Clerk in the county where the notary public is qualified. The notary’s stamp must also clearly reflect the notary’s license number, the name of the county where the notary is qualified, and the license expiration date. Otherwise, the above information must be printed or typed in black ink.
Step2: Next step to document Apostille NYC – have it authenticated in the New York County Clerk’s office.
You will need your document authenticated by the New York County Clerk. You can submit your documents to the County Clerk of New York County, by mail or in person.
To make your Request for Authentication in person, you can present it to The County Clerk’s Notary Desk at 60 Centre Street, Room 141B. They will process your documents immediately.
Request by mail address to:
County Clerk of New York County, New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, Room 161, New York, NY 10007
When requesting by mail, if the documents are in proper order, the County Clerk will authenticate them and return them to the applicant by mail. Your mail submission must come with a certified personal check or U.S. postal order, made payable to the County Clerk of New York County. Do note that when you submit by mail, it will generally take three to four weeks to get your documents processed; due to the volume of documents received in the mail by the County Clerk’s office.
Also, mail applications must include a stamped, self-addressed envelope for the return of the documents by the County Clerk as the office does not have the facilities to return documents by delivery service or postal express mail.
Step3: Secure your Apostille at the New York State Department of State’s office.
Finally, after completing the first and second steps, you may proceed to the New York Department of State, where you can secure an Apostille to your documents. The New York State Department of State Address is at 123 William Street, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10038, with business days and hours from Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 3:30 PM. Upon reaching the second floor, take a number from the dispenser on the right side of the main desk and proceed to the final things to do below to accomplish your document Apostille NYC.
- Complete the Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request Form.
- Attach your properly authenticated documents to the completed Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request Form.
Include applicable fees and mailing instructions as indicated on page 1 of the form
Why Choose Bronx Mobile Notary Service to process your NYC Apostille?
Getting your document Apostille in NYC, if done correctly, may only take up to 4 days. However, wrong handling may cause delays that may last for months, and you would not like it. It is therefore highly recommended that you let a professional handle the process.
Bronx Mobile Notary Service is New York’s most reliable licensed mobile notary service professional. We assist our clients by providing a seamless approach to obtaining an Apostille.
From notarization to getting your documents Apostilled, we will manage them appropriately. We will return your documents via the delivery method of your choice once the process is complete. We are available to answer your calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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