A notarized New York document needs county clerk certification of the notary’s signature, then a $10 apostille from the New York Department of State. The county clerk charges $3.
Last reviewed: . Government fees and office details were checked against the official sources listed below.
Key facts
| Issuing office | New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services, Apostille and Authentication Unit |
|---|---|
| State fee | $10 per document, plus $3 per document for county clerk certification of the notary. |
| State processing time | Same day for walk-in customers, up to 10 documents. No official processing time is published for mail. |
| Where issued | Department of State offices in New York City, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo and Utica, or by mail to Albany. |
| Form | DOS-1917-f, “Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request” (Rev. 02/24), two pages |
| Payment | Department of State: Check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank, or MasterCard, Visa or American Express. Cash is not accepted. A CVV code is required for card payments. |
These are government figures. AI Fingerprinting’s service fee is separate and quoted on request.
Why does a notarized document need the county clerk first?
The Department of State does not keep notary signatures to compare against. It relies on the county clerk, who does.
The rule is stated plainly on the Department’s page: “Notarized documents must be certified by the County Clerk of the County where the notary is certified to notarize.” The Department of State then apostilles the clerk’s signature.
Which county clerk certifies your notary?
The county clerk of the county where the notary is qualified, or a county clerk with whom that notary has filed a signature card.
This is the step that goes wrong most often. A notary who works in Manhattan may be qualified in another county. The New York County Clerk, for example, authenticates a notary only if the notary is qualified in New York County or has filed a signature card there. Check the notary’s stamp. It normally shows the county of qualification.
New York City has five county clerk offices:
- Bronx County: 851 Grand Concourse
- Kings County: 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn
- New York County: 60 Centre Street
- Queens County: 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica
- Richmond County: 130 Stuyvesant Place, Staten Island
What does the New York County Clerk require?
The New York County Clerk’s Notary Department charges $3.00 per document and does not take personal or company checks.
- Where: 60 Centre Street, Room 141B, New York, NY 10007. Phone (646) 386-5932.
- Accepted payment: cash, certified check, attorney check, credit card, money order or bank check.
- By mail: a written request with your email, phone and return address, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a money order, attorney check or certified bank check.
- What happens next: the clerk returns the document to you. The office states that it “does not forward documents to the Department of State to be Apostilled.”
Confirm procedures with any other county clerk before you mail anything.
How do you apostille a notarized document in New York?
Have it notarized by a New York notary, get the county clerk’s certification, then apply to the Department of State.
- Sign the document in front of a New York notary public.
- Note the county where the notary is qualified.
- Take or mail the document to that county clerk. Pay $3 per document.
- Complete Department of State form DOS-1917-f. Name the destination country.
- Add $10 per document. If paying by card, include the CVV code.
- Enclose a prepaid First-Class, Priority or Express envelope, or a prepaid FedEx, UPS or DHL label.
- Mail the packet to the Apostille and Authentication Unit in Albany, or use a walk-in office.
Do diplomas and transcripts follow the same route?
Yes, with one step added at the start. School records must be certified by a school official before they are notarized.
The county clerk then certifies the notary, and the Department of State issues the apostille.
What if the document was notarized outside New York?
Then New York is the wrong state. A notarized document is authenticated by the state where the notary holds a commission.
If your notary was in Washington, see our Washington apostille service. Federal documents, including FBI background checks, go to the U.S. Department of State. See our FBI apostille service.
What a New York notarized document apostille looks like
You get your document back with two pages added on top: the state apostille, then the county clerk’s certificate, bound together by a metal eyelet in the top-left corner.
The apostille is a white page with ten numbered fields. Field 3 reads “County Clerk” and field 4 names the county. The signer’s title is Deputy Secretary of State for Business and Licensing Services. The seal is a blue printed circle reading “State of New York, Department of State”. Sample certificate numbers from the New York City office read “NYC-” followed by seven digits.
The New York County Clerk’s certificate is a pink landscape sheet labelled “Form 1”, with a double-ruled border and a seven-digit serial number. Its printed text certifies that the person who signed the attached document “has been commissioned and qualified as a NOTARY PUBLIC” and has filed a signature with the clerk. A round ink stamp crosses the edge of the sheet onto the page below.
Common reasons for rejection
The county clerk step causes most rejections for notarized documents, because it has to be the right clerk.
- The document went to the Department of State with no county clerk certification.
- The document went to a county clerk where the notary is not qualified and has no signature card.
- A personal or company check was offered at the New York County Clerk.
- A school record was notarized without a school official’s certification.
- The request form was incomplete. The Department returns incomplete forms for correction.
How AI Fingerprinting helps
AI Fingerprinting is a private document services business at 201 NE Park Plaza Dr #221, Vancouver, WA 98684. We are not a government agency. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Clients across the United States work with us by mail.
Send us a clear photo of the notarized page before you do anything else. We read the notary’s details and tell you which county clerk applies, what that clerk accepts as payment and what the Department of State will need.
Powers of attorney, affidavits and school records are all handled on the same footing. Pricing is by quote.
New York notarized document apostille FAQ
Does the notary’s county matter for a New York apostille?
Yes. The Department of State requires certification by the county clerk of the county where the notary is certified to notarize. A different county clerk cannot certify that notary unless a signature card is filed there.
How much does it cost to apostille a notarized document in New York?
Government fees are $3 per document for the county clerk and $10 per document for the Department of State. AI Fingerprinting’s service fee is separate and quoted on request.
Can the New York County Clerk certify any New York notary?
No. The New York County Clerk authenticates a notary who is qualified in New York County or who has filed a signature card there.
Does the New York County Clerk accept personal checks?
No. The office accepts cash, certified check, attorney check, credit card, money order or bank check. Personal and company checks are not accepted.
How many notarized documents can be apostilled the same day?
Same-day walk-in service at the Department of State is limited to 10 documents per customer.
Do school records need to be notarized for a New York apostille?
Yes. A school official certifies the record, a notary notarizes it, and the county clerk certifies the notary before the Department of State issues the apostille.
Ready to get your apostille?
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Sources
- New York Department of State: Apostille or Certificate of Authentication
- New York Department of State: form DOS-1917-f, Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request (Rev. 02/24)
- New York County Clerk: Notary Department
- NYC311: Apostille or Certificate of Authentication
- U.S. Department of State: apostille requirements
This page is general information, not legal advice. Some countries require specific wording, translations or extra legalization for notarized documents. Confirm with the receiving country’s authority before you sign.