A death certificate will not be valid overseas unless a certified copy is authenticated (apostilled or legalized by the consulate or embassy of the country of intended use) 
Most likely, the original New York death certificate you have will qualify for the legalization by an apostille or foreign embassy if it was issued by
(a) New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (if the death occurred in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens or Staten Island)
(b) New York State Department of Health in Albany (if the death occurred outside the five borougs of New York City), or
(c) by a local town/city/county registrar (if the death occurred outside the five borougs of New York City)
How to prepare a New York death certificate for foreign use?
Check if the certificate is eligible for an apostille or embassy legalization. You can save sugnificant time if you email a copy for a free evaluation.
Make sure that the document you have will satisfy the requirements of the foreign country of intended use.
If the certificate is not eligible or does not satisfy foreign requirements, order a new one.
If you have an eligible document and it meets the foreign requirements, submit it for an apostille along with the Order Form by mail.
NYS apostille: price, processing time, order form
New York apostille: $175
Processing time: currently 1-1,5 weeks + mail
Please complete the Order Form and mail it with your original document(s) to
If you are sending your document(s) from a foreign country, please use FedEx, DHL or TNT, and email the tracking number so that we can watch for your package.
No hidden fees.
Our guarantee: If we are unable to get your documents apostilled or legalized, we issue a 100% refund, we do not keep any service fees.
Free document evaluation
What does a New York apostille look like?
Where to order a New York City death certificate?
You can order a certified copy of a Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island death certificate directly from the NYC Department of Health or from VitalChek.
IMPORTANT: when you answer the question “What will you be using this certificate for?”, please select “Apostille/authentication”. Then your will get a death certificate with a letter of exemplification.
What New York death certificates qualify for apostilles?
- New York City (five boroughs)
- Exemplification letters
- Other counties of New York State
- NYC death records before 1949
It does not matter whether you have an old document or a recently issued one, with or without a letter of exemplification, the eligibility for an apostille will depend on the name of the City Registrar who signed the birth certificate.
If the death certificate is signed by one of the following City Registrars, it is acceptable for a New York apostille.
No Letter of Exemplification is required.
You can order a certified copy of a Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island death certificate directly from the NYC Department of Health or from VitalChek.
If you need a letter of exemplification....
IMPORTANT: when you answer the question “What will you be using this certificate for?”, please select “Apostille/authentication”. Then your will get a certified copy of the death certificate with a letter of exemplification.
Exemplification letters. What is a Letter of exemplification? Is it required for getting an apostille?
A Letter of exemplification is a page attached to a New York City death certificate. It is hand-signed by a Deputy City Registrar and attests that the attached death certificate is a true copy of the actual record.
An Exemplification letter can only be attached to a NYC death certificate at the time a certified copy is issued. You cannot request a Letter of exemplification separately.
For apostille purposes, a Letter of exemplification is not required if the death certificate is signed by on of the following City Registrars:
No Letter of Exemplification is required.
The dates of issue on the death certificate and the Letter of exemplification must be the same. Otherwise, the certificate will be rejected by the New York County Clerk's office (which is the required step before the document is submitted for an apostille).
If the death was registered outside the five boroughs of New York City, the death certificate will be issued either locally (by the city/town/county registrar) or by the New York State Department of Health in Albany.
Locally issued death certificates must be authenticated on the county level before they are submitted for apostilles. We strongly recommend to email a copy of the certificate for a free evaluation as the requirements are different in different counties.
Death certificates issued by New York State Department of Health are be signed by Director of Vital Statistics (former: Peter M. Carucci, present: Thomas L. Heckert, Jr.). These certificates can also have a different signature. In most cases these certificates will qulify for apostilles.
Notarized copies of death certificates are not acceptable! In fact, New York notaries by law cannot notarize copies of vital records.
Copies certified as true copies by the document custodian (you) are not acceptable! You do need the original document.
Some foreign countries require that certified copies of death certificates are recent, e.g. were issued within the last six or twelve months.
Why would anyone need a copy of his/her grandparents' death certificate? The most common answer is applying for dual citizenship. The processes and requirements for applying for citizenship are developed by each county and vary from country to country. Many countries require apostilled certified copies of vital events in order to verify an applicant's claim of lineage.
If the death was registered in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens or Staten Island before 1949, the file will be in the New York City Municipal Archives. All documents are kept on film. To locate the right film, you need to know the year and the borough where the marriage license was issued.
We do a lot of research in the New York City Municipal Archives, and so far, we were able to locate 100% of the records ordered.
How does it work? Our staff member will go to the New York City Municipal Archives, and look through the catalogs. The records are arranged by year, and by borough where the license was issued. The first and most important task is to find the film and the certificate number. We will do this. Then, we will look through the actual film, and find the certificate. After that, the certificate can be printed out and exemplified by the staff of the Municipal Archives. Some experience is required for working with the archived materials.
If the death certificate is intended for an apostille or embassy legalization, it will need a Letter of exemplification.
An exemplified copy is an official copy of the document issued by a the New York City Municipal Archives. Upon request, the Municipal Archives will issue an exemplified copy of the death certificate.
Please note...
Notarized copies of death certificates are not acceptable! An exemplified copy is required.
Copies certified as true copies by the document custodian (you) are not acceptable! You do need an exemplified copy.
Our staff member will go to the Municipal Archives, find the certificate, order an exemplified copy of the certificate, and then we will get it apostilled or legalized by a foreign embassy.
Death certificates from before 1950 are public records.
Frequently asked questions
What is a "certified copy" of a death certificate?
A certified copy is an official copy of the document issued by a vital records office and guaranteed to be a true and exact copy of the original document kept on file in this office. Upon request, the Vital Records office of the respective Department of Health will issue a certified copy of a vital record. In most cases, certified copies bear the Seal of the Department of Health, the signature of the state official (e.g. the commissioner of Health or the State Registrar) and the statement that the document is in fact a true and correct copy of the original document kept in the files of Vital Records office.
Where do I get a certified copy of the death certificate for death that occurred in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island?
If the death was registered within the five boroughs of New York City, you first option is to apply in person or mail the request to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene at 125 Worth Street, New York, NY, 10013.
Your second option is to use a private online service called VitalChek that is the only agent authorized by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to assist you with the retrieval of death certificates. When ordering, you must specify that the purpose of your request is APOSTILLE/AUTHENTICATION. Then, most likely, you will get a certified copy of the death certificate with a Letter of Exemplification. VitalCheck works OK, they also mail documents to foreign countries.
What is a Letter of exemplification?
A Letter of exemplification is a page attached to a New York City death certificate. It is hand-signed by a Deputy City Registrar and attests that the attached death certificate is a true copy of the actual record.
Exemplification letters can only be attached to the NYC death certificates at the time a certified copy is issued. You cannot request a Letter of exemplification separately.
Is it true that I need an Exemplification letter in order to get a death certificate legalized by an apostille or by a foreign embassy?
No, it is not true. a New City death certificate can be apostilled / legalized with or without an Exemplification letter if it has the signature of one of the following City Registrars:
As of now, a Letter of exemplification is not a must for apostille/legalization purposes. If you have a Letter of exemplification, the document will be legalized in accordance with the standard procedure, first by the County Clerk's office in New York City, and then by an apostille or foreign certificate / embassy. If you do not have a Letter of exemplification, do not despair! The signature of the above listed City Registrars can be authenticated by a different County Clerk's office, without a Letter of exemplification. After that, the document will be apostilled or legalized by a foreign embassy according to the standard procedure.
A few consulates (e.g. the Italian consulate) specifically require that you submit a certified copy of the death death certificate with a Letter of exemplification. Please follow the consulate requirements. However, if a Letter of exemplification is not specifically required (like in 99% of the cases), your document can be apostilled / legalized without it.
Where do I get a certified copy of a death certificate if the death occurred outside New York City?
If the death was registered outside the five bouroughs of New York City, you have three options:
Option 1: You can request a certified copy from the New York State Department of Health in Albany
Request the expedited processing. Regular processing takes forever (10-12 weeks). For additional $15 you will get a certified copy within two weeks.
Option 2: You can request a certified copy from the local registrar in the county where the death was registered. Please note that these death certificates have to be authenticated on the country level before they are legalized by an apostille.
Option 3: Use a private online service called VitalChek (www.vitalchek.com)
