Having a birth certificate from one of the five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) apostilled or authenticated by a foreign embassy might seem like a confusing process. New York City has short form birth certificates, long form birth certificates, exemplified birth certificates (certificates with letters of exemplification), certificates in different colors (pink, yellow, white, blue, green). How to determine if your certificate is be eligible for a New York apostille?
How to prepare your New York City birth certificate for foreign use?
Check if your birth certificate is eligible for an apostille. You can save time if you email a copy for a free evaluation.
Make sure that the document you have will satisfy the foreign country of intended use. Some foreign receiving agencies require that the certified copy is recent (e.g. issued withing the last six or twelve months), some require long form birth certificates, etc.
If your birth certificate is not eligible or does not satisfy the foreign requirements, order a new certified copy from NYC Department of Health or from VitalChek.
Submit it for a New York apostille along with the Order Form.
NYS apostille: price, processing time, order form
New York apostille: $175
Processing time: currently 1,5-2 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 birth certificate?
You can order a certified copy of your Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island birth 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 long form birth certificate with a letter of exemplification.
What birth certificates are eligible for apostilles?
- General information
- Short form birth certificates
- Long form birth certificates
- Exemplification letters
It does not matter whether you have a short form, a long form, 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 your birth certificate is signed by one of the following City Registrars, it is acceptable for a New York apostille.
STEVEN P. SCHWARTZNo Letter of Exemplification is required.
If your certificate has two signatures, Steven P. Schwartz and Gretchen Van Wye, Ph.D., it is eligible for an apostille / embassy legalization, as the signature of Steven P. Schwartz can be authenticated directly. No letter of exemplification is required.
If your certificate has only one signature of Gretchen Van Wye, Ph.D., it needs a letter of exemplification, it cannot be apostilled as is.
You can order a certified copy of your Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island birth 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 long form birth certificate with a letter of exemplification.
Short form birth certificates are known sometimes as computer certifications. Limited information is taken from the original birth record (the long form) and stored in the database that can be accessed quickly when the birth certificates are needed in a short amount of time. Whereas the long form is a copy of the actual birth certificate, a short form is a document that certifies the existence of such certificate, and is usually titled a "Certification of Birth" or "Certificate of Birth Registration". Short form birth certificates include the child's full name, sex, date and place of birth, and the parents' names.
Short form birth certificate are acceptable for New York apostilles if they are signed by one of the following regisrars:
Effective September 1, 2018, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has a new City Registrar. The name of the new City Registrar is Gretchen Van Wye, Ph. D. - If your certificate has two signatures, Steven P. Schwartz and Gretchen Van Wye, Ph.D., it is eligible for an apostille / embassy legalization, as the signature of Steven P. Schwartz can be authenticated directly.
- If your certificate has only one signature of Gretchen Van Wye, Ph.D., it is not eligible for an apostille / embassy legalization.
Short form birth certificates eligible for New York apostilles
Acceptable. No exemplification letter is required.
Acceptable. No exemplification letter is required.
Acceptable. No exemplification letter is required.
Acceptable. No exemplification letter is required.
Long form birth certificates, also known as certified photocopies, or vault copies, are exact photocopies of the original birth record that was prepared by the hospital or attending physician at the time of the child's birth. The long form usually includes parents' information (address of residence, race, birth place, date of birth, etc.), additional information on the child's birthplace, and the information on the doctor(s) that assisted in the birth of the child.
For most purposes, either short or long form birth certificate will be sufficient. However, sometimes the receiving foreign authorities specifically require long form birth certificates.- If your certificate has two signatures, Steven P. Schwartz and Gretchen Van Wye, Ph.D., it is eligible for an apostille / embassy legalization, as the signature of Steven P. Schwartz can be authenticated directly.
- If your long form certificate has only one signature of Gretchen Van Wye, Ph.D., it cannot be apostilled without a Letter of exemplification.
Long form birth certificates eligible for New York apostilles
Acceptable.
Acceptable. No exemplification letter required.
Acceptable. No exemplification letter required.
Acceptable. No exemplification letter required.
Acceptable. No exemplification letter required.
Acceptable. No exemplification letter required.
Acceptable. No exemplification letter required.
Exemplification letter. Is it required for getting an apostille?
A Letter of exemplification is a page attached to a New York City long form birth certificate. It is hand-signed by a Deputy City Registrar and attests that the attached birth certificate is a true copy of the actual record.
An Exemplification letter can only be attached to a NYC long form birth 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 birth certificate is signed by on of the following City Registrars:
A few consluates and embassies specifically require that you submit a long form birth certificate with a Letter of exemplification. Please follow the consulate / embassy requirements.
The dates of issue on the birth 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.
Frequently asked questions
Are old birth certificates acceptable for apostilles?
Old birth certificates, both short and long form, are acceptable for New York apostilles if they are signed by one of the following regisrars: STEVEN P. SCHWARTZ * IRENE A. SCANLON * EARLENE PRICE * IRWING MELLON
Depending on the year when the certificate was issued, it can be blue, green, yellow, pink or white in color. The color and the year of issue do not matter. Please check the name of the City Registrar. If it is one of the names listed above, your birth certificate is acceptable.
Not sure? Please email a copy of your birth certificate for a free evaluation.
Some foreign countries require that certified copies of birth certificates are recent, e.g. were issued within the last six or twelve months. Always follow the requirements of the country of intended use.
How to get a Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island long form birth certificate?
If you were born within the five boroughs of New York City, your 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.
You will not be able to get a long form birth certificate over the counter. It will be mailed to you within two-three weeks. Short form birth certificates can be obtained over the counter.
Your second option is to use a private online service called VitalCheck. VitalChek is the only agent authorized by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hugiene to assist you with the retrieval of your birth certificate. When ordering you must specify that the purpose of your request is APOSTILLE/AUTHENTICATION. Then you will get a long form birth certificate with a Letter of Exemplification.
Where to get a certified copy of the birth certificate if the birth was registered outside the five boroughs of New York City?
If you were born in the State of New York, outside the five boroughs of New York City, your birth record will be on file in two places: (a) with the local city/town/county registrar, and (b) in the Vital Records Bureau of the New York State Department of Health in Albany.
Can a notarized copy of a birth certificate be apostilled?
Notarized copies of birth certificates are not acceptable! In fact, New York notaries by law cannot notarize copies of vital records.
Can an apostilled birth certificate be rejected by a foreign country?
Yes. Some countries have very specific requirements as to what kind of birth certificates they would accept.
Some foreign countries require that your birth certificate is recent, e.g. was issued within the last six or twelve months. For apostille purposes, the year of issue does not matter, however, please check with the country of intended use if there are any specific requirements.
Some foreign agencies specifically require long form birth certificates. If this is the case, you will need to obtain a long form birth cerificate from the NYC Department of Health.