Apostilles and embassy legalization services for birth certificates issued in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, short form, long form, with or without exemplification letters, old and receintly issued. No exemplification letter is required if the birth certificate is signed by one of the following registrars: STEVEN P. SCHWARTZ, IRENE A. SCANLON, EARLENE PRICE, IRWING MELLON.
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island birth certificates
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.
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.
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island birth certificates
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. Please order a new certificate with a Letter of exemplification through www.vitalchek.com.
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.
Exemplification letters can only be attached to the NYC long form birth certificates at the time a certified copy is issued. You cannot request a Letter of exemplification separately.
A Letter of Exemplification is not required if the birth certificate is signed by one of the following regisrars:
A few consulates specifically require that you submit a long form birth 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 birth certificate can be apostilled / legalized without it.
New York apostille / legalization: price, processing time, order form:
FedEx (standard overnight): $30
FedEx International: $75 (most countries)
FedEx International to Eastern Europe, South America, Africa: $115 ; FedEx International to Eastern Europe, South America, Africa: $115
New York Apostille / Embassy Legalization Order Form (PDF file)
Complete the Order form and enclose it with your documents. Our mailing address is
Please email the tracking number so that we could watch for your package. If you are mailing from a foreign country, please use FedEx or DHL.
Short form birth certificates eligible for apostilles / legalization
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 eligible for apostilles / legalization
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Old birth certificates. Are they acceptable for NY 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.
Where do I get a certified copy of the birth certificate if the child was born in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island?
Where do I get a certified copy of the birth certificate if the child was born in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island?
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.com that is the only agent authorized by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene 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, most likely, you will get your birth certificate with a Letter of Exemplification. VitalCheck works OK, they also mail documents to foreign countries.
Where do I get a certified copy of the birth certificate if the child was born outside New York City?
If you were born in the State of New York, outside the five boroughs on New York City, then 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 the 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.
Some foreign countries require that your birth certificate is recent, e.g. is no older that six or twelve months. For apostille purposes, the year of issue does not matter, however, please check with the country of intended use if a recently issued birth certificate is required.
Notarized copies of birth 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.