Authentication For Court Documents

Apostille and authentication certificates are ways to verify signatures, stamps and seals on documents such as birth and death certificates, contracts and educational diplomas. The country where a document will be used determines whether an apostille or authentication certificate is required.

The Apostille is an international certificate attached to public documents that certifies the origin of the signature and the capacity in which it was signed. It is based on the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. Apostilles are needed for documents that will be used in countries that are signatories to the treaty.

Certificates of apostille for federal legal forms are used to authenticate documents that will be used in countries that do not participate in the Hague Convention. These are the majority of countries around the world.

Authentication and Apostille fees are based on the number of documents submitted, the service requested and the type of document. The fee includes a photocopy of the original document; the cost of preparing a certificate of authentication or apostille; a search fee (if applicable); and any other relevant fees as established by statute. See the NDNY fee schedule for more information.

Apostille for Court Documents and Legal Filings

The NDNY offers walk-in apostille services at our New York City, Albany and Utica customer service locations. Please visit the Authentication and Apostille page for times and locations. In addition, the NDNY now requests that all credit card payments include a CVV number (the three or four digit security code on the back of your credit card) for all apostille and authentication certificate payments. This is in compliance with changes made by the credit card industry.