How to obtain an Apostille in New York?

 

First things first:

  • Apostilles in the United States of America are exclusively issued by The Secretary of State.
  • Apostille processing service companies as well as individuals can only obtain an Apostille from the Secretary of State office.
  • No private entity other than the Secretary of State issue Apostilles.

Having said that… you have 2 options to obtain an Apostille:


Option 1. – Hire the services of an Apostille processing

service firm to process the Apostille for you.

We highly recommend Apostille.net LLC as your Apostille processing service firm because of their 11 year expertise, great customer service and fast turn around time.

PROS:

  • The convenience to mail your document(s) to one central location at the Apostille.net LLC corporate offices in New York City, instead of mailing each individual document to the issuing state.
  • The convenience to obtain an Apostille in 24hrs as opposed to waiting for weeks to obtain one form the Secretary of State.
  • The convenience to pay with Credit Card, PayPal and/or check.

CONS:

  • Potentially I could be more expensive than doing it yourself, depending of your geographic and personal circumstances ie. traveling time and expenses.

Conclusion:

  • If you are looking for a convenient way to obtain an Apostille quickly and efficiently, hiring the services of Apostille.net is your best option.

Option 2.- Do it yourself:

PROS:

  • You could potentially save money if you are not in a hurry to obtain the Apostille.

CONS:

  • You have to mail the documents back and forth to the different government agencies (Country Clerk Recorder and or Secretary of State)
  • If you have documents form different States you will need to mail each individual document to the issuing state.
  • It could take weeks before you get your documents back.
  • Difficulties for the Secretary of State to mail your documents internationally back to you if you are not physically in the United States..

Conclusion:

  • If you are physically in the USA, are able to write a check or obtain a money order and in no rush. Processing the Apostille yourself could be an option.

If you decide to do it yourself here you will find the information to mail your documents:

 

 

 

New York Office of the Secretary of State
Miscellaneous/State Records Bureau
One Commerce Plaza
99 Washington Ave
Albany, NY 12231

Further details: http://www.dos.state.ny.us/corps/apostille.html