How to Apostille a New York Degree from Abroad
To apostille a New York degree from abroad, your paperwork passes four sets of hands in the United States. Your registrar certifies the record, a notary notarizes that signature, the county clerk certifies the notary, and the New York Department of State issues the apostille. You stay where you are. Someone you trust, or our Tewksbury office, carries the set through and couriers the finished apostille to you.
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Who apostilles a New York degree for a graduate living abroad?
The New York Department of State, Apostille and Authentication Unit, apostilles the degree after three earlier steps. The registrar certifies the record, a notary notarizes that signature, and the notary's County Clerk certifies the notary. The state fee is $10 per document. The county clerk fee is $3 per document in the counties we read. Walk-in offices give same-day service for up to 10 documents.
- Who apostilles: New York Department of State, Apostille and Authentication Unit
- State fee: $10 per document
- County clerk fee: $3 per document on the Cornell, Potsdam and Erie County pages
- Order of steps: Registrar, notary, county clerk, Department of State, courier
- Walk-in offices: New York City, Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Utica
Four signatures, one state office, and a county step most states do not have
Most students expect a New York apostille to come from the university. It does not. Universities certify their own records, but only the Department of State in Albany can attach the apostille, and it will not accept a school official’s signature on its own.
The piece that surprises people is the county clerk. New York keeps notary signatures on file at the county level, so the clerk of the county where the notary is commissioned has to certify the notary first. Skip that stop and the state sends the file back.
This guide is written for the graduate who cannot come back. You will find the state office details, what eight real New York schools say on their own pages, a realistic timeline, and the places where files stall. If you also hold a diploma from another state, our guides for Pennsylvania and California show how different those chains can be.
The school proves the record. The notary proves the school’s signature. The clerk proves the notary. The state proves the clerk.
The signature route for a New York degree, step by step
The diagram shows the order. Read it from the registrar’s desk to the courier at your door.
- Registrarcertifies the record
- Notarynotarizes that signature
- County Clerkcertifies the notary
- NY Department of StateAlbany or New York City
- CourierDHL, FedEx or UPS
- You, abroadhand it to the office
Why the county step exists
A New York notary registers with a county clerk. The clerk keeps that notary’s signature on file. The Department of State, in turn, keeps the clerks’ signatures on file. That is how the state can vouch for a notary it has never met. Its own page says notarized documents “must be certified by the County Clerk of the County where the notary is certified to notarize.”
Which county? The notary’s county, not the school’s and not yours. Cornell, for one, sends students to the Tompkins County Clerk. A notary at a CUNY campus may be registered in Kings or New York County, and John Jay names the Brooklyn clerk. The clerk’s certificate tells you, so read it before you plan anything. Queens College says it plainly: the clerk’s office has to be in the same county as the notary.
Compare this with Massachusetts, where we are based. A Massachusetts school record goes registrar, notary, Secretary of the Commonwealth, with no county stop and a $6 state fee. New York adds a stop and charges more at the state level. Neither is harder, but New York has one more place for a file to sit.
The Department of State: Albany, New York City and the mail
The Department of State’s apostille request page lists a $10 fee per document. It names the Apostille and Authentication Unit of the Division of Licensing Services as the issuing office. The same page says the Department authenticates only public documents issued in New York State, signed by a New York State official or a county clerk.
For educational records, its additional information page says the document must be certified by an official at the institution and that the official’s signature must be notarized. The page does not spell out the clerk step for school records. Every New York school we read does include it, because the notary is the signature the state knows.
Where to take or send the file
By mail, the address is New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services, Apostille and Authentication Unit, PO Box 22001, Albany, NY 12201-2001. Couriers such as UPS, FedEx and DHL cannot deliver to a PO box, so the page gives a street address for them: 1 Commerce Plaza, 99 Washington Avenue, 6th Floor, Albany, NY 12231.
Same-day walk-in service exists in five cities. In New York City the office is at 123 William Street, 2nd Floor, open 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on weekdays. Albany is at the 99 Washington Avenue address, open 9:00 am to 4:15 pm. Binghamton, Buffalo and Utica also have walk-in counters with a lunch break. Same-day service is limited to 10 documents per customer. Drop-off requests are taken only in Albany and New York City and, in the Department’s words, are not treated as a priority.
What the page does not say
It does not publish a processing time for mail requests. It does not say whether it accepts mail sent from outside the United States. It does not mention an electronic apostille. For anything beyond that, call the unit at (518) 474-4429.
Returns go back by first-class mail. If you want overnight return, enclose a prepaid label. The Department says it will not use labels that bill your credit card or bill the sender. Pay by card on the request form and it requires the security code. We would not send a personal check.
What eight New York registrars say on their own pages
New York has hundreds of colleges, and no two registrars run this the same way. These eight show the range, from a campus that does everything in person to one that mails you the first step. Where a school’s page was only available as a short summary, the last column says so. Treat those rows as a starting point and ask the registrar.
| Institution | What they say | How a student abroad requests it | Confirmed from |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York University | NYU does step one only, the notarization. County clerk and Department of State follow outside NYU. | Email the request form and a diploma scan to certifications@nyu.edu. NYU can send notarized papers to an agency you name. | NYU apostille page. Taken from NYU’s published summary, so confirm the current steps with the registrar. |
| Columbia University | A registrar official certifies the record and the signature is notarized in the office, at no fee. Then the New York County Clerk, then the state. | Ask the registrar about remote requests. We could not confirm how mail from abroad is handled. | Columbia registrar page. Taken from Columbia’s published summary, so confirm the current steps with the registrar. |
| Cornell University | The registrar provides step one only. Estimated 12 weeks. eDiplomas and eTranscripts are not accepted. | Email a printable PDF scan to univreg@cornell.edu with your date of birth and mailing address, or mail originals to 245 Day Hall, Ithaca. Papers come back by post. | Cornell registrar page, read in full. |
| John Jay College (CUNY) | The registrar hand-signs, with no stamps or designees. A campus notary notarizes, the Brooklyn clerk certifies the notary. Described as an in-person process only. | Email the registrar with a subject line for the document. A proxy needs a signed letter, a copy of your passport and their own photo ID. | John Jay apostille page, read in full. |
| Queens College (CUNY) | The registrar verifies and coordinates notarization, and does not issue the apostille. No college fee for verification and notarization. | Email Registrar@qc.cuny.edu. Order transcripts through Parchment to the apostille unit. Students abroad may authorize a representative. Scans are not accepted. | Queens College registrar page, read in full. |
| Stony Brook University (SUNY) | Offers a notarization option on transcripts. Digital diplomas are sold through Parchment. We did not confirm the clerk and state steps. | Submit the apostille request form together with the transcript request. Phone 631-632-6175. | Stony Brook registrar pages. Search excerpts only. |
| SUNY Potsdam | Staff certify, an on-campus notary notarizes, and the registrar forwards the set to the St. Lawrence County Clerk in Canton and on to Albany. Allows 4 to 8 weeks. | Mail the request, the state form and two prepaid mailers. Staff recommend a U.S. return address, not one abroad. A scan of the diploma is accepted. | Potsdam registrar page, read in full. |
| Union College | The college certifies and a Schenectady County notary notarizes. Then the Schenectady County Clerk, then the state. Usually two to three weeks, longer if a replacement diploma must be printed. | Mail a cover letter, the request, the state form, payment and a postage-paid return envelope to the registrar in Schenectady. | Union registrar page, read in full. |
Three things jump out. First, timelines run from two or three weeks to twelve, and the school controls most of that. Second, only some schools accept a scan. Third, every school that returns papers by post expects a U.S. address, which is why a trusted person, or our office, matters so much when you live abroad.
Our advice: Before you pay for anything, write to the registrar and ask four questions. Which of your documents will you certify? Do you notarize on campus? Will you mail to a U.S. address that is not mine? What is your current wait? The answers decide everything that follows.
Diploma, transcript, letters and the I-20: what actually gets an apostille
Diploma
Some schools certify a copy. Others want the original in hand. John Jay says a hard copy must be on hand before the process begins. Union and Potsdam describe a certified copy or a replacement diploma. Potsdam lists a $10 replacement diploma that takes two to four weeks to arrive by mail. Do not put your only original in an international envelope until the registrar says it is needed.
Final transcript
The registrar certifies an official transcript printed for this purpose. Queens College and Cornell both say scans and electronic versions will not do. Order the transcript with the apostille in mind, and mention the destination country, so the school prints it the way the notary can see it.
Degree or enrollment verification letter
Many foreign offices want a letter on school letterhead stating the degree, the date and the major. Queens College and John Jay handle these by email. They are certified the same way as a transcript. Ask for the letter before the diploma arrives if you graduated recently.
I-20 and DS-2019
These are federal immigration forms completed by your school’s international office. They are not New York public records, so the Department of State has nothing to authenticate. A foreign immigration office that asks for one usually wants a copy or a school letter instead. Ask which. We do not apostille an I-20 as a New York document.
Syllabi and background-check letters
Credential evaluators sometimes ask for syllabi, and Queens College says the offering department sends them to the registrar. A school letter about your conduct record is certified like any registrar letter. An FBI report is different. It is federal and goes to the U.S. Department of State. See our FBI background apostille page.
Documents the state cannot authenticate
- Scans, PDFs and electronic transcripts.
- Federal forms such as an I-20.
- Documents from schools outside New York.
- Anything with no notary or clerk behind it.
Our overview of digital document apostilles explains the electronic cases.
The order of work when you cannot come to New York
Three things limit you from another country. Nobody can sign for you. Schools mail papers inside the United States. The state returns papers by post. A person or service in the United States solves all three.
- 1
Ask the registrar what they will certify
Send one email with your name as it appeared at school, date of birth, the documents you want and the destination country. Time zones help here. Seoul is 13 hours ahead of New York in summer and 14 in winter. Write, do not phone.
- 2
Name a U.S. address and a person
Most schools will not mail certified papers abroad. Use a relative, or ask us to receive them. Some schools need a signed release before they give records to anyone but you. Queens College and John Jay both list what a representative must bring.
- 3
Order the documents and pay the school
Transcripts usually go through Parchment. Diplomas may be a copy, a duplicate or the original, per the earlier table. Nothing leaves campus uncertified.
- 4
Notarization and the county clerk
The campus notary signs. Then the papers go to the clerk of the notary’s county, who certifies the signature. Some schools forward the set, as Potsdam does. Cornell puts that step on the student. This is the step that goes missing in family-run files.
- 5
The Department of State
Walk-in in New York City or Albany if time matters. Mail if it does not. Fill in the request form, name the destination country, and pay $10 per document.
- 6
Ship the finished set last
Check the apostille against the document before it leaves the United States. Then use a tracked international courier. Ship the diploma last, not first.
Three typical cases
The school only works in person
A graduate in Seoul needs a transcript and diploma apostilled for a job. Her college runs the process in person only. She signs an authorization letter, a relative brings it with her passport copy, and the college certifies on an appointment. The clerk and the state follow. The college’s own timeline is the slow part, so she starts there.
The registrar mails to the student
A graduate in São Paulo scans his diploma to the registrar and waits roughly twelve weeks for step one. The papers come back by post, so he names a U.S. address. After that comes the Tompkins County Clerk, then Albany. São Paulo is one hour ahead of New York in summer and two hours ahead in winter, so a short call is easy if the office allows one.
A scan, two mailers and patience
A graduate in Madrid emails a scan of his diploma. Potsdam certifies it, a campus notary signs, and the staff send the set to the St. Lawrence County Clerk in Canton. The school says it cannot track the package after that. He plans for the four to eight weeks it quotes, and for the return post.
Shipping math
Count courier days each way. DHL, FedEx and UPS publish their own transit estimates by country, and customs can hold a paper envelope. If a deadline is firm, book the courier from the finished apostille, not from the first email. New York is on Eastern time, the same as our Tewksbury office, so a call before 5 pm Eastern still reaches us on a weekday at (978) 424-4629.
For more on handling the whole U.S. side while you are overseas, read our guide to getting an apostille while abroad and the how it works page.
Six reasons a New York degree file stalls
The clerk is not the notary’s
You take a Cornell notarization to the New York County Clerk because that is where you live. The clerk cannot certify a Tompkins County notary. Always use the notary’s county.
A signature the registrar did not make
John Jay says only the registrar can sign, with no stamps or designees. A stamped signature on a transcript fails the first step, and everything downstream waits.
An electronic transcript or e-diploma
Cornell and Queens College do not accept them for this. John Jay will not certify a printed copy of a digital diploma. Order a paper version.
A personal check or a bad label
The Department says no to personal checks, and Erie County asks for a money order or certified check. It also refuses return labels that bill the sender or a card.
Papers mailed abroad directly
Potsdam recommends a U.S. return address. A lost envelope can cost you weeks and a repeat of the whole chain. Use a U.S. address and ship from there.
The record says one name, the passport another
Maiden names, shortened names and name order differ between New York schools and foreign ministries. Ask the registrar to issue records in your full legal name before certifying. Our apostille mistakes guide lists more traps.
What the receiving office abroad expects
Europe: a German university
A graduate applies to a master’s program in Germany. The university decides which records need an apostille, and some accept copies for the first round and ask for apostilled originals at enrollment. Get the requirement in writing, then order only that set. The status of each country is on the HCCH status table.
Asia: a credential check in China
China is listed on the HCCH table as joining the Convention in November 2023, so an apostille now replaces the old consular chain. The degree-recognition body or employer still sets what it wants translated. Ask before you order. Our China apostille page covers the common requests.
Middle East: an employer in the UAE
The HCCH table we read, updated in June 2026, does not list the United Arab Emirates. That means a Certificate of Authentication from New York, then further steps through the U.S. Department of State and the embassy, instead of an apostille. Read apostille versus legalization and ask the employer which route it wants.
Translations
We can provide ATA certified translations that get notarized. We are not a sworn translator and we do not arrange sworn translations. If your destination demands one, hire a sworn translator there, and we ship the apostilled set to that person. Brazil, for example, normally wants a sworn translator registered in Brazil. See certified translation and apostille.
Birth and marriage certificates for the same file
Many visa and residency files want a degree and a vital record together. New York vital records follow their own route. The Department of State says records from a local or county official must first be certified by the county clerk where they were issued. New York City records, other than divorce certificates, go through the New York County Clerk, and NYC birth and death certificates also need a Letter of Exemplification.
Records issued by the state Department of Health with the Director of Vital Statistics’ signature do not need the clerk. We explain the routes on our birth certificate and marriage certificate pages. Order them on the same file as your degree and they travel in one box.
How our Boston-area office handles a New York degree
Boston Apostille Service is a private document preparation and courier service. We are not a government agency and we are not affiliated with the New York Department of State or any school. We have served Boston and the Merrimack Valley since 2007, and we handle documents for every state.
For a New York degree we review your documents for free, confirm what the registrar will certify, and obtain the certified or notarized copy where the school allows it. We deal with the county clerk and the state office. We then ship the finished set to your address abroad and track the file in ApostilleDesk from the day it opens. Hablamos Español.
Our published prices cover Massachusetts: Economy $149.95, Express $199.95 and Rush $385.95 per document, with the state fee and return postage included. For a New York degree we confirm the state’s fee and turnaround during the free review and send one flat-rate quote before you pay. Ask us about a volume discount. See apostille pricing.
Get your quoteFrequently asked questions
Who issues the apostille on a New York diploma?
The New York Department of State, through its Apostille and Authentication Unit in Albany. The university cannot issue it. The school certifies the record, a notary notarizes the school’s signature, the county clerk certifies the notary, and the state attaches the apostille.
Does the county clerk step apply if I use a walk-in office?
Yes. The walk-in counter speeds up the state step only. The state still expects the county clerk’s certificate on a notarized document first. Queens College says the clerk must be in the same county as the notary.
How long does a New York degree apostille take?
It depends mostly on the school. Union College says two to three weeks. SUNY Potsdam says four to eight weeks. Cornell estimates twelve. The Department of State does not publish a mail processing time, so add the clerk, the state and the courier.
Will New York mail the apostille to my address abroad?
The Department’s pages describe return by first-class mail or a prepaid label and do not say whether it mails abroad. Potsdam recommends a U.S. return address. Using a U.S. address and shipping from there is the safer plan.
Is an electronic transcript or e-diploma enough?
Usually not. Cornell does not accept eDiplomas or eTranscripts for this process, and John Jay will not certify a printed digital diploma. Potsdam says an authenticated e-diploma may remove the need for a paper apostille. Ask your destination which it accepts.
Do I need to send my original diploma?
It depends on the school. John Jay requires the hard copy to be on hand. Potsdam accepts a scan or a black and white copy. Union describes certified copies and replacements. Ask the registrar and the receiving office before shipping an irreplaceable original.
Which New York schools can do this remotely?
Cornell and SUNY Potsdam accept scans and mail. Queens College lets you authorize a representative. John Jay says its process is in person only and allows a proxy. NYU says it can send notarized papers to an agency you name. Always confirm current rules.
Does Boston Apostille Service charge the Massachusetts price for New York work?
No. Our published prices cover Massachusetts documents. For a New York degree we confirm the state’s fee and turnaround during the free review, then send one flat-rate quote before you pay. See our out of state guide.
Related guides
From a New York registrar to a desk abroad
Tell us the school and the country. We review the file for free, confirm the New York steps and send one flat-rate quote before you pay.
