Office of the Registrar
Apostille Process for International Students
An Apostille is an authentication of a public document issued pursuant to the 1961 Hague Convention abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents. The Convention provides for the simplified certification of public (including notarized) documents to be used in countries that have joined the convention. Under the Hague Convention signatory countries have agreed to recognize public documents issued by other signatory countries if those public documents are authenticated by the attachment of an internationally recognized form of authentication known as an Apostille. The Apostille ensures that public documents issued in one signatory country will be recognized as valid in another signatory country. (Definition from the New York Department of State web site)
It is your responsibility to determine the documents that need to be authenticated. The documents could include your original diploma, a copy of your diploma or your official transcript. Document authentication requires the following steps:
- SUNY ESF Registrar's Office notarizes documents and sends the document(s) to the Onondaga County Clerk's Office.
- The Onondaga County Clerk's Office verifies the notary's signature and sends the documents to the New York Department of State.
- The New York Department of State attaches a certificate of authentication and sends the documents to the address you provide on a pre-addressed envelope.
Steps to complete Apostille
- Determine document(s) to be authenticated. If you have the document(s) that need to be authenticated then send or bring the document(s) to the SUNY ESF Registrar's Office.
- Complete SUNY ESF Apostille request form available in the Registrar's Office. Include a photo or scanned copy of your diploma with you request if you need us to verify your diploma. If a new copy of your diploma is required then you must include a $30.00 check or money order in US currency payable to SUNY ESF. The Registrar's Office will print an official transcript if indicated on the request form.
- Complete the New York Department of State Apostille request form.
- Include a check or money order in US currency for $3.00 per document payable to the Onondaga County Clerk.
- Include a check or money order in US currency for $10.00 per document payable to the New York Department of State or you can pay by credit or debit card on the Apostille request form.
- Three pre-paid envelopes must be included with your request with the following information. Pre-paid envelopes can be obtained by taking pre-addressed envelopes to the post office. You will need to tell them how many documents will be included in each envelope. If using priority mail, Fed Ex or UPS envelopes, please DO NOT USE the same size of cardboard envelopes. We need to fit the envelopes and documents inside each other in order to mail them and cannot fold them. Please ask the post office or mail service for assistance in choosing the correct type and size of envelopes.
- 15 x 9.5 Pre-paid envelope addressed to the:
Onondaga County Clerk
401 Montgomery Street, Room 200
Syracuse, NY 13202
- 12 x 9.5 Pre-paid envelope addressed to the (will be folded and placed in envelope #1):
New York Department of State
Division of Licensing Services
Apostille and Authentication Unit
99 Washington Avenue 6th floor
PO Box 22001
Albany, NY 12201-2001
- 12 x 9.5 (with postage for the final destination) Pre-paid envelope with your address or the address the documents are to be mailed to after authentication (will be folded and placed in envelope #1 and #2).
Please note this process can take several weeks.
Contact Information
SUNY ESF Registrar’s Office
111 Bray Hall
1 Forestry Drive
Syracuse, NY 13210
315-470-6655
registrar@esf.edu
Onondaga County Clerk
401 Montgomery St.
Room 200
Syracuse, NY 13202
(315) 435-2227
New York Department of State
Division of Licensing Services
Apostille and Authentication Unit
99 Washington Avenue 6th floor
PO Box 22001
Albany, NY 12201-2001
