Apostille
The United States is part of 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.
Click here for information on the Hague Apostille Convention.
Certifying Documents for Use Overseas
Foreign countries may require documents such as the diploma, official transcript, and/or enrollment/graduation verification letter to be certified in order to be accepted in the foreign jurisdiction. An Apostille or Authentication certifies the signature and the position of the official who has executed, issued or certified a copy of a document. Please check with the country in which you will be working or studying to find out if they will require an Apostille or Authentication. Certification should only be done if the organization receiving the document requires you to provide an Apostille or Authentication.
Obtaining an Apostille or Authentication for Fashion Institute of Technology Documents
1. Submit the apostille form and fee(s).
The Office of the Registrar will certify the document as an official record or true copy of the original before a notary public. The notarized document will be available for you to pick up within five business days or may be mailed by request. If you have any questions, please email [email protected] or call us at (212) 217-3820.
2. Present the notarized document to the County Clerk's Office. The County Clerk will certify the signature of the notary public. The County Clerk Office has a per document fee.
New York County Clerk, Notary Section
60 Centre Street, Room 141B Basement
New York, NY 10007
3. Present the document to the New York Department of State to affix the Apostille. The Department of State has a per document fee.
New York Secretary of State, Certification Unit
123 William Street, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10038
If the foreign country is a signatory to the Hague Convention or will accept the Apostille, the document is now certified for use.
4. If the foreign country requires the document to be authenticated beyond the Apostille, present the document to the United States Department of State, Authentications Office. The Authentications Office will issue a certificate under the Seal of the U.S. Department of State authenticating the document. The Department of State has a per document fee.
U.S. Department of State, Authentications Office
518 23rd Street NW., SA-1
Washington, DC 20520
Authentication
Countries that are not signatories to the Hague Convention may require that the documents undergo an additional step for obtaining an "authentication." The authentication validates the document for use in the foreign country.