How to obtain birth and marriage from New York?

[lucaless]

Why is New York (5 boroughs) so hard to get birth and marriage certificates? I need them for both my father and grandfather but seems only the person born or the parent can get copies. Can anybody shed light for this for me?

[mauimonte]

Here is a good place to look for an example of how much trouble it is to get anything from NY...I'm not sure if marriage certificates fall in this list also. But I know birth and death certificates are difficult.

https://www.rmurph.com/post/obtaining-a ... rtificates

[lucaless]

Is apostilles and italian translation easier than this?

[mler]

Unlike NYS, getting those documents from NYC is not too difficult. Avoid VitalCheck and go directly to the NYC Department of Health

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/ ... cates.page

If you look through the FAQ, you will find instructions for obtaining birth certificates for deceased relatives, and children and grandchildren are eligible to obtain them.

When ordering the birth record, request a certified Letter of Exemplification. Submit both to the County Clerk in Manhattan ($3). This can be done by mail. Then send certified document to Albany for apostille ($10)

You should make a copy of the certificate to send to the translator while the original is out for apostille. Once I had the certificates, I was able to obtain the apostille within two weeks. However, this was before COVID.

[lucaless]

Here is a good place to look for an example of how much trouble it is to get anything from NY...I'm not sure if marriage certificates fall in this list also. But I know birth and death certificates are difficult.

https://www.rmurph.com/post/obtaining-a ... rtificates

this was a year ago, i actually got a different response from nyc health. using their birth certificate application, fill it out and mail it with your birth certificate and copy of id, they say every case is different. i will update

[lucaless]

Unlike NYS, getting those documents from NYC is not too difficult. Avoid VitalCheck and go directly to the NYC Department of Health

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/ ... cates.page

If you look through the FAQ, you will find instructions for obtaining birth certificates for deceased relatives, and children and grandchildren are eligible to obtain them.

When ordering the birth record, request a certified Letter of Exemplification. Submit both to the County Clerk in Manhattan ($3). This can be done by mail. Then send certified document to Albany for apostille ($10)

You should make a copy of the certificate to send to the translator while the original is out for apostille. Once I had the certificates, I was able to obtain the apostille within two weeks. However, this was before COVID.

Thanks for that. Did you have to send the death certificate and family tree in with it like it says? I just spoke to the rep and she said birth certificate and id.

[mler]

I didn’t ultimately need my mom’s bc, but I’m guessing it would be best to send the death certificate and the family tree. Keep in mind the family tree need not be extensive, only a simple illustration of your direct connection to your ancestor.

I would expect that the death certificate would be necessary for your father, but not necessarily for your grandfather (depending on the date of birth). The reason they are needed is to protect the privacy and identity of a living person.

[lucaless]

What about marriage? I need both for my grandfather and father, both in New York. Can anybody point in the right direction? Thanks.

[qualdom]

What about marriage? I need both for my grandfather and father, both in New York. Can anybody point in the right direction? Thanks.

In NYC, if the marriage took place more than 50 years ago, anyone can request it. Go to the NYC city clerk website.

https://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov/content/marriage-records

[lucaless]

What about marriage? I need both for my grandfather and father, both in New York. Can anybody point in the right direction? Thanks.

In NYC, if the marriage took place more than 50 years ago, anyone can request it. Go to the NYC city clerk website.

https://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov/content/marriage-records

It seems like some documentation is needed with this application. Do you know what needs to be sent along with the application?

[qualdom]

What about marriage? I need both for my grandfather and father, both in New York. Can anybody point in the right direction? Thanks.

In NYC, if the marriage took place more than 50 years ago, anyone can request it. Go to the NYC city clerk website.

https://www.cityclerk.nyc.gov/content/marriage-records

It seems like some documentation is needed with this application. Do you know what needs to be sent along with the application?

Just the signed application and a copy of your ID. Make sure that you indicate that you want an extended form. That's all you need if the marriage took place more than 50 years ago.

[qualdom]

Hopefully the NYC city clerk will fully open in the near future. This used to be one of the easiest records to obtain and amend. I remember in 2018 I amended a marriage record in about 10 minutes and walked out with a new certificate.

[lucaless]

Is it recommended to use vitalchek for my birth cert?

[qualdom]

Is it recommended to use vitalchek for my birth cert?

For NYC I wouldn't recommend it because I'm not sure that it will come with the Letter of Exemplification that is required by the county clerk for authentication. I'm not 100% certain though...I used to always go to the office in-person in NYC prior to COVID.

For PA, Vitalchek is fine...you just have a $10 surcharge per copy.

[lucaless]

Is it recommended to use vitalchek for my birth cert?

For NYC I wouldn't recommend it because I'm not sure that it will come with the Letter of Exemplification that is required by the county clerk for authentication. I'm not 100% certain though...I used to always go to the office in-person in NYC prior to COVID.

For PA, Vitalchek is fine...you just have a $10 surcharge per copy.

its for NYS, im guessing the mail in application like for my father and gf would be ideal then for mine as well.