Viewing Files and Requesting Certified or Authenticated Copies of Documents

Q. How much do copies of documents cost and how do I obtain copies?

A. Certified copies of documents are $5 minimum plus $1.25 for all pages over four up to a maximum of $40 per document. To obtain certified copies, you must mail in or drop off a written request, payment (check or money order payable to the Suffolk County Clerk) and a post-paid return envelope to Suffolk County Clerk, 310 Center Drive, Riverhead, NY 11901, Attn: Court Actions. If you do not know the number of pages, you can leave the amount of the check blank and write “not to exceed X” with X being a sizeable overestimate. County Clerk staff will write in the amount once we determine the number of pages. If the request is for a certified copy of an order which is being filed in another department of the County Clerk’s Office, there is no fee for the certified copy. The post-paid envelope must contain sufficient postage to enable the document to be delivered by the carrier chosen. If unsure, purchase extra postage to ensure delivery. You may also go in-person to the Court Actions Department at the Riverhead location of the County Clerk to pick up a certified copy.

Requests for copies of entire files will not be granted. You must make an appointment to view files in-person and make copies for yourself at the self-service copiers.

Q. How do I obtain an authentication of a Birth, Death or Marriage Certificate for an Apostille?

A. The raised seal certificate from the Town or Village issuing the certificate must be provided to the Suffolk County Clerk to certify that the Town or Village Clerk or Registrar was authorized to do so at the time of the issuance of the certificate. The cost is $5 per authentication payable by check or money order to the Suffolk County Clerk and it must be submitted to the Court Actions Department. Mail the original document, a post-paid return envelope and fee the Suffolk County Clerk at 310 Center Drive, Riverhead, New York 11901, Attn: Court Actions. Or you can bring the certificate to the County Clerk’s Office in-person at 300 Center Drive, Riverhead, New York.

Any authentication of a notarization by a Notary Public qualified in Suffolk County must be submitted to the Business Certificates/Notary Department and the cost is $3 per authentication payable by check or money order to the Suffolk County Clerk. Mail the original document, a post-paid return envelope and fee the Suffolk County Clerk at 310 Center Drive, Riverhead, New York 11901, Attn: Notary.

Once authenticated by the County Clerk’s staff, you must then submit the authenticated documents to the New York State Department of State to obtain the apostille. Please see the following website for more information: https://dos.ny.gov/apostille-or-certificate-authentication.

Court Actions authenticates the signature on the birth, death or marriage certificate. The certificate needs to have a raised seal on it from the Town or Village in order for it to be authenticated.

Q. How long is the turnaround time on my requested documents?

A. When submitted by regular mail, the turnaround time for a document request is usually 1 week. Please take into consideration that the year of the case, requests for archived records and where you live could add time onto your request. For example, sending in state and sending from another state takes time. If it has been more than 4 weeks since you sent your request, please e-mail courtactions@suffolkcountyny.gov to obtain a status. If you need the documents more quickly, please send via expedited delivery by the carrier of your choosing with tracking so that you may track the documents and provide a post-paid envelope intended for expedited delivery.

Q. How do I see what documents have been filed in my case?

A. You may search the Suffolk County Clerk’s minutes index online to determine what documents have been filed and when they were filed with the County Clerk for cases filed since April, 1984. The search tool can be accessed via the following webpage: https://kiosk.suffolkcountyny.gov/KioskWeb/Notifications.aspx. Make sure you allow popups. The index number must be input with the two digit year followed by a space and then a five or six digit index number “YY ######” (leading zeroes are necessary if there are less than the minimum five digits in the index number) when searching the Court Minutes. An example would be “20 00123”. You can also search by name. Search by name using the format “Last Name, First Name” or the corporate name using the “%” as a wildcard. In the search results, click on the index number to view the minutes which are displayed in a popup window. The minutes are updated in real time. Unfortunately, you would be unable to view or print the documents from the minutes. If the case was filed electronically or was converted to electronic filing, you MUST search the NYSCEF system to see all of the documents filed electronically. Viewing each document, filed in PDF format, requires that you have an application on your computer to allow the viewing of electronic documents in that format. You may search and print documents via the NYSCEF system through the following webpage: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/HomePage. The index number format in NYSCEF is NNNNNN/YYYY. For example "123456/2020" or “001234/2020”.

If you have any additional questions, please email the County Clerk at courtactions@suffolkcountyny.gov.