Nassau County

Nassau County

Guidelines for Obtaining a Certificate of Residence

Thomas R. Suozzi, County Executive
Steven D. Conkling, Country Treasurer
Office of the County Treasurer
240 Old Country Road, Room 312
Mineola, NY 11501-4248
516 571.2453 phone
516 571.1588 fax

ONLY MAIL-IN APPLICATIONS ARE ACCEPTED - PLEASE INCLUDE A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE. CERTIFICATES ARE FILED BASED ON THE DATE RECEIVED, NOT THE POSTMARK DATE.

The community college program in the State of New York was intended to permit students who are State residents to pay a reduced tuition rate. Each community college has a local sponsor, generally a county, that provides a share of the costs allocable to resident students. A student who attends a community college outside their county of residence must obtain a Certificate of Residence in order to be eligible for the lower in-state tuition rate. The local sponsor then reimburses its share of the costs of the students tuition to the community college.

Affidavit / Application

Qualifications:

Resident of New York State for at least one (1) full year immediately preceding the date the application/affidavit.
Resident of Nassau County for at least six (6) months immediately preceding the date of the application/affidavit.
US Citizen or Permanent Resident Alien for at least one (1) full year immediately preceding the date of the application/affidavit.

Timeline requirements:

Submit application/affidavit no earlier than sixty (60) days before the official start date of the semester and no later than the last day of classes (including finals).
Once activated, by attending and completing the school term, the Certificate is then valid for one full year from the date it was issued.
The Certificate must still be valid on the official start date of any future semesters to be able to use it for that semester.
Certificates are based on your 6-months of residency immediately preceding the date of application. Students who have moved from one county to another within that 6-month period will receive a partial Certificate for the number of months (rounded up) you resided in Nassau County. In that case you may also need a Certificate from your other county of residence to cover the remainder of the time you lived there.

To apply:

Affidavit must be completed legibly and signed in front of a notary BEFORE submitting your form.
Permanent resident aliens must submit a copy of the front and back of a valid perm. resident alien card that was issued at least one (1) year ago. Visitors must submit a copy of their visa (not all visa-types are accepted).
At least two (2) forms of proof must accompany your applications; a photo I.D. and a proof of address (do not send originals, they will not be returned). The proof must be in the applicants name (except for parents tax returns where listed as a dependent). Proof of address cannot be of a PO Box, they must reflect an actual physical address.
If you received a Certificate of Residence from Nassau County for the year immediately prior to the current year, you need to only submit proof of Nassau County residency (PROOF #2) along with your photo I.D.. Please indicate on the form by marking the box "Yes" and provide us the date you received it.
Mail the original application along with copies of all your proof to the attention of "Certificate of Residence" at the address shown above, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope. Processing takes at least ten (10) days.

PROOF #1 - New York State Residency:

In order to prove that you have been a resident of New York State for at least one (1) year, you must submit one of the following documents that must be dated at least one (1) year prior to the date of your application, but not more than two (2) years ago:

Drivers license
Learners permit
Auto registration
Selective service card
Voter registration ID card
High school report card or official transcript
New York State income tax return (IT-150 or IT-201 - first page only)**
** Federal 1040 income tax returns are only acceptable when using parents return listing student as a dependent. A copy of the parents NYS return must also accompany their 1040 when being used in this manner.

PROOF #2 - Nassau County Residency:

In order to prove that you have been a resident of Nassau County for the past six (6) months, you must submit one of the following documents that must be dated within six (6) months of the date of your application:

Bank Statement
Student loan
Credit card statement
Cell phone bill
Utility bill
TAP award or any financial aid
Any of the documents listed under PROOF#1 if dated within the past 6 months.

STATUS PROOF REQUIRED

First Time Applicant a) PROOF #1
b) PROOF #2
c) Photo I.D.

Certificate on file from Previous Year a) PROOF #2
b) Photo I.D.

First Time Applicant (PROOF #1 not a Nassau County Address) a) PROOF #1
b) PROOF #2
**Must be dated back six (6) months from date of the application. If student cannot prove Nassau County residency six months back, will receive a partial certificate for however many months they can show proof (the remaining months must be picked up by their other county of residence).
c) Photo I.D.

STATUS	PROOF REQUIRED
First Time Applicant	a) PROOF #1 b) PROOF #2 c) Photo I.D.
Certificate on file from Previous Year	a) PROOF #2 b) Photo I.D.
First Time Applicant (PROOF #1 not a Nassau County Address)	a) PROOF #1 b) PROOF #2 **Must be dated back six (6) months from date of the application. If student cannot prove Nassau County residency six months back, will receive a partial certificate for however many months they can show proof (the remaining months must be picked up by their other county of residence). c) Photo I.D.