Your DIY Guide to Get a Birth Certificate Apostille in California

How do I get my birth certificate apostille in California?

You may ask!

Here’s how:

1. Get an original copy of your birth certificate from the California Department of Public Health.
2. Fill and completed the request form.
3. Prepare an envelope with all papers required including $26.00 authentication fees.
4. Obtain the Apostille Stamp at California Secretary of State’s office in two ways.
   1. Sending the envelope directly to the SOS mailing address at Sacramento.
   2. Walk-in service by a presenting in person at the SOS offices in Sacramento or LA.

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Still here?

Ok, let us discuss this for a little bit…

Basically, you need to have an official original copy of your birth certificate. you’ll not need to get notarized “notarization is not required in California for birth certificate”. then, you need to obtain the apostille. In California, you have two options. You can either mail the birth certificate to California Secretary of State, Authentication requests can be submitted by mail to their Sacramento office. Please refer to their Processing Times webpage for daily updated processing information, OR you can use our expedited apostille services and apply the apostille on the same day.

However, you can always get the Apostille Seal easily by yourself, the Official web site of the City of Berkeley, California has a very helpful Guide you may need to check it out.

but before we going through of how to get the apostille stamp, we need first to discuss a few things…

What do you need to Apostille a birth certificate?

Well, Apostille is a sort of legal certificate issued by a designated authority which is required in a countries members of the Hague Convention for authentication of foreign public documents, and the Apostille seal must be in force.

Therefore, when we talk about a birth certificate that needs to be valid and recognized in foreign countries that are members of the Hague Convention. the birth certificate must hold the Apostille Stamp.

In other words, why you will need to apostille a birth certificate? whenever you need your documents -like a birth certificate- to be valid and recognized abroad, you must have it apostilled.

Hold on a minute!

What about the countries that are NOT members of the Hague Convention? Actually, they’re too requires a kind of authenticate seal called Legalization, which has a different process than the Apostille. However, don’t worry, United State is a Hague Country.

How much is an apostille in California?

Obtaining Apostille seal in California for public documents will cost you $26.00 per apostille. the Secretary of State of California will charge you with $20.00 for each authentication request, in addition to $6.00 as a special processing fee for each different public official’s signature that requires authentication.

How to Obtain a Copy of California Birth Certificate

You may request a copy of California Birth Certificate from the following three State agencies:-

• The California Department of Public Health CDPH
• California County Local registrar.
• California County Recorder.

You may choose the suitable department to issue your Cal Birth certificate depending on the reason “why you are ordering the certificate?”. The required Birth Certificate to get an Apostille is different from the birth certificate for domestic use, and also both are different from the Informational birth certificate that any person may order.

Our post will handle the difference between the 3 departments and how you can order the birth certificate you need fast and easy.

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Obtain a Certified Birth Certificate from CDPH

General Instruction

You have to pay attention to some important requirements before you order your certified Birth

Certificate to avoid any delays and to ensure that the whole process runs smoothly

1. According to California Health & safety code section 103526, only authorized individuals can order a certified copy of Cal birth certificate:- these individual are as follows:-

• The registrant. The legal person whose name is on the requested Birth Record.
• A legal individual/ agency that has been entitled to request a certified record such as: an attorney with a power of Attorney, an individual with a Court order, or a licensed adoption agency that requests a copy of Birth record in complying with section 3140-7603 of the family code. Please be noted that you will have to provide a copy of the power of Attorney, the court order or agency license with your Application.
• A representative of a government agency or an agent of a law enforcement agency. Please be noted that you will have to provide an authorization from the government agency.
• An individual who is related to the registrant, such as: a child, a grandparent, spouse, brother, sister, or domestic partner.

• Difference between Birth Certified Copy & Birth Informational Copy

Authorized Copy

The law of the State of California describes the legal person applicable to order an authorized copy of Cal Birth Certificates as  follows: the Registrant(whose name is on the Birth certificate), a legal guardian, a child, a sister, a brother, spouse, a member of law enforcement agency, or an attorney with a valid power of Attorney

Informational Copy

If a legal individual is inapplicable to order an authorized copy of a vital record, he/ she may obtain an informational copy. It contains the same information as included in an authorized copy. However, an informational copy will be entitled as “informational”, which evidence that it cannot be used to establish identity cards or passports.

The below images describe the difference between an “authorized copy” and an “Informational copy”:-

• Confidential Information on Birth Certificate

Some legal persons may require obtaining “ confidential Information on Birth Certificate” concerning providing a health background or to establish ethnicity or for any other personal matter. The confidential Information is provided on the Birth certificate at the time of birth. Only certain individuals are permitted to order this certificate. We will handle this topic in another post. However,  you still may visit www.cdph.ca.gov for more information.

2.            If you are going to order more than one Birth record, you have to use a separate Application for each record. Failure to provide separate forms will result in the rejection of your request and the loss of your paid fee.
3.            You must complete the form with accurate information both on the “ Applicant Section” and on the “Birth Record Section” in the Application form to facilitate the process of finding your records. Providing incomplete or false statements will expose the applicant to legal accountability.
4.            The applicant must sign the “Sworn statement section” in the application form to declare his eligibility to request the birth record as an authorized individual. The sworn statement must then be notarized by a California notary public.

• Law enforcement agency and State governmental departments exempted from providing the notarization for the sworn statement.

• The sworn statement is not required if you are requesting an informational copy.

All you have to do now is to prepare your package and send it to CDPH.

Obtain a Birth certificate from local County Recorder

For Local Registrar, Birth and death records for current year events and one year prior are available from the county health department in the jurisdiction where the event occurred.

Obtain a Birth certificate from County Registrar

For County Recorder, Birth and death records for all years are available from the county recorder in the county where the event occurred.

How to get Apostille Stamp on the Birth Certificate

Send Authentication requests can be submitted by mail to our Los Angeles office.

California Secretary of State Office

300 S Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

According to the Secretary of State, your envelope must include the following items:

• The original notarized and/or certified document(s). A photocopy is not acceptable.
• A cover letter stating the country in which the document will be used.
• A check or money order for the authentication fee of $20 per Apostille.
• A self-addressed envelope for the return mail.

apostille processing time from California Secretary of State Office usually takes 7 to 10 business days.

Note: Same-Day for $26.00 per document expedited service for walk-in service only at Los Angeles office. mailing service is not available.

Please click here for more information.

For any other State, you can contact your Secretary of State Office directly, this is all SOS offices information you’re going to need to contact them.

click here: US Secretary of State Offices List

If you are in hurry…

Obtain the Apostille Stamp In your Birth Certificate Now From California SOS

California Apostille can help to expedite your Apostille Birth Certificate from the California Secretary of State Office for use in any of the Hague Convention countries.

• You must issue a certified copy of your Birth Certificate from the Local Health Department (State registrar) before you can obtain request California Apostille.

A Birth Certificate Does Not require California notarization

[vc_message message_box_style=”outline” message_box_color=”danger” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-times”]Due to certain technical issues, California Apostille will NOT be able to provide expedited Apostille service for Birth Certificate that issued in California in the meantime.

email us at: info@california-apostille.com for more information or other services.

We apologize for the inconvenience[/vc_message]

If you want to use your Birth Certificate in a country that requires Embassy Legalization and attestation, Click here to choose your destination country.

State of California Apostille Service – California county Attestation

California Apostille . provides rush Apostille Stamp /Seal from the California Secretary of State Office for documents issued in California or one of its counties, cities or towns. Here is a list of all California Counties:-

California Apostille processes all types of documents issued in the U.S United States and destined for use in any country. If you did not find your document here, please contact us at: info@california-apostille.com to review your request free of charge.

Our prices does not include the shipping fees. clients must enclose a prepaid airway bill to return your documents, otherwise, it will be returned via United State Postal Services. If you need to return your document to an international address, please include an international airway bill with your request.

We accept all major credit cards payments, company check, and money order

Make your payment payable to “California Apostille”