Birth Certificate Apostille in California

When you need it

An apostilled birth certificate is typically requested when you apply for a child's citizenship in another country, file with a civil registry office abroad, claim an inheritance, apply for a pension, or go to study abroad.

An apostille is only used for countries that are part of the Hague Convention. Other countries require consular legalization, which is a separate procedure.

The most common reason for rejection

California only apostilles the signatures of California officials whose signatures are on file with the Secretary of State. For vital records, that means a county clerk, a county recorder, or the State Registrar at the California Department of Public Health.

If your certificate was issued by a city or county office and signed by a local registrar, you may need an extra step, because the Secretary of State doesn't always accept those signatures. In that case, the certificate is first authenticated by the clerk of the county where it was issued, or you order a certified copy from the county recorder or the California Department of Public Health.

It's easy to check: the signature, name, and title are at the bottom of the certificate. Send us a scan, and we'll look at it before we start and tell you if the extra step is needed.

What we need from you

• Your original certified copy of the birth certificate. A photocopy won't work.
• The country where you'll use it.
• The address where we should ship the finished document.

Price and turnaround

$120 per document, state fee included. Turnaround is 1-3 business days from the day we receive your document.

If you also need the certificate translated, we can do that. Translations from English are quoted separately because document formats vary.