California Birth Certificate: How to Order, Fees and Who Can Get One

California birth certificates are issued by the California Department of Public Health, Vital Records (CDPH-VR), which keeps a record of every birth in the state since July 1905, and by the county office where the birth was registered. A certified copy from CDPH-VR costs $31 (the fee since January 1, 2026). CDPH-VR handles requests by mail only, so walk-in requests go to the county, which CDPH says is often faster.

Information last verified on October 6, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This guide covers births registered in California: where to order, what it costs, who may get an authorized copy, and how to fix or change a record. For other states, see our guide to birth certificates by state.

Where to get a California birth certificate: state or county

California has two official sources for the same record. Which one you use decides how you order, how fast it arrives, and sometimes what you pay.

• County recorder. The recorder in the county where the birth happened issues certified copies of birth records for all years.
• Local registrar (county health department). It issues records only for births in the current year and the year before, in its own jurisdiction. Some city registrars set their own window; Berkeley keeps records for two years from the date of the event and sends other requests to the Alameda County Recorder.
• CDPH-VR in Sacramento. It holds the statewide file back to July 1905 and processes requests by mail only.

For a birth in the last 3 months, CDPH suggests ordering from the county health department or county recorder. If the record has not yet reached the state database, CDPH-VR issues a Certificate of No Public Record and keeps the fee (CDPH).

CDPH's own processing page says you "can often obtain your certificate more quickly from the county office." It also warns that county fees "may be different from CDPH-VR fees," so check the county's price before you pay. CDPH keeps a directory of county registrars and recorders.

How to order a California birth certificate

By mail from CDPH-VR

1. Fill out the birth record application, form VS 111 (VS 111SP in Spanish), from CDPH's birth records ordering page.
2. If you want an authorized copy, complete the Sworn Statement (VS 20) that comes with the application and sign it in front of a notary.
3. Enclose a check or money order for $31 per copy, payable to "CDPH-VR."
4. Mail everything to: California Department of Public Health, Vital Records - MS 5103, P.O. Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410.

CDPH says plainly what happens if step 2 is skipped: a request for an authorized copy without a notarized Sworn Statement "will be rejected as incomplete and returned to you without being processed."

In person at the county office

CDPH-VR does not take walk-in requests. Copies "may be obtained in person at the county office where the birth was registered," and the birth must have happened in that county.

At the counter you do not need a notary. Under Health and Safety Code section 103526(a)(2), the official takes a statement sworn under penalty of perjury that you are signing your own legal name and are an authorized person, and may then hand you the certified copy. County hours, wait times and same-day service vary; CDPH does not publish them, so check with the county office before you go.

Online through a third-party vendor

CDPH has no online ordering system of its own. Since July 1, 2026, its notice reads: "CDPH VR will no longer accept applications submitted through online third party vendors. CDPH VR only processes applications submitted by mail."

If you still apply through a vendor, the vendor either mails your application to CDPH-VR or sends it electronically to the county where the birth occurred. The vendor does not issue the certificate; CDPH-VR or the county does. CDPH also says it "cannot assist with fees, refunds, corrections, or any additional services offered by third party companies," so questions about a vendor's charges go to the vendor.

Before paying any website, check that it is CDPH (cdph.ca.gov) or your county's official site. A certified copy comes only from CDPH-VR or a county recorder or registrar.

How much does a California birth certificate cost?

CDPH-VR raised its certified-copy fees on January 1, 2026, under Assembly Bill 64 (Chapter 662, Statutes of 2025). CDPH-VR's current fees:

If CDPH-VR cannot find the record, you do not get the money back. CDPH issues a Certificate of No Public Record and keeps the fee "as a search fee as authorized by State law" (CDPH fee schedule).

County offices set their own prices, which can differ from the $31 state fee.

How long does it take?

CDPH publishes average processing times on its processing times page:

These are averages, not promises, and they do not include mailing time. CDPH points readers who need a copy sooner to the county office, which "can often" issue it more quickly. CDPH does not publish county turnaround times.

Authorized copy vs informational copy

California issues two kinds of certified birth certificate, and the difference matters more than anything else on the application. CDPH explains that "authorized and informational copies are both considered 'certified copies'" (CDPH).

• Authorized certified copy. It "can be used to establish the identity of the person named on the certificate." Only an authorized person (listed below) can get one, and it requires the sworn statement.
• Informational certified copy. Anyone may order one, with no sworn statement. It holds the same information, though certain items may be redacted, and it carries a legend across the face: "Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity."

If you need the certificate to prove who you are, for example for a passport or a REAL ID, order the authorized copy. An informational copy, in CDPH's words, "cannot be used to establish identity."

For reference, the federal passport rule asks for a birth certificate that shows your full name, place and date of birth and your parents' full names, is signed by the official custodian of birth records, bears the issuing office's seal, and shows a filing date within one year of birth (22 CFR 51.42(a)). The federal REAL ID rule accepts a "certified copy of a birth certificate filed with a State Office of Vital Statistics or equivalent agency in the individual's State of birth" (6 CFR 37.11(c)(1)(ii)).

Who can get an authorized California birth certificate?

Health and Safety Code section 103526(c)(2) defines an "authorized person" for a birth record as:

• the registrant (the person named on the certificate), or a parent or legal guardian of the registrant;
• a party entitled to the record by court order, or an attorney or licensed adoption agency seeking the record to comply with Family Code section 3140 or 7603;
• a member of a law enforcement agency, or a representative of another government agency as provided by law, conducting official business;
• a child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or domestic partner of the registrant;
• an attorney representing the registrant or the registrant's estate, or any person or agency empowered by statute or appointed by a court to act for the registrant or the estate.

Anyone else can order only an informational copy.

Proving you are authorized

CDPH-VR's mail application does not ask for a copy of a photo ID. Instead, an authorized copy requires the notarized Sworn Statement (VS 20), in which you declare under penalty of perjury that you are an authorized person. In person at a county office, the official takes that sworn statement directly (HSC 103526(a)). Counties apply the same rule; San Bernardino County, for example, says walk-in customers must sign "a written request (sworn statement) signed under penalty of perjury."

Confidential and sealed records

Some birth certificates have a confidential section. CDPH limits a copy that includes it to the registrant, the parent who signed the certificate (or the mother if no parent signed), or a person petitioning to adopt. To request it, write "Confidential Copy" on the VS 111. Requests for sealed records use a separate form, CDPH 9126.

How to correct a mistake on a California birth certificate

California law lets the person who says the record is wrong file a sworn affidavit with the state or local registrar. Under Health and Safety Code section 103225, the affidavit states "the changes necessary to make the record correct," and it "shall be supported by the affidavit of one other credible person having knowledge of the facts." The section covers, among other things, typographical, spelling and statistical errors.

The form is the Affidavit to Amend a Birth Record (VS 24). Timing changes the cost: within one year of the birth there is no fee to register the change (copies are $31 each); after one year the fee is $26 and includes one copy of the amended record. CDPH-VR's average processing time for amendments is 7 to 9 weeks.

Adding or changing a parent

CDPH handles parentage changes through form VS 21, Amendment of Parentage, for a $26 fee that includes one copy of the amended record. A change to the parent designation on a certificate by affidavit is also $26, regardless of when it is submitted. Read the form's instructions for the supporting documents CDPH requires before you file.

Adding a legal name change

A court order changing your name gets onto the birth record through form VS 23, Court Order Name Change, for $26 including one copy of the amended record. The court case itself comes first; see our guide to California name change laws for that process.

Changing the gender or sex marker

Health and Safety Code section 103425, operative January 1, 2023, provides that "A person may file a petition with the superior court in any county seeking a judgment recognizing the change of gender and sex identifier to female, male, or nonbinary." If requested, the judgment must include an order that a new birth certificate be prepared reflecting the change and any court-ordered name change.

A person who does not live in California can still file in a California superior court if the birth certificate to be changed was issued in California (section 103425(e)). Separately, CDPH's fee schedule lists a $26 fee to change or correct the sex field on a birth certificate by affidavit, regardless of when the request is submitted. Ask CDPH-VR which route fits your situation before filing.

Registering a birth that was never recorded

When a California birth was never registered, or a certified copy cannot be obtained, a person with a beneficial interest can file a verified petition in superior court for an order "to judicially establish the fact of, and the time and place of, a birth" (HSC 103450). CDPH's form for a court-ordered delayed registration is VS 108, Court Order Delayed Registration of Birth.

CDPH also lists an administrative form, VS 85, Delayed Registration of Birth. Both carry a $26 fee that includes one copy. We could not confirm which documents CDPH requires or when a registration counts as delayed, so check with CDPH-VR before you start.

A late filing date can matter for a passport. The federal rule expects a filing date within one year of birth, and an applicant whose certificate does not meet that standard must submit secondary evidence, such as hospital, baptismal, medical or school records (22 CFR 51.42(b)).

Adoption and the birth certificate

After a California court finalizes an adoption, the court's report (VS 44) is used to amend the birth record. For a person born in California and adopted in California, CDPH charges no fee to register it and includes one copy of the amended record. Requests for sealed records go on form CDPH 9126. Who can see an original certificate, and when, is covered in our guide to California adoption records.

Are California birth records public?

Partly. CDPH describes the statewide file as "a permanent, public record of every birth that has occurred in California since July 1905," and anyone may order an informational copy. The authorized copy, the one that proves identity, is limited to the people listed in section 103526. For how this compares nationally, see are birth certificates public records.

For family history, an informational copy is the option open to anyone, since it needs no relationship and no notarized statement. CDPH does not say on the pages we reviewed when older birth records move to an archive, so ask CDPH-VR or the county recorder about very old records.

Using a California birth certificate abroad

A foreign government may want an apostille on a California birth certificate. Under federal guidance, vital records issued by a state "will need an apostille from that state's secretary of state," here the California Secretary of State (USA.gov).

This article provides general legal information about California birth certificates, not legal advice. Fees, forms and procedures change, so confirm with the California Department of Public Health, Vital Records or your county recorder before ordering. Information verified October 6, 2026.

Related

• Birth certificates by state
• Are birth certificates public records?
• California adoption records
• California name change laws
• California death records

Last updated: October 6, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a birth certificate in California?

CDPH Vital Records charges $31 per certified copy, effective January 1, 2026, under AB 64. County offices set their own fees, which may differ.

Can I get my California birth certificate the same day?

Not from CDPH Vital Records, which processes mail requests in an average of 4 to 6 weeks. In-person service is at the county office where the birth was registered; CDPH says the county is often faster, so ask that office about same-day service.

Can I order a California birth certificate online?

CDPH has no online ordering system of its own, and since July 1, 2026 it no longer accepts applications submitted through online third-party vendors. A vendor may send your application to the county where the birth occurred instead.

What is the difference between an authorized and an informational copy?

Both are certified copies, but only an authorized copy can establish identity. An informational copy is open to anyone and is stamped Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity.

Who can order an authorized California birth certificate?

The registrant, a parent or legal guardian, a child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or domestic partner, and certain attorneys, agencies and court-authorized parties under Health and Safety Code 103526(c)(2).

Do I need a notary to order a California birth certificate?

For an authorized copy by mail, yes: CDPH requires a notarized Sworn Statement (VS 20) and returns requests without one. In person, the county official takes your sworn statement instead.

How do I correct a birth certificate in California?

File an Affidavit to Amend a Birth Record (VS 24), supported by the affidavit of one other person who knows the facts, under Health and Safety Code 103225. It is free to register within one year of the birth and $26 after that; CDPH averages 7 to 9 weeks for amendments.

What if CDPH cannot find my birth record?

CDPH issues a Certificate of No Public Record and keeps your fee as a search fee. If the birth was never registered, Health and Safety Code 103450 allows a court petition to establish it.