To apply for a birth certificate in California, submit Form VS 111 with a $31 fee to the California Department of Public Health – Vital Records (CDPH-VR) or to the vital records office in the county where the birth occurred. You can file by mail, in person at a county office, or through an approved third-party website. If you want a certified copy that works as legal identification, you also need to sign a sworn statement, and if you’re mailing the request, that statement has to be notarized.
Certified Copy vs. Informational Copy
California issues two versions of the same record. A certified authorized copy can be used to establish identity and is limited to specific people listed in the Health and Safety Code. An informational certified copy contains the same underlying information but is stamped with a notice that it cannot be used to prove identity, and anyone can request it.1CA.gov. Apply for Birth Certificate Depending on the year of birth, the informational version may have signatures and Social Security numbers removed. It’s the right choice for genealogy or family history work where identity isn’t the point.2California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 103526
Who Can Request an Authorized Copy
Only an “authorized person” can receive a certified copy usable as ID. That list includes:
- The person named on the certificate (the registrant)
- A parent or legal guardian of the registrant
- A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant
- An attorney representing the registrant or the registrant’s estate
- A law enforcement officer or government representative acting in an official capacity
- A person with a court order entitling them to the record
If you’re not on this list, request an informational copy instead.
What the Application Requires
The form is called the Application for Certified Copy of Birth Record (VS 111), available as a PDF on the CDPH-VR website or in paper form at any county vital records office.3California Department of Public Health. How to Obtain a Certified Copy of a Birth Record You’ll need to fill in:
- The full name on the birth record (first, middle, last)
- The city and county of birth in California
- The date of birth, or an approximate date if you’re unsure
- Both parents’ full names, including last names at birth
For an authorized copy, you also complete the sworn statement on the application, declaring under penalty of perjury that you’re entitled to the record. Mail-in requests must have that statement notarized before you send them; anything that arrives without proper notarization won’t be processed.3California Department of Public Health. How to Obtain a Certified Copy of a Birth Record
One timing detail catches new parents by surprise: birth records don’t become available until 21 days after the birth. If you’re trying to get a newborn’s certificate, wait at least three weeks before applying.
Three Ways to Submit
By Mail to the State
Send the completed VS 111 form (with the notarized sworn statement if you’re requesting an authorized copy) and a check or money order for $31 per copy made payable to “CDPH-Vital Records.” Do not send cash. Mail everything to:3California Department of Public Health. How to Obtain a Certified Copy of a Birth Record
California Department of Public Health – Vital Records, MS 5103
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410
Mail-in requests to CDPH-VR currently take about 5 to 7 weeks to process.4California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Processing Times The state office handles births anywhere in California.
In Person at a County Office
The county vital records office where the birth was registered is usually the fastest route. Bring the completed application, a valid photo ID, and payment. Most county offices accept cash, debit cards, and credit cards along with checks, though credit card payments may carry a small service fee. The sworn statement can typically be signed in front of the clerk, so you skip the notary step. County offices frequently offer same-day service. County fees generally sit close to the state’s, but each county sets its own.
Keep in mind a county office can only issue records for births that occurred in that county.
Online Through a Third-Party Service
CDPH-VR does not take online applications directly. The state instead partners with independent companies that transmit applications electronically to CDPH-VR or a county office. Each company charges its own service fee on top of the $31 government fee, and paying that extra fee does not move you up the queue. Once an online order is accepted for processing, CDPH-VR cannot cancel it.5California Department of Public Health. Obtaining Certified Copies Online
If CDPH-VR cannot locate the record from the information you provide, the fee is kept to cover the search and you receive a Certificate of No Public Record instead.
Fee Waiver If You’re Experiencing Homelessness
California law waives the birth certificate fee for people experiencing homelessness. Under Health and Safety Code Section 103577, a local registrar, county recorder, or the State Registrar must issue a certified birth record at no charge to a person verified as homeless. This covers people staying in a shelter, living in a vehicle, sleeping in a public place, or staying temporarily with someone else after having to leave home.6California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 103577
To qualify, complete the affidavit developed by CDPH and have it co-signed by a qualifying homeless services provider who can verify your housing status. Qualifying signers include government or nonprofit agencies funded to serve homeless populations, licensed attorneys, school social workers, and law enforcement liaisons designated to work with homeless individuals. There’s no charge for the verification. The State Registrar issues up to three free copies per year under this provision.
If the Record Needs a Correction
If the existing record has an error, or you need to update a name, parent information, or the sex field, that’s a separate amendment process handled by CDPH-VR by mail rather than a regular copy request. The form depends on the change: VS 24B for spelling errors, incorrect dates, or sex/gender corrections; VS 23 for a legal name change after a court order; VS 21 for adding, removing, or replacing a parent; and VS 107 for adding the registrant’s name to blank fields.7California Department of Public Health. Amending a California Birth Record The amendment fee is $26 and includes one free copy of the amended record; additional copies are $31 each. Corrections filed with VS 24 or VS 107 within one year of the birth carry no amendment fee, though a copy of the corrected record still costs $31.8California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Fees
If You’ll Use the Certificate Abroad
A California birth certificate used in another country generally needs an apostille from the California Secretary of State, which verifies the document’s authenticity for countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention. Non-Convention countries require an authentication instead, which may involve further steps through the U.S. Department of State. You must submit the original certified birth certificate, not a photocopy, along with a cover sheet naming the country where you’ll use it.9California Secretary of State. Request an Apostille Order the certified copy first, then send it on for the apostille.