How to Fill Out the California VS 24: Affidavit to Amend a Record

California Form VS 24, the Affidavit to Amend a Death Record, is the state form used to correct personal information on a death certificate already on file with the California Department of Public Health. (You may see the form referenced as “HS 215A,” but CDPH designates it VS 24.)¹ You sign it under oath, a second person with knowledge of the facts signs it with you, and you file it with either CDPH or the county registrar where the death occurred.² Filed within one year of the death, there is no fee to register the correction; after one year, the fee is $26.³

What VS 24 Can and Cannot Correct

VS 24 is for the personal and statistical fields on a death certificate: the decedent’s name, date and place of birth, parents’ names, marital status, Social Security number, and similar biographical entries. The most common filings fix misspelled names, wrong birthplaces, and incorrect parentage.⁴

It is not the right form for medical information. Corrections to the cause, manner, date, or time of death go on Form VS 24A, the Physician/Coroner’s Amendment Fact Sheet, and must be signed by the certifying or attending physician, coroner, or medical examiner rather than a family member.¹⁴ If you need both personal and medical fixes, you’ll submit VS 24 and VS 24A together.

Who Has to Sign

Under Health and Safety Code Section 103225, the person asserting that an error exists files the affidavit under oath, and that affidavit must be supported by a second affidavit from “one other credible person having knowledge of the facts.”² A spouse, parent, child, sibling, or anyone with direct knowledge of the correct facts can serve as either signer.

Both signatures appear in the same Affidavit and Signatures section at the bottom of the form, so line up your second affiant before you start writing.⁴ Finding a second person with genuine knowledge of the decedent’s background is where this process stalls for most families.

How to Fill Out the Form

Download the current VS 24 from the CDPH website or pick one up from the county registrar’s office.¹ Have the existing death certificate in front of you. Several fields on the form have to match the certificate exactly for CDPH to locate the right record.

Identifying the Record

At the top of the form, enter the decedent’s full legal name as it appears on the current certificate, the date of death, and either the state file number or the local registration number. Copy them exactly as printed. If you have both the state file number and the local registration number, enter both.

Listing the Corrections

The form uses a side-by-side layout. In one column, write the information exactly as it currently appears on the certificate. In the adjacent column, write the correct information. Reference the item number from the death certificate for each field so the registrar knows which entry to change.

Proofread the “correct” column carefully. If your correction contains a typo, the registrar will process it as written and you’ll have to file all over again.

Signing the Affidavit

You and your supporting affiant both sign the Affidavit and Signatures section. Each signature is made under oath, certifying that the corrected information is true. Both signers provide printed name, relationship to the decedent, address, and phone number.

Supporting Documents

The statute itself does not list specific supporting documents beyond the two affidavits, but CDPH may ask for proof depending on what you are correcting. A certified copy of the decedent’s birth certificate is the most common supporting record, especially for corrections to parents’ names or the decedent’s place of birth. Marriage certificates, military records, school records, and older government-issued identification that consistently reflects the correct information are also useful. Submit certified copies or originals. Photocopies and notarized copies are generally not accepted.

The Notarized Sworn Statement

A frequent source of confusion. The notarized Sworn Statement printed on the VS 24 is not required to file the amendment. It is required only if you want to receive an authorized certified copy of the amended death certificate.⁵ Under Health and Safety Code Section 103526(c), only authorized individuals (spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, legal guardian, or a party authorized by court order) may receive a certified copy, and they must sign a sworn statement in front of a notary to verify their identity.⁴ Most people filing an amendment also want the updated certificate, so plan on a notary visit before you mail the packet.

Fees

How much you pay depends on when you file relative to the date of death. Under the fee schedule effective January 1, 2026:³

Within one year of death: no fee to register the amendment. Copies of the amended certificate cost $26 each and are not included.
After one year from date of death: $26 amendment fee, which includes one copy of the newly amended record. Additional copies cost $26 each.

Pay by check or money order made payable to CDPH Vital Records. Do not send cash.

Where to File

You can file the completed VS 24 with either the state or your local county registrar.²

To file with the state, mail the completed form, supporting documents, payment (if applicable), and notarized Sworn Statement (if requesting a certified copy) to:

California Department of Public Health
Vital Records – MS 5103
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410⁶

Use certified mail or a delivery service with tracking so you have proof the package arrived. To file locally, contact the county recorder or county health department where the death occurred. A directory of county vital records offices is on the CDPH website.

How Long It Takes

CDPH’s current average processing time for a complete amendment request is 9 to 11 weeks. If the request is incomplete, CDPH takes roughly 12 to 14 weeks from receipt to mail a deficiency letter explaining what’s missing. Once you return the missing items, add another 8 to 10 weeks for completion and mailing.⁷ An incomplete filing can easily push the total past five months, so getting everything right the first time matters more than filing quickly.

Mistakes That Get the Form Rejected

Most rejected VS 24 filings come down to a short list of avoidable errors:

Missing the second signature. The statute requires two affiants; a form with one signature comes back.
Wrong fee or no fee. Filing more than a year after the death without the $26 fee triggers a deficiency notice. Sending a fee when none is required won’t speed things up either, because CDPH processes the refund.
No notarized Sworn Statement when requesting a certified copy. If you want the amended certificate mailed to you, the Sworn Statement has to be included and properly notarized.
Mismatched identifying information. If the name, date of death, or file number on your form doesn’t match what CDPH has on file, the registrar cannot locate the record.
Using VS 24 for medical corrections. Changes to cause, manner, date, or time of death need VS 24A with a physician or coroner’s signature.

A deficiency notice isn’t the end of the road. You can resubmit with the corrected materials. But each round adds roughly two to three months to the timeline, which is reason enough to slow down and get the first submission clean.

1
California Department of Public Health. Amending a California Death or Fetal Death Record
2
California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code Division 102 Part 1 Chapter 11 Article 1
3
California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Fees
4
California Department of Public Health. Affidavit to Amend a Death Record
5
California Department of Public Health. Affidavit to Amend a Record – VS 24 Form
6
California Department of Public Health. Contact CDPH Vital Records
7
California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Processing Times