To get a birth certificate in Long Beach, you order it from the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, but only if the birth happened within city limits in 2019 or later. For any Long Beach birth before 2019, the record is held by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder at 800-201-8999 or lavote.gov.1City of Long Beach. Records Confirm the birth year before you send anything, because the wrong office will just return your payment.
Who Can Order Which Type of Copy
California issues two versions of a certified birth certificate. An Authorized Certified Copy is a legal identity document, accepted for passports, driver’s licenses, and similar uses. An Informational Certified Copy carries the same data but is stamped with a legend stating it cannot be used to establish identity.2California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 103526
You can request an authorized copy if you are:
- The person named on the certificate
- A parent or legal guardian
- A spouse or domestic partner
- A child, grandchild, grandparent, or sibling
- An attorney for the person or their estate
- A law enforcement officer or government representative on official business
Someone acting under a power of attorney can also request an authorized copy, but has to attach documentation proving that authority.2California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 103526 Everyone else receives the informational copy, which contains the full record but will not work as identification.
What You Need Before You Apply
Every application asks for the full name at birth, the exact date of birth, the city where the birth occurred, and the mother’s full maiden name. That last field causes most of the problems. If the maiden name is misspelled or incomplete, the clerk cannot match your request to the record and the search comes back empty. Spell it the way it appears on her own documents.
For an authorized copy, you also sign a sworn statement under penalty of perjury confirming your identity and your relationship to the person on the certificate. If you apply by mail, that statement has to be notarized. If you apply in person, you sign it at the counter in front of the clerk and show a valid photo ID.2California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 103526 Falsifying the statement is a felony. California notaries can charge up to $15 per signature, and most banks, UPS stores, and shipping outlets offer the service.
How Much It Costs
Each certified copy is $34 through the City of Long Beach.3City of Long Beach. Birth Records Mail-in payment must be a check or money order made out to the City of Long Beach. The online portal accepts credit cards but adds a nonrefundable $5 service fee plus credit card processing charges, and a $0.75 Vital Verify fee for anything mailed to you.4Long Beach Vital Records Office. Birth and Death Records
Fee Waiver If You Are Homeless
California waives the fee for applicants experiencing homelessness. You need an affidavit of homeless status signed by an authorized homeless services provider: a nonprofit receiving government funding to serve homeless populations, a licensed attorney, a school liaison for homeless youth, or a law enforcement officer designated as a homeless liaison. Each application covers one free certified copy, and the State Registrar provides up to three per year.5California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code HSC 103577 The waiver applies at local registrar and county recorder offices across the state, not only in Long Beach.
Three Ways to Order
In Person
The Long Beach vital records office is at 2525 Grand Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90815. It’s open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., closed from noon to 1:00 p.m. for lunch.1City of Long Beach. Records Bring the completed application, photo ID, and payment. Walking in means you can sign the sworn statement at the counter and skip the notary.
By Mail
Send the completed application, your notarized sworn statement if you’re requesting an authorized copy, a check or money order for $34 per copy, and a self-addressed stamped envelope to 2525 Grand Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90815.1City of Long Beach. Records Include a phone number so staff can reach you if something is missing.
Online
The city uses longbeachcavitals.permitium.com. You upload a valid photo ID and answer identity verification questions if you want the certificate mailed. Expect the $34 base fee plus the service and processing fees above.4Long Beach Vital Records Office. Birth and Death Records Online is the only route to expedited pickup, which costs $27 and has the certificate ready the same business day for orders placed before 3:00 p.m.
How Long It Takes
For a recent birth, the certificate takes two to four weeks to become available because the record has to be registered with the State of California first.4Long Beach Vital Records Office. Birth and Death Records Records already in the system are faster, though mail requests still depend on postal time in both directions.
Delivery options through the online portal:
- Standard shipping is free via USPS, no tracking, estimated at 7 to 14 days. The city is not responsible for lost mail.
- Expedited pickup is $27, same day if ordered before 3:00 p.m. on a business day. Last pickup is 3:45 p.m.
- UPS Next Day Air and 2nd Day Air are priced at checkout.
- International UPS Worldwide Express is priced at checkout.
If a mailed request hasn’t arrived in the expected window, call the records office to confirm your payment cleared and the search succeeded.
Using the Certificate for a Passport or REAL ID
Only the authorized certified copy works. The informational version, with its “not valid to establish identity” stamp, will be rejected. Passport applications require an official government-issued birth certificate with a registrar’s seal, not a hospital-issued certificate or a keepsake copy. A REAL ID-compliant driver’s license also requires a government-issued certificate with a raised seal, and your name must match across every document you present. If your current legal name differs from the name on the birth certificate, bring the court order or marriage certificate that connects them.
If You Need to Correct the Record or Use It Abroad
Amendments after a court-ordered name change go through the California Department of Public Health, not the City of Long Beach. You submit a certified copy of the court order with the original seal and judge’s signature, a completed VS 23 form, and a notarized sworn statement. Foreign court orders need a certified English translation. The amendment fee is $26 and includes one certified copy of the amended record; additional copies are $31 each, payable to “CDPH Vital Records.” Other corrections generally use the VS 24 form, with the same fee structure. Corrections filed within one year of birth have no amendment fee, though copies are still $31 each.6California Department of Public Health. Application to Amend a Birth Record After a Court Order Name Change7California Department of Public Health. Vital Records Fees
If you need the certificate recognized in another country, you’ll likely need an apostille from the California Secretary of State. Each apostille is $20, with in-person requests at the Sacramento or Los Angeles offices adding a $6 special handling fee.8California Secretary of State. Request an Apostille That step happens after you have the certified copy from Long Beach in hand.