California Birth Certificate: Order a Certified Copy Online

Who counts as an authorized requester under Health and Safety Code 103526

The law behind the authorized copy lists who may ask for it. That list is narrower than many people expect, and it is the first thing to settle before you order.

• the registrant (the person whose birth it records)
• a parent or legal guardian of the registrant
• a child, grandchild, grandparent, brother or sister of the registrant
• the registrant's spouse or registered domestic partner
• an attorney representing the registrant or the registrant's estate, or a person or agency a statute or a court has empowered to act for them
• a party entitled to the record by court order, and law enforcement or a government agency on official business

Cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws and friends are not on the list. They can still receive an informational copy, which is useful for family history but not for a passport, a driver's license or any other identity check.

The sworn statement and the notary

Every authorized request travels with a sworn statement in which the requester declares, under penalty of perjury, that they belong to one of the eligible groups. When the request is not made in person, the signature on that statement must be acknowledged by a notary public; without it the state treats the request as informational. One statement may cover several records as long as it names each registrant and the requester's relationship to each. A notarization performed abroad needs an apostille unless a United States consular officer or a judge of a court of record took the acknowledgment.

What the state application asks for

The application for a birth record (form VS 111) asks for the registrant's full name, the city and county of birth, the date of birth, and the first and last names each parent had at birth. An approximate date is accepted when the exact one is unknown. The requester gives a name, mailing address, telephone number, email address and the reason for the request, and marks whether an authorized or an informational copy is wanted. Each record needs its own application.

Los Angeles County, San Diego County or the state office

A California birth can be ordered from the county where it was registered, such as the Los Angeles County or San Diego County recorder, or from the state's vital records office. The county holds only the births that happened inside its borders, while the state office holds every county's records registered since July 1905. For births before that date the county recorder is the only source. Newborns are a special case: the state itself suggests asking the county health department or county recorder during the first months after a birth, while the record makes its way into the statewide file.

Adoptions, amendments and the confidential section

After an adoption California files a new record under the adopted name, and that is the record a normal request returns. The original is sealed; a copy of it requires a court order releasing the sealed file. If a correction or amendment is still being processed, a copy ordered in the meantime may show the record as it stood before the change. Separately, the confidential medical and social portion of a certificate is released only to the registrant, the parent who signed the certificate, or a person who has petitioned to adopt. Since November 2013 the state no longer embosses its certified copies, so a flat seal is normal.

How it works when you order with BirthChek

BirthChek asks for an authorized California copy only, so the questions start with your relationship to the registrant and stop anyone outside the statutory list before payment. You answer the same facts the state form needs, upload your photo ID front and back, and sign electronically. Because California requires the sworn statement, your order page then offers the state's statement form to download; you complete it, sign it in front of a notary and upload the notarized page. Once it is in, our team checks the file against the state's requirements and submits the request on your behalf, and your order page shows each step until the record is mailed.