A California birth certificate is issued by the California Department of Public Health Vital Records office (CDPH-VR) or by the county recorder in the county where the birth occurred. As of January 1, 2026, a certified copy costs $31 and most amendments cost $26 under fee increases enacted by Assembly Bill 64.1CDPH. Vital Records Fees What you file, and whether you need a court order, depends on what you are trying to do: get a copy, fix a typo, change a name, update a gender marker, add a parent, or register a birth that was never recorded.
Who Can Order a Copy
California splits birth certificate copies into two types. An authorized copy works for a passport, driver’s license, REAL ID, or other official use. An informational copy carries a legend across its face stating it is not valid for identity, and it will be rejected for government ID purposes.2CDPH. Authorized Copy vs. Informational Copy
Under Health and Safety Code Section 103526, only certain people can receive an authorized copy:3California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code 103526
- The person named on the certificate
- A parent or legal guardian of that person
- A spouse, domestic partner, child, grandchild, grandparent, or sibling
- An attorney representing the registrant or their estate
- A person or agency acting under a court order
- Law enforcement or a government agency on official business
Requests for an authorized copy must include a notarized sworn statement confirming your eligibility. A California notary can charge up to $15 per signature. Anyone outside the eligible list can still order an informational copy, but it will not work as identification.
What It Costs and How Long It Takes
The fee schedule that took effect January 1, 2026 applies to requests submitted directly to CDPH-VR:1CDPH. Vital Records Fees
- Certified copy of a birth record: $31
- Amendment filed more than a year after birth: $26, includes one certified copy of the amended record
- Amendment filed within a year of birth: no amendment fee, but copies are $31 each
- Gender or parent designation change: $26 regardless of timing, includes one certified copy
- Additional copies of any amended record: $31 each
County recorder offices set their own fees, which can differ slightly. Court-ordered amendments also carry court filing fees that vary by county.
Processing at CDPH-VR is slow. Standard certified copy requests average five to seven weeks. Amendments average nine to eleven weeks when the paperwork is complete.4CDPH. Vital Records Processing Times If something is missing, expect roughly 12 to 14 weeks for CDPH-VR to send a letter asking for it, and another 8 to 10 weeks after you respond. Ordering through your county recorder is often faster if the birth happened in that county.
Correcting an Error
Minor Corrections
Spelling mistakes, wrong dates or times of birth, and incorrect birthplace entries can be fixed by filing an Affidavit to Amend a Birth Record (VS 24) with CDPH-VR. Health and Safety Code Section 103225 allows the correction through a sworn affidavit backed by one other person with knowledge of the correct facts.5California Legislative Information. California Health and Safety Code Division 102, Part 1, Chapter 11, Article 1 Supporting documents help: hospital records, a passport, or a Social Security card showing the correct information.6CDPH. Amending a California Birth Record
The amendment fee is $26 if filed more than a year after birth, and that includes one new certified copy. Within the first year there is no amendment fee, though certified copies still cost $31 each.
Most amendments produce a marginal notation on the original certificate rather than a brand-new document. The notation shows the corrected information while preserving the original record.
Major Corrections
Errors that significantly change identifying information, such as incorrect parental details, generally require a court order. You file a petition in the superior court for your county, then submit the certified court order to CDPH-VR along with the $26 amendment fee. The court process adds weeks or months on top of CDPH-VR’s own nine-to-eleven-week timeline, so start early if you need the corrected certificate by a specific date.
Changing a Name
A name change on a California birth certificate almost always requires a court order. The process runs under the Code of Civil Procedure starting at Section 1276.7Justia Law. California Code of Civil Procedure 1275-1279.6
You file a petition in the superior court where you live, listing your current name, proposed name, birthplace, and reason. For a minor, a parent or guardian files. If only one parent signs, the petition must include the other parent’s address for notice.
California generally requires that the order to show cause be published in a local newspaper once a week for four consecutive weeks. Publication can be waived in cases involving safety concerns, domestic violence, or witness protection. If no one objects, the judge grants the change without a hearing.
Once you have the certified order, submit it to CDPH-VR with the Application to Amend a Birth Certificate After a Court Order Name Change (VS 23) and the $26 fee.1CDPH. Vital Records Fees The Social Security Administration accepts an amended birth certificate as evidence of a name change for your SSN record.8Social Security Administration. Evidence of a Name Change Based on a U.S. Issued Amended or Corrected Birth Certificate Driver’s license, passport, and bank records each have their own separate update processes.
Adding or Changing a Parent
When unmarried parents want to add the second parent to the birth certificate, both can sign a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (VDOP). Hospitals are required by Family Code Section 7571 to offer the form before the mother leaves; if signed there, the second parent’s name goes directly on the original certificate. It can also be signed later at a county recorder, a child support agency office, or a court. There is no fee to sign a VDOP, and no court appearance is needed.9Judicial Branch of California. Voluntary Declaration of Parentage Once filed with the Department of Child Support Services, a VDOP has the same legal effect as a court judgment establishing parentage.
When parentage is disputed, or a presumed parent wants to be removed, a court proceeding is required. Family Code Sections 7630 through 7644 govern petitions to establish or challenge parentage; the court may order genetic testing and weigh other evidence.10Justia Law. California Family Code 7630-7644 The certified order goes to CDPH-VR with the $26 amendment fee.
Updating a Gender Marker
Under Senate Bill 179, the Gender Recognition Act, any person born in California can obtain a new birth certificate reflecting their gender identity without a court order or medical documentation. Health and Safety Code Section 103426 has governed the process since January 1, 2019.11California Legislative Information. SB 179 Gender Recognition Act
You submit an application and an affidavit to CDPH-VR stating under penalty of perjury that the change is to conform your legal gender to your gender identity and is not for a fraudulent purpose. Options are female, male, or nonbinary (designated X). The fee is $26, which includes one certified copy of the new certificate.
For a minor, a parent or legal guardian files. If guardians disagree, a court order may be needed. Unlike most other amendments, a gender marker change produces a completely new birth certificate rather than a marginal note, and the earlier version does not show through on the new document.
Registering a Birth That Was Never Recorded
If a California birth was never officially registered, the state allows a delayed registration using the VS 85 form. This happens more often than people assume, especially with older home births or lost hospital records.12CDPH. Delayed Registration of Birth
How much evidence you need depends on who signs the affidavit section:
- Two people with knowledge of the birth sign: one piece of documentary evidence
- The attending physician or birth attendant signs: one piece of documentary evidence
- No affidavit signer: two pieces of documentary evidence, at least one supporting parentage
Acceptable documents include hospital records, school records, census records, military records, baptismal certificates, and Social Security records. Each must be an original or certified copy and must have been created at least five years before the application (at least two years for children under 12). The fee is $26, including one certified copy of the newly registered certificate.
Adoption and Sealed Records
When an adoption is finalized in California, the original birth certificate is sealed and a new one is issued naming the adoptive parents. The adoption court file is also sealed. Family Code Section 9200 allows inspection only in “exceptional circumstances and for good cause approaching the necessitous.”13California Legislative Information. California Family Code 9200
Assembly Bill 1302 changed access rules for adopted adults as of January 1, 2025. Adoptees age 18 and older can now petition the superior court for their original, unredacted birth certificate. For adoptions that occurred before January 1, 2025, the state registrar must first try to notify birth parents and obtain consent; if a birth parent does not respond or cannot be reached, identifying information may be redacted. For adoptions on or after that date, a similar notification process applies but with a clearer path to obtaining the record.14California Legislative Information. AB 1302 Vital Records – Adopted Persons and Original Birth Certificates
Using the Certificate for a Passport or Abroad
A California birth certificate is primary evidence of U.S. citizenship for a passport. Federal regulations require it to show your full name, place and date of birth, at least one parent’s full name, the signature of the custodian of records, the seal of the issuing office, and a filing date within one year of the birth.15eCFR. Title 22, Part 51, Subpart C – Evidence of U.S. Citizenship or Nationality A delayed registration (filed more than a year after birth) may require additional supporting evidence at the passport office. Informational copies are not accepted for passports or REAL ID; you need an authorized copy.
To use a California birth certificate in a country that belongs to the 1961 Hague Convention, request an apostille from the California Secretary of State. The fee is $20 per apostille by mail, plus a $6 special handling fee for in-person requests.16California Secretary of State. Apostille Frequently Asked Questions The Secretary of State can only authenticate certificates signed by a county clerk, county recorder, or the State Registrar. If your copy was signed by a local health officer or local registrar, you may need to order a new certified copy from the county recorder or CDPH before the apostille request.