A certified copy of a San Mateo County birth certificate can be obtained in several ways, as detailed below. If you have any questions, please email [email protected] or call +1 (415) 655-9455.

Please note that informational birth certificates that bear a disclaimer—such as “INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY”—are not eligible for California Secretary of State apostille certification. You must obtain an official certified copy of the birth certificate.

Fastest: In Person

The fastest way to obtain a certified copy of a San Mateo County birth certificate is to pick it up in person at the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office. (Note: for a birth certificate for an infant born less than four weeks ago, you must request the certified copy from San Mateo County Vital Statistics/Health Department Office by calling +1 (650) 573-2395.)

You are only allowed to pick up a certified copy of a birth certificate for yourself and your child, legal ward, grandparent, grandchild, brother or sister, spouse or domestic partner, as well as any clients who have extended power of attorney to you.

If you plan to obtain the birth certificate in person, book an appointment in advance at the Redwood City or San Mateo office.

In case you are unable to pick up the certificate in person, we can obtain the certified copy for you. You will need appear before a notary to sign a limited power of attorney that gives us authority to retrieve the birth certificate.

Once we receive the notarized power of attorney via mail, our authorized agent will travel to the Clerk-Recorder’s Office to retrieve the certified copy of the birth certificate.

Note: If you are out of the country, you will need to appear before an American notary at the local US Embassy. If one of your relatives who is authorized to order the birth certificate is in the US, you can have them sign the limited power of attorney in front of a local notary instead.

Medium: Order Online

You can order a certified copy of the San Mateo County birth certificate online through a California-approved third-party vendor such as VitalChek, State Vital Records, or Vital Records Online. You can choose to have it delivered to yourself and then mail it to us, or you can send it directly to us. Before sending us a birth certificate, please email us at [email protected] with the following information:

• Your name, telephone number, and current physical location
• The name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person to whom we will ship the apostilled birth certificate
• The destination country (e.g. France)
• The physical location of the birth certificate or ordering status if you ordered one

Please note: Some third-party processors are quoting up to six weeks or more to deliver your certified copy. If you cannot wait that long, choose the in-person option instead.

Slowest: Order through the Mail

Option 1: Order the birth certificate from San Mateo County

You can order a certified copy of a birth certificate by mail from the San Mateo County Clerk-Recorder. In this case, you will need to sign the form before a local notary and then mail the form and a check or money order to the issuing agency.

Either you can choose to have it delivered to yourself and then mail it to us, or you can have it sent directly to us.

Please be sure to complete all fields in the application when applying by mail. You can have the San Mateo County birth certificate shipped directly to us by adding our information in the “Mailing Address” field on the application.

Option 2: Order the birth certificate from the State of California

You can also order a certified copy of a birth certificate by mail from the California Department of Public Health – Vital Records. You will need to sign the form before a local notary or an online notary* and then mail the form and a check or money order to the issuing agency.

Either you can choose to have it delivered to yourself and then mail it to us, or you can have it sent directly to us.

Please be sure to complete all fields in the application when applying by mail. You can have your San Mateo County birth certificate shipped directly to us by adding our information in the address field on the application.

*The State of California will accept remote online notarization, but San Mateo County will not. We can help to arrange an electronic notarization if you’re ordering from the State—please contact us to discuss.

Prior to ordering the birth certificate from the County or State

Whichever mail-order option you select, please email us at [email protected] with the following information before sending us a birth certificate:

• Your name, telephone number, and current physical location
• The name, address, telephone number, and email address of the person to whom we will ship the apostilled birth certificate
• The destination country (e.g. France)
• The physical location of the birth certificate or ordering status if you ordered one

Please note: government agencies can take several weeks to deliver your certified copy. If time is a concern, choose the in-person option instead.

The instructions on this page only apply to San Mateo County birth certificates. If you need a birth certificate from another county that is not San Mateo, please visit the website that county for instructions. Each county uses different forms and employs different processes.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected] or call +1 (415) 655-9455.

Disclaimer: Information on this website is for informational purposes only. These instructions are based on our knowledge and experience and are meant to be helpful; however, they might contain errors. Please let us know if you encounter mistakes so that we can promptly correct them. SF Notary + Apostille is not a law firm, and its agents are not attorneys. Please contact a licensed attorney or your local bar association for counsel on legal matters.