California Vital Record Retrieval & Apostille Service

Need a certified copy of a California vital or court record? We can retrieve the record, obtain any required apostille or legalization, and ship the completed documents to you or a third party worldwide.

What Are Vital Records and Related Records?

Vital records document major life events. The most common examples are birth, marriage, and death certificates. We can also retrieve related records, including California declarations of domestic partnership, certificates of no record, and certified divorce judgments or decrees from California courts.

What Is a Certified Copy of a Vital Record?

A certified copy of a vital record is issued by the responsible government agency, typically a county clerk, county recorder, local health department, or the California Department of Public Health. It bears the certification, signature, seal, or other security features required by the issuing agency. Certified copies may be needed for identification, citizenship, immigration, inheritance, marriage, and other legal purposes in the United States or abroad.

How Do I Obtain a Certified Copy of a Vital Record?

California restricts who may receive authorized certified copies of birth, death, and marriage records. Eligibility depends on the type of record and may include the person named on the record, certain immediate family members, legal guardians, attorneys, government agencies, and people authorized by statute or court order. Divorce judgments and some other records are public, while confidential marriage and domestic-partnership records have much stricter access requirements. Review the applicable page below or contact us so we can confirm the requirements for your record. We have detailed instructions for obtaining vital records in person, online, or by mail on the following pages:

Birth Certificate: San Francisco County | Alameda County | San Mateo County
Certificate of No Record
Declaration of Domestic Partnership
Confidential Marriage Certificate
Marriage Certificate: San Francisco County | Alameda County | San Mateo County
Divorce Decree
Death Certificate: San Francisco County | Alameda County | San Mateo County

Confidential records: A confidential marriage certificate generally may be obtained only by a party to the marriage or as authorized by court order. If a party cannot appear personally, the certificate may need to be ordered directly from the issuing county by mail or through VitalChek, when available. Certified copies of confidential California domestic-partnership records must be requested from the California Secretary of State by an eligible party using the Secretary of State’s required procedure.

SF Notary + Apostille Can Retrieve Your Vital Record for You

The fastest way to obtain many California vital and court records is through an in-person request at the appropriate government office. If you cannot visit the office yourself—or simply want to avoid the travel, parking, and waiting—we may be able to retrieve the certified copy on your behalf. We can then obtain any required apostille or additional legalization and ship the completed documents anywhere in the United States or overseas.

Just follow the steps below.

Step 1: Email Us Your Request

In order to get a quick price quote for our vital records retrieval service, email info@sfnotary.com with the following information:

• The type of vital record you need retrieved

• The county it was originally issued in

• A statement about whether you need an apostille or just the certified copy

  • If you do need an apostille, the destination country (e.g. France)

• 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 vital record

• A scan of the vital record, if you have one

  • If you do not have a scan, please also provide this necessary information:

    • Birth certificate: Name listed on the certificate, date and place of birth, and both parents’ names

    • Non-confidential declaration of domestic partnership: Both parties’ names, date declaration was recorded

    • Non-confidential marriage certificate: Both parties’ names, date marriage was recorded

    • Divorce judgment or decree: Both parties’ names, case number, court location, and approximate date of judgment

    • Death certificate: Decedent’s name, date and place of death, and applicant’s relationship to the decedent

We will respond with a price quote. Once we've agreed upon a price, we will send you an invoice and start the retrieval process.

Step 2: Complete Any Required Authorization

Requirements depend on the record type and issuing agency. If the agency permits retrieval by an authorized agent, we will prepare a limited power of attorney authorizing our representative to obtain the record.

The eligible applicant may have the document notarized in person, through a U.S. remote online notary service accepted by the issuing agency, or at a U.S. embassy or consulate. If you are in the Bay Area, we can also arrange for a mobile notary to travel to you.

Some public records, including many divorce judgments and non-confidential declarations of domestic partnership, do not require a limited power of attorney. Other records have special restrictions. For example, Los Angeles County permits us to retrieve a birth certificate by limited power of attorney only when the authorization is signed by the person named on that birth certificate.

We will confirm the applicable requirements before preparing your authorization.

Step 3: We Do the Rest

As soon as we have all required information and authorization documents, our designated agent will travel to the appropriate government office and retrieve the record for you. If you also need an apostille, we will obtain that from the Secretary of State in Sacramento. If the record will be presented in a country that does not participate in the Hague Apostille Convention, we can also coordinate any additional authentication or embassy or consulate legalization required by the destination country. In any case, we will ship the vital record to you or the specified recipient.

We use FedEx Priority Overnight for most U.S. destinations and FedEx International Priority for most overseas destinations. For international shipments, we will also email you a scan of the completed documents for your records.

Frequently Asked Questions About Vital Record Retrieval

What is the easiest way to get a certified copy of a vital record?

Certified copies may be requested in person, online, or by mail, depending on the record and issuing agency. In-person retrieval is frequently the fastest option, while online and mail orders may take several days or weeks. If the agency permits retrieval by an authorized agent, SF Notary + Apostille can obtain the certified copy, complete any required apostille or legalization, and ship it directly to you or another recipient.

How long is your turnaround time?

Once we receive all required authorization documents, we can generally retrieve an available record from one of the counties we serve within one business day. If you also need a California apostille, that usually requires one additional business day. Additional embassy or consulate legalization will require more time.

What if the record was issued in another California county?

We currently offer vital record retrieval service in Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, Marin, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma counties. We also offer divorce decree retrieval service in these counties plus Sacramento County.

What if the record was issued in another state?

We do not currently have vital record retrieval resources outside the California counties listed above. If you cannot locate a local retrieval service, you may be able to order the certified copy directly from the issuing county or state vital records office or online through VitalChek. Once you receive the certified copy, contact us to determine whether we can assist with the required apostille or authentication.

What if the record was issued in another country?

We are unable to assist with retrieving documents issued by governments in other countries.

Contact Us About Vital Record Retrieval

For more information or to place your order, please email info@sfnotary.com 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.