California Apostille & Document Authentication
For a California birth or death certificate, check the signature before ordering an apostille. A health officer’s signature can require an extra county step; a county recorder or State Registrar signature follows a different route.
Check the certifying official
The California Secretary of State authenticates eligible California signatures. Birth and death records bearing a local health officer or county registrar signature may need county-clerk certification or replacement with a certified copy from the county recorder or California Department of Public Health.
Prepare the submission
Mail requests go to Sacramento. Include the eligible original notarized or certified document, a cover sheet naming the destination country, required payment and a return envelope. A plain photocopy is not acceptable.
Prevent avoidable corrections
For a document in another language, the notarization must be in English. Confirm translation and document-format requirements with the receiving authority.
Service estimate
Premier’s typical other-state service estimate is 5–7 business days, subject to document review and authority availability. Shipping is additional. This is not the state’s published mail-processing time.
Frequently asked questions
Does an apostille confirm the document’s contents?
No. It authenticates the official signature, capacity and seal; it does not validate the contents.
Official sources
Reviewed on 2026-10-13
Premier document review and timing
Missouri service takes 24–48 hours; other-state service typically takes 5–7 business days. We confirm the estimate for your document and submission route. Federal timing is confirmed after document review. Shipping time is additional. These are Premier service estimates, not government guarantees.
Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM CST. By appointment only.
Start your request