California Birth Certificate
Apostille for OCI
A California birth certificate is apostilled by California Secretary of State, Notary Public & Special Filings in Sacramento (a Los Angeles counter also accepts filings) — the state that issued it, never Washington DC and never the state you live in now. The fee is$20 per document and the typical turnaround is same-day at the counter; mail submissions are slower. Since 30 December 2024 this apostille is mandatory on any US birth certificate used in an OCI application.
Our price: from $99 all-in delivered within the USA, or $149 all-in couriered to India — government fee, handling and shipping in one flat number, confirmed before you ship anything.
Get a California QuoteThe California Route
| Apostille authority | California Secretary of State, Notary Public & Special Filings, Sacramento (a Los Angeles counter also accepts filings) |
| Government fee | $20 per document |
| Typical turnaround | Same-day at the counter; mail submissions are slower |
| County pre-authentication | No |
| Certified copy comes from | California Department of Public Health — Vital Records (CDPH-VR) in Sacramento, or the county recorder of the county of birth. Both issue the certified long-form copy; county recorders are usually faster. |
| Apostille format for OCI | Physical paper apostille — VFS Global does not accept e-apostilles |
Fee and turnaround verified mid-2026 — state fees and processing times change, so we reconfirm on the issuing office's official website before quoting.
The California Quirk Worth Knowing
California accepts certified copies from both the state office and county recorders, which is why two Californian families can hold visibly different-looking certificates and both be fine. What matters is that the copy carries the registrar's signature and seal — a hospital souvenir certificate will be refused at the counter, not at the apostille stage.
More US-born children of Indian-origin parents hold California birth certificates than those of any other state, so Sacramento is the single busiest destination in our OCI workload. Bay Area and Southern California births dominate — and because the counter turns documents around the same day, California is one of the fastest states in the country for this step.
How We Handle a California File From India
Confirm the certificate
Send photos on WhatsApp. We check it is the certified long form with the registrar's signature and seal — the version OCI processing needs — before anything moves.
Certified copy to our US address
California Department of Public Health — Vital Records (CDPH-VR) in Sacramento, or the county recorder of the county of birth. Both issue the certified long-form copy; county recorders are usually faster. Where you do not already hold a certified copy, we guide the order so it ships directly to our US processing address.
Submission to Sacramento (a Los Angeles counter also accepts filings)
We submit to California Secretary of State, Notary Public & Special Filings by tracked mail, with India named as the destination country and the physical paper apostille explicitly requested rather than an e-apostille. Add a mailing leg each way to the office turnaround above when you plan your dates.
Apostilled original to India
You get a photo of the attached apostille before dispatch, then the original ships to your Indian address with tracking. At VFS you hand in a self-attested photocopy and keep the original.
The full seven-step process, the myths that cause rejections, and the line-item cost breakdown live on the mainOCI birth certificate apostille guide.
California — Common Questions
We live in India now but our child was born in San Jose. Where does the apostille happen?
Can we use the county recorder copy from Santa Clara or Alameda County?
How much is the California apostille fee?
Born in a Different State?
The apostille always comes from the issuing state. If the certificate says a different state, start there:
California Birth Certificate?
We Know That Counter.
Send us your OCI appointment date and we will tell you honestly whether a California file makes it — then quote one flat, all-inclusive price.
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