Birth Certificates

A certified birth certificate is used to establish identity for legal purposes. California state laws help protect against identify theft by allowing only an authorized person to receive a certified copy of a birth certificate. Those who are authorized by law to receive a certified copy of a birth certificate are:

• The registrant;
• A parent or legal guardian of the registrant;
• A party entitled to receive the certificate as a result of a court order, or an attorney or a licensed adoption agency seeking the birth certificate in order to comply with the requirement of Section 3140 or 7603 of the Family Code;
• A member of a law enforcement agency or a representative of another governmental agency, as provided by law, who is conducting official business (companies representing a government agency must provide authorization from the government agency);
• A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse or domestic partner of the registrant; and
• An attorney representing the registrant or the registrant's estate, or any person or agency empowered by statute, or appointed by a court to act on behalf of the registrant or the registrant's estate. (If you are requesting a certified copy under a power of attorney, please include a copy of the power of attorney with the application form.)

You will need:

• One completed application form for each requested birth certificate.
  • Download form:  English | Spanish (PDF: 234 Kb)
• Photo ID.
• Sign the "Sworn Statement" (page 2 of the application) in front of the clerk.
• Fee: $32 per certificate.

Payment:

• In person:
  • Payment by cash, check, money order, Visa or MasterCard credit card, or debit card.
• By mail:
  • Payment by check or money order, payable to Sonoma County Department of Health Services.
  • Payment by credit or debit card, call the Office of Vital Statistics at (707) 565-4407 to provide your payment information.
• By fax:
  • Payment by credit or debit card. Call the Office of Vital Statistics at (707) 565-4407 to provide your payment information.

A certified "informational copy" of a birth certificate is a copy of a birth certificate that cannot be used to establish identify and is marked "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY." A certified "informational copy" of a birth certificate is not accepted for any legal purpose, such as school enrollment or obtaining a drivers license or a passport.

If you need a copy for a legal purpose, you must obtain a  certified birth certificate.

In person, by mail or by fax. You need:

• One completed application form for each person's birth certificate. You may request multiple copies of each person's birth certificate.
  • Download form: English | Spanish (PDF: 234 Kb)
• Payment by cash, check, money order, Visa or MasterCard credit card, or debit card.
  • Fee: $32 per certificate.

The California Department of Public Health maintains the most current versions of all forms related to amendments for birth certificates such as:

• General Birth Amendment
• Court Order Name Change
• Correcting a Sex Field Error
• Sex Change/Reassignment
• Adoption
• Acknowledgement of Paternity/Parentage
• Adjudication of Paternity
• Supplemental Name Report

See  Correcting or Amending Vital Records » 

Not sure which form you need? Call the Office of Vital Statistics at • for more information. (707) 565-4407