1: Where was your Birth Certificate or Death Certificate issued? Check the location on your certificate, and make sure it was issued in California.

2: (For Birth Certificates): Check the date on the Birth Certificate and verify that the certificate (or certified copy) was certified within the last 5 years. If it was not, please email or call us at 415-239-6600 to learn about your options.

3: Obtain Certification: Your Birth or Death Certificate can only be authenticated if it is first certified by a County Clerk or Recorder in the county where the certificate was issued. We’ll be happy to obtain the certification for you for an additional fee – email us for details or call us at 415-239-6600.

4. Find Out if Your Destination Country is a Hague Convention Member. If the country requiring authentication is a member of the Hague Convention, you will need an Apostille. If it is not, your Birth Certificate or Death Certificate may require further Embassy legalization. Click here for a list of Hague Convention member countries; if the country is not on the list, give us a call.