California Secretary of State apostille FAQ
Apostille San Francisco
Bay Area apostille,
county by county.
The issuing office decides the route.
In seven of the nine Bay Area counties, a birth or death certificate can come from either the Clerk-Recorder or county Health. The Secretary of State apostilles a Clerk-Recorder copy directly. A Health copy carries a health officer’s signature and may need county clerk certification first. The table shows which office issues what.
Who issues each record, and whether it may need the clerk step.
| County | Births and deaths issued by | Health-issued copy needs clerk step? | Clerk-step fee | Marriage issued by | Divorce court records | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | Office of Vital Records (under 3 years) and County Clerk (older), both at City Hall, Room 160 | Yes. County Clerk, in person or by mail | Confirmed at filing | Assessor-Recorder, Room 190 (public); County Clerk, Room 160 (confidential) | Civil Records, 400 McAllister St, Room 103 · $15 certified judgment | Official site, Oct 2026 |
| San Mateo | Clerk-Recorder; County Health Vital Records (from 1966) | Yes, for Health copies dated 1966 to present | $12 | Clerk-Recorder | Records Management, Hall of Justice, Redwood City (by appointment or mail) · $15 | Official site, Oct 2026 |
| Marin | Recorder (from the 1850s, except the last 6 weeks); HHS (current and prior year) | Yes. County Clerk, Suite 234, in person by 3:30 pm | $13 per signature | Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk | Court Records, Hall of Justice, Room 113 · $15 | Official site, Oct 2026 |
| Alameda | Clerk-Recorder; City of Berkeley for recent Berkeley births and deaths. The county receives Berkeley births about 2 months after birth | Berkeley copies may need it | Confirmed at filing | Clerk-Recorder | Family law records, Hayward Hall of Justice. In person or by mail · $15 | Official site, Oct 2026 |
| Contra Costa | Clerk-Recorder (from 1905); Health (births this year and last) | May need it. County lists a Health Officer verification | $5 (2026 fee schedule) | Clerk-Recorder | Court Records, Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, 725 Court St, Room 103, Martinez · $15, copies included | Official site, Oct 2026 |
| Santa Clara | Clerk-Recorder only, since July 1, 2016 | For a copy signed by the County Medical Health Officer, yes. In person or by mail | $13 first signature | Clerk-Recorder | Family Justice Center, 191 N. First St, San Jose · $15 | Official site, Oct 2026 |
| Napa | Vital Statistics (births under 12 months); Recorder-County Clerk (older) | Varies. County directs apostille requests to a Recorder copy | Confirmed at filing | Recorder-County Clerk | 825 Brown St, Napa · $15 | Official site, Oct 2026 |
| Solano | Recorder (since 1845, from about 4 weeks after the event); Public Health (last 2 years) | May need it | Confirmed at filing | Recorder; confidential copies from County Clerk, Suite 1900 | Family Law, Hall of Justice, 600 Union Ave, Fairfield · $15 | Official site, Oct 2026 |
| Sonoma | Clerk-Recorder (all years, births from about 1 month after); Public Health (births this year and last) | Varies. County directs apostille requests to a Clerk-Recorder copy | Confirmed at filing | Clerk-Recorder | Court Records, 625 Administration Dr, Santa Rosa · $15 | Official site, Oct 2026 |
Fees and procedures change. We confirm each county before filing and recheck this table every quarter.
Why the issuing office matters.
The California Secretary of State apostilles birth and death certificates signed by county clerks, county recorders and the State Registrar. When a certificate is signed by a health officer or local registrar, its guidance says county clerk certification “may be required,” or a certified copy from the county recorder or the state instead.
Since January 1, 2023, state law has required county health officers to file their oath with the Secretary of State (AB 2324). Its stated aim was to cut these rejections, but the Secretary of State’s guidance still lists the clerk step, and San Mateo, Marin, Santa Clara and Contra Costa still list it.
For records only Health holds so far, such as a very recent birth in Napa or Marin, or one under 3 years old in San Francisco, the Recorder route is not open yet. That is where the clerk step decides your timeline.
No rejections to date.
Here is what we catch first.
None of our filings has been rejected by the Secretary of State, because problems get fixed before anything reaches Sacramento. The two we catch most in the $45 Document Check are a notary certificate that wasn’t completed correctly, and a photocopy sent in place of a certified copy. County issues like the ones in this table are the third.
“Dante walked me through each step, caught issues before they became problems, and made sure everything was done correctly the first time.”
“I needed my PhD from UC Berkeley apostilled urgently…”
We read the signature, handle the clerk step in whichever county issued it, then file in Sacramento.
$45 Document Check before any fee. Mail-in at $180, 2–4 weeks. Price confirmed before work begins.
Asked across the Bay Area.
01How do I tell which office issued my certificate?
02Should I order a new copy from the Recorder instead?
03Did certificate fees change in 2026?
04Where do divorce judgments come from, and what do they cost?
05Did AB 2324 remove the clerk step for health department copies?
2026-10: Rebuilt with issuing office, clerk step and court records for all 9 counties.
Sacramento Secretary of State counter · CDPH 2026 fee schedule