California apostille: Sacramento issues it, not the notary
California's Secretary of State Authentications unit (Sacramento and the Los Angeles regional office, when that counter is open) issues apostilles. A California notary's job is the notarial certificate on documents the notary is allowed to handle. Birth certificates, court-certified copies, and FBI checks follow other offices.
How the appointment works
- Confirm apostille vs legalization for the destination country.
- Vital record or court paper: get the certified copy from the county recorder, CDPH, or the court. Do not ask a notary to certify that copy.
- Private document: book an in-person California notary. Do not pre-sign. POAs need a journal thumbprint.
- File with SOS authentications (mail vs Sacramento vs Los Angeles) using the current SOS page. California RON is not available.
California notary limits that matter for apostille
California notaries cannot certify copies of vital records. They can certify a copy of a power of attorney (Cal. Probate Code § 4307) and they can take acknowledgments and jurats. If your foreign consulate wants a "notarized birth certificate," they usually want a certified copy from the county recorder or CDPH, then a California apostille on that certified copy.
Journal thumbprints apply to deeds and powers of attorney. Bring current California-acceptable ID. Do not pre-sign.
RON and apostille
California-commissioned notaries cannot perform remote online notarization yet. Do not book "California RON" for an apostille packet. Use in-person California notarization, then the SOS authentications unit.
Official instructions: California Secretary of State authentications. Statewide notary rules live on the California notary hub.
City pages: Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco.