SERVICE
Get a birth certificate for someone under 3
We issue birth certificates for children under 3 years old. You can get them in person or by mail.
Office of Vital RecordsWhat to know
Cost
- Birth Certificate: $31 per copy
- Informational Birth Certificate: $31 per copy
The birth certificate must be for someone:
- Born in San Francisco
- Born less than 3 years ago
You can apply for a certified copy of a birth certificate for:
- Yourself
- Your child
- Your spouse, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or state-registered domestic partner
Anyone can request an informational copy of a birth certificate.
What to know
Cost
- Birth Certificate: $31 per copy
- Informational Birth Certificate: $31 per copy
The birth certificate must be for someone:
- Born in San Francisco
- Born less than 3 years ago
You can apply for a certified copy of a birth certificate for:
- Yourself
- Your child
- Your spouse, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, or state-registered domestic partner
Anyone can request an informational copy of a birth certificate.
What to do
Get a birth certificate in person:
1. Please visit our location and check in:
Office of Vital Records, City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 160
San Francisco, CA 94102
2. The person applying must bring an unexpired government-issued photo ID. We will accept IDs from foreign governments.
3. Fill out the form
4. Complete your purchase: Credit card, personal check, money order, cashier's check or cash.
To save time, please bring a completed application.
Note: We charge for every search, so you will pay the fee even if we cannot find the record.
Get a birth certificate by mail:
1. Fill out the form
Download the application. Fill out the form.
2. Get the statement notarized
Take your form to a notary public and have it notarized.
You don’t need to get your application notarized to receive an Informational Copy. But the certificate will say “Informational: Not a valid document to establish identity".
3. Mail the application
You must include:
- Your application
- Notarized sworn statement
- Prepaid and addressed return envelope
- A money order, cashier's check or personal check for $31 per copy.
San Francisco Department of Public Health
Office of Vital Records, City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 160
San Francisco, CA 94102
You should get the birth certificate in 5 to 10 business days.
We recommend a pre-paid self-address express envelope (USPS, UPS or FedEx).
Special cases
Get a birth certificate for someone else:
You can also apply for a Certified Authorized Copy of a birth certificate if you:
- Have a certified court order
- Have a valid Power of Attorney document
- Are an authorized attorney (with supporting documents)
- Are a licensed adoption agency (with an order of relinquishment)
- Requests from other government agencies must include a worker’s ID and a letter from the supervisor that approves the request.
Correcting or amending birth certificates:
Correcting or amending birth records is done at the state level. Go to the California Department of Public Health page to amend records.
Partner agencies
Contact us
Address
1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102