COUNTY OF MONTEREY
RECORDER-COUNTY CLERK
 

BIRTH CERTIFICATES

Online FEES for copies of Certificates will INCREASE by $1 on June 1, 2011.

OBTAIN A BIRTH CERTIFICATE IN PERSON      OR       BY MAIL
OBTAIN AN INFORMATIONAL CERTIFIED BIRTH CERTIFICATE IN PERSON/ BY MAIL

OBTAIN A BIRTH CERTIFICATE ON LINE  

ADOPTION/NAME CHANGE

MILITARY DISCHARGE (DD-214)

BIRTH CERTIFICATE IN PERSON

As of July 1, 2003, when ordering a birth certificate in person, an authorized individual must complete an approved application, including a sworn statement under penalty of perjury, to receive an AUTHORIZED CERTIFIED COPY. Application form click here.

To obtain an AUTHORIZED CERTIFIED COPY of birth certificate in person, at the Recorder’s office, you will need to have the following information when you arrive:

1. The child’s full name as stated on the birth certificate.
2. The mother’s full MAIDEN name.
3. The father’s full name.
4. The child’s date of birth.
5. The child’s city of birth.

To obtain an AUTHORIZED CERTIFIED COPY you must complete a sworn statement under penalty of perjury that you meet one of the following requirements:  

· The registrant or a parent or legal guardian of the registrant.

· A party entitled to receive the record as a result of a court order, or an attorney or a licensed adoption agency seeking the birth record in order to comply with the requirements 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.

· A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant.

· 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.

Those who do not meet the criteria for an AUTHORIZED CERTIFIED COPY must complete an approved application to receive an INFORMATIONAL CERTIFIED COPY with the words “INFORMATIONAL NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY” imprinted across the face of the copy. To order INFORMATIONAL CERTIFIED COPY click here.

The fee for a certified copy of an AUTHORIZED OR INFORMATIONAL birth certificate is $16.00 each.  Payment may be cash, money order, or check (drawn from a California bank).  We do not accept credit, debit, or ATM cards as a method of payment.

 For information on hours of business and location, click here.

BIRTH CERTIFICATE BY MAIL 

As of July 1, 2003, when ordering a birth certificate by mail, an authorized individual must complete an approved application, including a sworn statement under penalty of perjury and a notarized certificate of acknowledgement to receive an AUTHORIZED CERTIFIED COPY by mail. Application form click here.

To obtain an AUTHORIZED CERTIFIED COPY of birth certificate by mail, you will need to complete all of the following information:

1. The child’s full name as stated on the birth certificate.
2. The mother’s full MAIDEN name.
3. The father’s full name.
4. The child’s date of birth.
5. The child’s city of birth.
6. The complete applicant address and telephone number.
7. The address copy is to be mailed to, if different than applicant’s address.
8. The notarized certificate of acknowledgement.
9. To obtain an AUTHORIZED CERTIFIED COPY by mail you must complete a sworn statement under penalty of perjury, that you meet one of the following requirements:  

· The registrant or a parent or legal guardian of the registrant.

· A party entitled to receive the record as a result of a court order, or an attorney or a licensed adoption agency seeking the birth record in order to comply with the requirements 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.

· A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant.

· 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 your mailed request indicates that you want a Certified Copy but does not include a notarized statement sworn under penalty of perjury, the request will be rejected as incomplete and returned to you without being processed.  To order AUTHORIZED CERTIFIED COPY of birth by mail click here.

Those who do not meet the criteria for an AUTHORIZED CERTIFIED COPY must complete an approved application to receive an INFORMATIONAL CERTIFIED COPY with the words “INFORMATIONAL NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY” imprinted across the face of the copy. To order INFORMATION CERTIFIED COPY click here.

The fee for a certified copy of a birth certificate is $16.00 each.  Payment may be money order, or check (drawn from a California bank).  Please DO NOT send cash.

Send your request and information, along with a check or money order, payable to:

Monterey County Recorder
P. O. Box 29
Salinas, CA   93902

PLEASE BE SURE TO SEND COMPLETE AND ACCURATE INFORMATION.  THE FEE FOR SEARCHING A RECORD IS NOT REFUNDABLE IF THE RECORD IS NOT FOUND.

 Please allow 3 working days, after receipt, to process your request.

 If you need to speak with a Vital Records staff member, please call (831) 755-5041.

BIRTH CERTIFICATE INFORMATIONAL CERTIFIED COPY IN PERSON/BY MAIL

As of July 1, 2003, for those who do not meet the criteria for an AUTHORIZED CERTIFIED COPY, may received an INFORMATIONAL CERTIFIED COPY with the words “INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY” imprinted across the face of the copy. The Department of Motor Vehicles, passport agencies, Social Security, and other services will not accept an INFORMATIONAL CERTIFIED COPY to establish an individual’s identity. An approved application must be completed to obtain an INFORMATIONAL CERTIFIED COPY.  Application form click here.

To obtain an INFORMATIONAL CERTIFIED COPY of birth certificate in person or by mail, you will need to complete all of the following information:

1. The child’s full name as stated on the birth certificate.
2. The mother’s full MAIDEN name.
3. The father’s full name.
4. The child’s date of birth.
5. The child’s city of birth.
6. The complete applicant address and telephone number.
7. The address copy is to be mailed to, if different than applicant’s address.

The fee for an INFORMATIONAL CERTIFIED COPY of a birth certificate is $16.00 each.  Payment may be cash, check or money order in person, or money order or check (drawn from a California bank).  Please DO NOT send cash. Credit cards, debit cards and ATM cards are not an acceptable form of payment in person.

Send your request and information, along with a check or money order, payable to:

Monterey County Recorder
P. O. Box 29
Salinas, CA   93902

PLEASE BE SURE TO SEND COMPLETE AND ACCURATE INFORMATION.  THE FEE FOR SEARCHING A RECORD IS NOT REFUNDABLE IF THE RECORD IS NOT FOUND.

 Please allow 3 working days, after receipt, to process your request.

TO OBTAIN A BIRTH CERTIFICATE ON LINE

This service is available ONLY for documents recorded in MONTEREY COUNTY. 

MONTEREY COUNTY CONTRACTS WITH VITALCHEK, A PRIVATE COMPANY, TO TAKE ORDERS FOR CERTIFIED COPIES OF VITAL RECORDS BY CREDIT CARD.

The fee for a birth certificate is $22.00.  ($16.00 for each certified copy and a $6.00 processing fee - processing fee increases to $7 on June 1, 2011.)  Visa, American Express, Discover or MasterCard are the only forms of payment accepted for the service.  You may choose to fax your request or send your request on-line to our office.

Please note:

 TO ORDER ON LINE CLICK here. You will be taken to a commercial site, www.vitalchek.com .  The site will open in a new browser window.

Adoption/Name Change:

If you are requesting a copy of a birth record of a child who has been adopted or had a legal name change, your written request should be sent to the Department of Health Services, Office of Vital Records - M.S.5103, PO Box 997410, Sacramento, CA 95899-7410. There is a $14 charge for each copy requested payable by check or money order to the Office of Vital Records.

MILITARY DISCHARGE

Military Discharges (DD214)

In accordance with California Law, only the following individuals are allowed to obtain a certified copy of a Military Discharge (DD214), after showing photo identification.

• Veteran named on the discharge
• Family member of the veteran
• Legal representative of the veteran
• Government Agency that provides Veteran's benefits

A request for Military Discharge (DD214) can be ordered by mailing a completed application to the following address:

Monterey County Recorder

P. O. Box 29

Salinas , CA   93902

 The application must be notarized and sworn under the penalty of perjury that the requestor is an authorized person as noted above, and a photocopy of the requestor's photo identification must be included.

There is No Fee to obtain a certified copy of a Military Discharge.

Information needed to search Military Discharge (DD214) as follows:

• Name
• Year of Discharge or Year document recorded