The birth of a baby is always a joyous one and brings with it a whole new chapter in one’s life as well as greater responsibilities. The first thing one would have to do following the arrival of a baby is to obtain a record of birth. Each state has its own procedure and fees for issuing birth certificate. A California birth certificate can only be obtained through the mail and there is no provision to get the same personally through a local office over the counter.  The request for the California birth certificate is to be sent to the state’s department of health services.

The department also offers a rush or priority service, but this is only applicable to the mailing of the California birth certificate and not to the actual processing involved in issuing the certificate. Certified copies of a California birth certificate can also be obtained from the department and these could be of two types – a certified copy or a certified informational copy. All these involve the payment of specified fees and the submission of certain documents. The birth would first have to be recorded at the local level in the county where the birth took place.

Registering to vote, and applying for a passport, are some of the procedures that require a birth certificate as proof of age and identity. A birth certificate can also be used as proof of identity in various dealings with financial institutions, the labor department, real estate matters and a host of other similar issues. The lower half of a birth certificate also contains other details such as race, occupation, and medical data. This information is not usually included in a certified copy of the birth certificate unless specifically requested by the applicant. When you apply for a California birth certificate or a copy you can also avail the use of a customer service number to look up the status of your application.