Most OCI paperwork is not notarized at all. Birth certificates, marriage certificates and name change orders are official records. You order a certified copy from the county, then send that copy for an apostille. A notary is for the things you personally sign, such as a declaration or a parental consent, at $10 for each document notarized.

Now booking. Call (925) 319-8855.

The two pilesLink to this section

Sort your documents into two piles before you do anything else. They take different routes.

Type of document	Example	What it needs
An official record	Birth certificate, marriage certificate, name change order, divorce decree, death certificate	A certified copy from the office that issued it, then an apostille from that state
Something you sign yourself	Declaration, affidavit, parental consent	Your signature, notarized

A notary cannot make a certified copy of a birth certificate. California law reserves that to the State Registrar, local registrars, and county recorders. So an official record never starts with a notary.

Official records and the apostilleLink to this section

The consulate's own OCI document requirements page says that where a birth certificate is issued by a foreign authority, it has to be apostilled or endorsed by the Indian Mission. For a child born in California, "foreign authority" means the county. So that certificate needs a California apostille.

Get the certified copy first. Then send it for the apostille.

Alameda County covers Pleasanton, Dublin and Livermore. You can order online and pick up in Dublin, at 7600 Dublin Boulevard, Suite 160, which is much closer than Oakland. Only the person named on the order can collect it. Alameda County Clerk-Recorder

Contra Costa County covers San Ramon and Danville. Order online, by mail, or in person at the Clerk-Recorder in Martinez. Contra Costa County Clerk

Born in another state? That state issues the certified copy, and that state issues the apostille. California cannot apostille a Texas birth certificate.

Born in India? Neither the county nor California can help. An Indian document is apostilled in India, by the Ministry of External Affairs.

What the apostille step actually isLink to this section

An apostille is a certificate from the California Secretary of State. It tells India that the county official's signature, or the notary's signature, is genuine.

A notary cannot issue one. No notary in California can. You send the document to the Secretary of State yourself, or take it in person. Nothing for it is paid to us.

$20 per apostille, paid to the state. Five documents means five apostilles.
In person in Sacramento or Los Angeles, usually processed within about 30 minutes of handing it over.
By mail, it depends on the backlog. Check current processing times.
The state will not accept a plain photocopy. It has to be an original, a certified copy, or a notarized document.

Full instructions and addresses · California Secretary of State, apostilles

What we do hereLink to this section

We notarize your signature on anything you sign yourself. A declaration, an affidavit, a parental consent. $10 for each document notarized. About 10 to 15 minutes.

That is the whole of it. Filing for the apostille is not a notarial act, and picking your document list is not either.

One thing worth knowing: a California notary cannot certify that a photocopy is a true copy. The one exception in state law is a power of attorney. If a checklist asks for a "notarized copy" of a passport or a green card, what a notary can do is notarize your signature on a statement you sign about that copy. Ask VFS whether that is acceptable before you pay for it.

Mistakes that cost people weeksLink to this section

Sending a photocopy for the apostille. The state needs an original or a properly certified copy. It will come back.
Using the hospital keepsake certificate. The one with the footprints is a souvenir. You need the certified copy from the county.
Filling in the apostille request form incompletely. Read the state's instructions and answer every question, including where the document is going. Instructions
Assuming an Indian document can be apostilled here. It cannot. Only in India.
Leaving it too late. Mail takes as long as it takes. If your travel date is close, go in person instead.
Working from an old checklist. OCI requirements change. Confirm yours before spending anything.

CostLink to this section

Notarization	$10 for each document notarized
Travel to you	$75 flat
Certified copy	The county's fee, paid to the county
Apostille	$20 each, paid to the State of California

Pricing

How long each step takesLink to this section

Step	How long
Certified copy from the county	Same day in person, or a few days by mail
Notarization here	10 to 15 minutes
Apostille, in person in Sacramento or Los Angeles	Usually about 30 minutes after you submit it
Apostille, by mail	Check current processing times
VFS submission and OCI processing	Set by VFS and the consulate

Check these yourselfLink to this section

Book nowLink to this section

Call (925) 319-8855.

Passport renewal · Power of attorney for India · All India pages

This is a notary service. It is not connected to the Government of India, the Consulate General of India, or VFS Global. It cannot advise you on your OCI application or promise it will be accepted. Requirements change. Always confirm with VFS or the consulate.

Which OCI documents need to be notarized?