Quick facts
- Many intercountry adoptions require an exemplified (triple-certified) copy rather than a standard certified copy — confirm with the receiving country before ordering ($50 + pages, §70628).
- Never notarize an adoption order — a court record is authenticated by the clerk's certification, not a notary.
- The amended birth certificate (prepared by CDPH from the VS-44 report) is a SEPARATE vital record with its own apostille path (see Birth pages 01/08) — don't conflate it with the court's adoption order.
- General condition rules: no lamination · no post-notarization alterations · no tape · staple multipage · legible signatures/seals.
- Non-party requester tried to get a certified copy without a §9200 court-order release.
What to know
Issuing office. The Superior Court clerk (family law / adoption records) in the county where the adoption was finalized. Each county sets its own request method and may use a local access form (e.g., Orange County's L-1310 "Request for Release of Confidential Adoption Information and Order"; Sacramento's petition to inspect adoption records). Certified route (how to obtain a certified copy): 1. Confirm who is requesting. If you are an adoptive parent or the adoptee, you are a party and may request directly. If not, you must first petition the court for a §9200 release order showing "good cause approaching the necessitous." 2. Identify the county/branch and gather the adoption case number (often begins with "A" or "AD"), the child's adopted name, names of adoptive parents, and approximate finalization date. Bring government-issued ID. 3. Decide what to order: the Certificate of Adoption.
Frequently asked questions
Can I just order a certified copy like a divorce decree?
Only if you are a party — an adoptive parent or the adoptee. Adoption files are confidential (Fam. Code §9200); non-parties need a court-order release.
What exactly should I order?
Usually the Certificate of Adoption under §9200(c) (date/place of adoption, child's birth date, adoptive parents, new name). Some foreign authorities want the full Final Decree of Adoption — confirm first.
How much is the certified copy?
$40 (Gov. Code §70626(a)(4)). The $15 divorce-judgment rate does not apply to adoptions.
Do I need an exemplified copy?
Intercountry adoptions often do — confirm with the receiving country. Exemplification is $50 + page fees.
Common destinations
Countries this document is most often sent to (pulled from this page's own guidance). Every destination has its own rulebook — apostille (Hague) or full legalization (non-Hague).