Quick facts
- Category: Affidavit / Sworn Statement
- Apostilled by the California Secretary of State (Sacramento or Los Angeles)
- Fee: $20 per document (mail) or $26 (walk-in) at the California Secretary of State
- Free document review before you pay any government fee
- Tracked outbound and return shipping included
What to know
This is a self-prepared document — there is no issuing office. 1. Draft the affidavit. State your full legal name, relationship to the minor or dependent, the minor's full legal name and date of birth, the scope and duration of guardianship, and the specific facts being attested (custody, decision-making authority, travel consent, etc.). Attach a certified copy of the minor's birth certificate and any court guardianship order if the destination asks for them. 2. Personally appear before a California notary with satisfactory ID. The notary administers an oath and completes a jurat; you sign in the notary's presence. 3. If both parents or co-guardians are attesting, each signs in front of the notary and each signature gets its own jurat. 4. Confirm the notary's seal, signature, commission number, and expiration are present and legible. Who can swear it: a parent, court-appointed guardian, or the person exercising custodial authority. Cost + timeline for THIS step (verified June 2026): notary $15 per signature for the jurat (Gov. Code §8211(b)); usually same-day at a mobile notary, bank, or shipping store. Drafting is free.
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as a court guardianship order?
No. A court order is issued by a Superior Court and would go the authenticated-court-record route (Letters of Guardianship). This affidavit is a self-prepared sworn statement — different document, different apostille path.
Do both parents need to sign?
It depends on the destination. Many foreign schools and consulates want both parents' notarized signatures if both hold parental rights. Each signature gets its own jurat.
Acknowledgment or jurat?
Jurat — an affidavit is sworn under oath. An acknowledgment doesn't place the signer under oath and is usually rejected for guardianship affidavits.
Do I attach the child's birth certificate?
Typically yes — a certified copy is usually required to prove the parent-child relationship. If the birth certificate itself also needs an apostille, that's a separate document with its own $20 fee.
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).