Quick facts
- Category: Medical / Health
- 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
Provider/custodian-attested. 1. Request your records from the provider/facility (you authorize the release). 2. Have the provider or records custodian attest the records are true and complete (a signed custodian-of-records statement). 3. The signer personally appears before a California notary with satisfactory ID; the notary completes an acknowledgment (or jurat if sworn to accuracy). 4. Confirm the notary’s seal, signature, commission number, and expiration are present and legible. Who signs. The treating provider or the facility’s records custodian. Cost + timeline for THIS step (verified June 2026): notary $15 (Gov. Code §8211(a)/(b)); provider/record-retrieval fees vary. Notarization usually same-day once the signer is available. What the SOS needs to see: a California notary’s certificate on the provider/custodian’s signature — current commission, legible seal/signature,.
Frequently asked questions
Who gets notarized?
The provider or records custodian attesting the records (or you, via a true-copy affidavit of your own records).
Are my records released to me first?
Yes — you authorize the release under privacy law; the provider/custodian then attests them.
VA or other federal records?
Those route to the U.S. Department of State, not the CA SOS.
Acknowledgment or jurat?
Acknowledgment for a signed attestation; jurat if sworn to accuracy.
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).