Translation Services in California: Cities and Guidance

California has more USCIS field offices than any other state, and a court system organised county by county under the Superior Court of California. Between them, those two facts account for most of the certified translation work that comes out of the state.

The Secretary of State issues apostilles from offices in Sacramento and Los Angeles. California county recorders issue certified copies of vital records, and the Secretary of State will apostille those directly. What it will not apostille is an informational copy of a birth certificate — the ones stamped "informational, not a valid document to establish identity" — which is a distinction that trips up a lot of first-time applicants.