Birth Certificate Information and Social Security Number

A birth certificate is one of the most important documents your baby will have in his/her lifetime. With your cooperation in furnishing the necessary information, we will prepare and send a completed certificate to the Department of Public Health for proper registration in the State of California.

To obtain a certified copy of your baby's birth certificate, write or go in person to your county Department of Vital Records. In San Francisco, this is located at:

Department of Public Health
Birth Registry
101 Grove Street, Room 105
San Francisco, CA, 94102
or call (415) 554-2700

Provide your baby's name, birth date, parents' names and the address to which the certificate is to be sent. Be sure to enclose a check or money order as indicated. It is advisable that you purchase a copy as soon as possible. The suggested time to do this is one month after the birth. (It takes approximately that much time to be recorded.) Please don't send your money or check to the hospital or pay any hospital personnel. The money must be paid directly to the Department of Public Health.

If you are not married, California State law requires both parents to sign a "Declaration of Paternity" form prior to the father's name being put on the birth certificate. If the father is not present, you may add his name to the birth certificate at a later date after you obtain the proper forms from the Department of Vital Records.

If you do not name your baby before you leave the hospital, you must request a “Supplemental Name Report” form from the Department of Public Health. When you have selected a name, complete the form and send it directly to the Birth Registry at the above address. If you complete the report within one year following birth, there is no charge. However, if you wait more than one year to name your baby, the Birth Registry will charge a fee.

Social Security Number
During your hospital stay, you may be given the opportunity to have your baby's social security number automatically processed. If this option is available to you, it takes approximately six weeks for it to arrive.

NOTE: Any name changes made after your discharge from the hospital will result in your child always having two parts to the Certificate of Birth.