The “three-step authentication” covered in this post applies to babies born in the United States. The steps described here are based on Orange County/Irvine/Southern California, but the process is broadly similar in other areas.
It’s actually all very simple, and if you have the time, there is absolutely no need to hire an agency.
The addresses mentioned in this article were the ones in use when I completed my paperwork. Before submitting your documents, it’s best to call and confirm the current mailing address.
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Three-Step Authentication
You can apply for the three-step authentication at any time. It depends entirely on when you want to do it or when you need it done, such as before returning to China.
What Is Three-Step Authentication?
Three-step authentication refers to authentication of the baby’s birth identity/documentation by three levels of authorities.
What are the three levels? In the order you would normally complete them, they are:
County authentication / County Notary Authentication / Notary Public
State authentication / Secretary of State authentication / State Authentication
Consular authentication
How to Apply
Birth Certificate
Before getting any of the authentications, you first need the baby’s Birth Certificate. Some hospitals will help apply for it on your behalf and then give it to you, but in most cases you need to handle it yourself. You can request that it be mailed to you, or you can pick it up in person. In Orange County, it is available for same-day pickup. You can pay by card in person, and you can request multiple copies. I strongly recommend getting at least 2 copies. Remember to bring your ID, such as a U.S. driver’s license or a Chinese passport.
For in-person pickup, go to:
Office of Vital Records, 200 W Santa Ana Blvd suite 100-b, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Monday to Friday, 7:30AM–4PM. They were still open during the pandemic because these are essential vital-record documents.
There is street parking nearby, and you can also enter the parking lot from W 5 St on the right-hand side. It’s not expensive.
County Authentication
For county authentication, you go through the Orange County Clerk-Recorder, currently Hugh Nguyen.
During the pandemic, in-person visits could be scheduled by appointment; previously, mailing was the only option. Mailing is very convenient, and there is no need to go in person at all.
It costs $13 per copy. For mail-in requests, you can use a Money Order or Check.
I used a USPS priority flat rate envelope, about $8 each. If you can print your own label, you can also schedule USPS to pick it up the next day. Put a prepaid return envelope with your own return address folded inside the outgoing envelope, then include a sheet of paper stating that you are YY of XX and need County Notary Authentication for XX. Include the check and the original Birth Certificate, and mail everything to:
Orange County Clerk-Recorder, 601 N. Ross Street, Santa Ana, CA 92701.
Official website: Orange County Clerk-Recorder
Processing was pretty fast—they mailed it back in two days. The county authentication page will be stapled to the birth certificate. Do not remove it, or the state will not accept this county authentication.
Some readers have reported that the Birth Certificate can be taken directly for state authentication. If you want to try that route, you can contact the Secretary of State office and the consulate to see whether it works. The method in this article adds one extra county step, but it is a sure-fire approach, so you can choose whichever method fits your situation.
State Authentication
For the Greater Los Angeles area, the state authentication office is the California Secretary of State office in Los Angeles. However, after 12/7/2020, this office was closed due to the pandemic. There was a drop box in the main lobby on the first floor for document submissions, but mailing to Sacramento was still a better option.
Back in May, I went directly to the Los Angeles office as a walk-in and got it done the same day. You need to go through security when entering the building. After security, the elevators are on the right if you walk straight ahead. Check the signs for the correct floor, or ask staff. First, get a number at the office, then go down to a waiting area on another floor. They call numbers on an electronic board, and when your number is called, you go back up. You can pay by card on site, and remember to bring ID.
The Los Angeles California Secretary of State address is:
300 S Spring St #12th, Los Angeles, CA 90013. It is the Ronald Reagan State Building.
There is limited street parking nearby, which is cheap, and there are also many parking lots, which are expensive.
To apply by mail in Sacramento:
Secretary of State Notary Public Section, 1500 11th Street, 2nd Floor Sacramento, CA 95814
A USPS flat rate envelope is still probably the best mailing option—economical, practical, fast, and secure.
The official website also separately lists a USPS-specific mailing address. It’s best to call and confirm before mailing:
Notary Public Section, P.O. Box 942877 Sacramento, CA 94277–0001
Include a $20 money order or check, the original county authentication document (with the original birth certificate stapled to it), the cover page (very important!), and a prepaid return envelope with your own mailing address.
Original Cover Page link: Apostille Mail Request Cover Sheet
Original California Secretary of State link: Request an Apostille
Apostille Frequently Asked Questions
The state authentication page will also be stapled to the birth certificate and county authentication. Do not remove it, or the Chinese consular authentication will not accept it.
Chinese Consular Authentication
At present, all authentication services must be handled by mail; you cannot go to the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles in person.
There is a detailed process for authentication, and consulate staff will explain it by email. Be sure to read the email carefully. The staff will not contact you by phone, so do not fall for scam calls claiming to be about “important documents”!
First, send your service request, complete flight itinerary including the airline name, ticket number, confirmation number, passenger name, departure and arrival locations and times, the birth certificate, and the application form to the consulate’s general mailbox for this type of case: [email protected].
For the application form, I used the form on the consulate website: Passport/Travel Document Form
Then another work email address will send you detailed instructions. Submit the documents for review by email in the following order:
- Application form (they will send it to you by email)
- Passport copy (not required for newborns)
- Image of the Secretary of State cover page
- Image of the authenticated document contents
- Credit card authorization form
- Return envelope (must be USPS Priority mail Express, the blue one)
- Envelope mailed to the consulate (must be USPS Priority mail Express, the blue one)
A quick complaint here: why do they require Express? Isn’t regular Priority enough? In the Greater Los Angeles area, both Priority and Express arrive overnight, but the price difference is $20 each way, or $40 round trip.
Once the documents you emailed pass the initial review, you will receive a reply email with an appointment number. This number is extremely important and must be written in the blank space at the top of the application form; otherwise, the consulate will not process it. Do not mail your materials before you receive the appointment number.
Consular authentication is processed very quickly. If mailed on Monday, it arrives Tuesday, is mailed back out Wednesday, and you receive the authenticated documents on Thursday. All original documents are returned as well.
Part of the Consulate Email
Below are the key points from the email. There are highlights in different colors and font sizes, so sort through them yourself (: 
Below is part of the original email text in case readers cannot open the images above:
“1. Please read the entire email below first. Most of the common questions that come up during the authentication process are already answered in it.
2. Please complete each step of the authentication exactly as required. If you do not follow the instructions, then even if your materials pass the email review, the consulate may refuse to accept them or may return all of your authentication documents.
3. Due to the pandemic and other reasons, only authentication can be done at this time; notarization cannot. In mainland China, authentication and notarization are equally valid.
4. The consulate does not provide confirmation of whether your mail has arrived, and it also does not answer questions about when authenticated documents will be mailed back. Please use the tracking number on your return envelope to check the status yourself. Processing time for authentication is generally anywhere from 1 week to 1 month.
5. Due to the pandemic and other reasons, authentication can only be handled by mail.
6. Each applicant only needs to fill out one authentication application form.
7. One package mailed to the consulate may include materials for multiple applicants, and the return envelope may also be included together. In other words, each applicant does not need to prepare a separate return envelope. Please make sure the envelope is large enough to hold all materials.
8. One envelope mailed to the consulate should be paired with one return envelope and one credit card authorization form.
If you have questions, you may first review the following links for authentication instructions and fee standards.
http://losangeles.china-consulate.org/chn/lszj/gzrz/rzxz/t1447254.htm
http://losangeles.chineseconsulate.org/chn/lszj/sfbz/gzrzsf/t1545138.htm
Friendly reminder:
Chinese documents, such as a Chinese birth certificate, cannot be authenticated. Only non-Chinese documents, such as a U.S. birth certificate, can be authenticated.
For each original document:
You must first complete the first- and second-level authentication within the consular jurisdiction of the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles, such as with a Notary Public and the Secretary of State office in Southern California, before mailing it to the consulate for the third-level consular authentication.
Only after all three levels of authentication are completed can the document be valid for use in mainland China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan).
**********You must first email me the following materials for review. After they pass review, I will give you an appointment number, and only then may you mail the documents.
All materials to be mailed, such as the authentication application form, passport copies, Secretary of State copies, Secretary of State original documents, etc. (A copy of the first page of each Secretary of State document must be provided to the consulate for filing. If not provided, the consulate will refuse to process the authentication and all materials will be returned.)
+ USPS Priority Mail Express return envelope (with postage attached, shipping labels attached, the consulate address and return address written on it, and the contact name and phone number written on it). I need to see the actual envelope, not just the mailing label.
+ Credit card authorization form
(Please fill out all information accurately. This is the only accepted payment method.)
The form must be completed on a computer and printed out. Handwritten forms are not accepted, except for the cardholder signature.
Please make sure the credit card can be used in the United States, and write a U.S. contact method in the blank area of the form.
+ USPS Priority Mail Express envelope to mail to the consulate (the recipient must be written as “证件组收-邮寄办理认证”, and the sender must include the contact name and phone number). I need to see the actual envelope, not just the mailing label.
All envelopes must be USPS Priority Mail Express envelopes.
(This is the blue-bordered envelope with next-day delivery service. Postage should be more than $20. It is not the red-bordered envelope.)
You must write this appointment number in the blank space at the top of page 1 of the authentication application form, or the consulate will not accept it.
Please do not mail materials to the consulate before I send you the appointment number. Thank you.
A. Materials that need to be mailed to the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles are as follows:
1. Authentication application form (The applicant should fill in the child’s information. The name should be the English name shown on the birth certificate. Fields with no applicable information, such as employment, may be left blank. Information for one parent or the agent should be entered in the agent section on page 2. For the 2 applicant signatures on page 2, one parent should sign that parent’s own name. Whoever’s information is entered in the agent section should sign in the agent section.)
The application form must be completed on a computer and printed out. Handwritten application forms are not accepted, except for signatures.
2. Copy of the applicant’s passport
3. Copies of the father’s and mother’s passports as listed on the birth certificate (If only the father or only the mother is listed on the birth certificate, then only that parent’s passport copy is required.)
4. Copy of the agent’s driver’s license or passport (if the agent is not one of the parents)
5. Copy of the first page of the Secretary of State certificate for each original document being authenticated (each document has a different Secretary of State filing number)
6. The original document to be authenticated (the original Secretary of State certificate) (1 original Secretary of State certificate can only be used for 1 consular authentication)
7. If applicable: copies of the applicant’s entry stamp and Chinese visa
B. Additional materials that need to be mailed to the Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles are as follows:
In addition, the applicant should prepare a USPS Priority Mail Express envelope with sufficient postage and clearly written applicant name, address, and phone number, and mail it together with the application so the consulate can return the completed original authenticated documents. No other return-mailing method is accepted. If multiple people apply at the same time, separate return envelopes must be prepared.
Please make sure sufficient postage is attached, and write the contact phone number and contact name on the return envelope.
● Sufficient postage: Be sure to purchase enough postage in advance.
● Accurate address: Write your own name and mailing address in the recipient section. The mailing destination is limited to addresses within the United States; overseas mailing service is not provided.
● Keep the tracking number: Record the Tracking Number for the envelope so you can check mailing status online.
C. Fee standards are as follows (only rush-service pricing is accepted):
Payment method: only payment by credit card authorization form is accepted.
If the applicant holds a Chinese passport, the fee for each original document is $8 + $37 = $45, plus a $5 handling fee for one return envelope.
If the applicant holds a foreign passport, the fee for each original document is $25 + $37 = $62, plus a $5 handling fee for one return envelope.
*****If the authenticated document is a birth certificate and the applicant is under 18, the fee is based on the nationality of one of the applicant’s parents.
***This $5 handling fee is not return-envelope postage; it is only the consulate’s mailing service fee.
For example:
Fee for 1 authentication for a Chinese national: 45 + 5 = $50
Fee for 2 authentications for a Chinese national: 45 + 45 + 5 = $95
Fee for 3 authentications for a Chinese national: 45 + 45 + 45 + 5 = $140
D. Mailing address: (Write both the Chinese and English below in full)
证件组收-邮寄办理认证
Visa and Passport Office
Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles
443 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, CA 90020 ”
Final Thoughts
Getting a document through all three levels of authentication actually is not that difficult. Do a bit of research first, and if something is unclear, call or email to ask questions—you should be able to get the answers you need. If you have the time, you can absolutely handle it yourself. When preparing your documents, try to follow the requirements as completely as possible. That makes things easier both for the staff and for you.
The hardest part is not the authentication steps themselves, but when the U.S. will return to normal.