Life Events Help Center

This app is designed to help parents prepare for their upcoming delivery by filling out as much information on your Birth Registration Worksheet as possible. This way, when delivery time comes, parents can focus on the birth experience with one less form to worry about.

No, you are not required to use this app. You have the option of providing this information in person, at the time of your newborn's delivery with hospital staff.

This app automatically saves your work as you go, so you can resume exactly where you left off the next time you log in.

Once you submit your information in the Life Events app, you will no longer be able to make changes. However, the information you provide in this app will only be used to pre-populate your newborn's birth certificate at the hospital. You will be able to make changes at the hospital before the birth certificate is submitted for registration.

You will have another chance to review the birth certificate at the hospital before it's submitted for registration. Please inform hospital staff of the changes that you need.

Provide as much information as you can. If there are questions you can't answer, please discuss with a birth clerk at the hospital when you give birth.

No, there is no fee to use this app.

Please refer to the California Life Events Privacy Policy found in the app.

Please refer to the California Life Events Privacy Policy found in the app.

Please refer to the California Life Events Privacy Policy found in the app.

The birth certificate information is collected based on California Health and Safety Code (HSC) sections 102425 and 102426. These laws list all of the information required on the California birth certificate. These laws also make all medical information confidential.

All medical information, including parents' race, education, occupation, social security numbers, and address, is considered confidential and is not released to the public. Access to the confidential portion of the birth certificate is limited to the California Department of Public Health, California Department of Health Care Services, California Department of Finance, ScholarShare Investment Board, Department of Health Care Access and Information, local health department, the county coroner, persons with a valid scientific interest as determined by the State Registrar, the parent who signed the certificate or parent giving birth, the newborn named on the birth certificate, and the hospital responsible for preparing and submitting the birth record. (Reference HSC 102430)

The information collected is used to record what happened during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and any issues the newborn experienced. The information will be used to understand and help prevent birth defects, preterm births, maternal deaths, other labor and delivery outcomes, and public health programs

All information is required by law with the exception of the parents' race, occupation, education, and social security numbers, sexual orientation and gender identity, and ScholarShare contact information. Although not required, reporting information about your race, occupation, and education helps public health programs to succeed. Without this information, we cannot effectively develop public health programs to treat gestational diabetes, assist with teen pregnancies, manage services for Women, Infants & Children (WIC), and so much more.

Birth certificate information is collected by hospital staff. It is then securely sent to the local health department, then to the California Department of Public Health - Vital Records for registration, and finally sent to the National Center for Health Statistics within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for national reporting. Complete and accurate pregnancy, maternal, and infant health data is important to evaluate the overall health of a population. NCHS uses birth certificate data to conduct research on a variety of public health topics related to pregnancy, infant, and maternal health. The data may be used by policymakers and public health organizations to identify, develop, implement, and improve public health policies and programs to improve pregnancy, infant, and maternal health outcomes.

If parents request a social security number (SSN) for their newborn, then non-medical information as well as parent SSN (if listed) and address of where SSN card should be sent are forwarded to the Social Security Administration. ScholarShare information is collected solely for the purposes and use of the ScholarShare program.

Please contact the California Department of Public Health – Vital Records at (916) 445-2684.

Child's Name(s) fields are optional and can be left blank and provided to hospital staff later. If a name has not been determined yet, you may leave the name field(s) blank. Do not enter Baby Boy or Baby Girl – unless that is the name you have decided to use.

How the child's name will appear on the birth certificate (upper case, mixed case) is the decision of the parents of the child. Life Events does not automatically convert names to all uppercase. Confirm the case of the name is correct. If the name is not correct, an amendment to correct the record will add an additional page to the birth certificate, making it a multiple-page document (per Health and Safety Code sections 102140 and 103255).

Enter your child's name(s) using the 26 alphabetical characters of the English language with appropriate punctuation (period (.), comma (,), apostrophe ('), hyphen (-)), if necessary. Roman numerals are acceptable. No pictographs, ideograms, diacritical marks (è, ñ, ē, ç), or extraneous entries are allowed.

If additional space is necessary for entering long or multiple names: enter as many characters that fit in the space. You will then complete an Affidavit to Amend a Record (VS 24) to add the remaining characters/names at the hospital.

Select the appropriate suffix for the child from the dropdown. If the child does not have a suffix, this field may be left as a double dash (--). The Life Events suffix dropdown menu will add an uppercase suffix in the last name field.

Enter your child's name(s) as you would like it to print on the birth certificate. You can include as many names in each name field as will fit.

Please provide your birth name – your name prior to any marriages, as it appears on your birth record, adoption, court-ordered name change, or naturalization papers.

Do not provide "Also known as" (AKA) names here.

If you don't have a middle name, please leave that field blank.

Please provide the month, day and year you were born. If month, day or year are unknown, please use 00 (zero-zero) in the field. Example: 12/00/1999

Parents are not required to provide their social security numbers. Your child's birth certificate will still be registered without parents' social security number (SSN). If you don't know either or both parents' SSNs, you can still apply for an SSN for your baby.

When parents are unmarried or not in a State Registered Domestic Partnership (SRDP), California law prohibits the other parent's name from being added to the birth certificate when legal parentage has not been established. For many families there are only two ways to establish parentage:

1. Filing the Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (VDOP) form; or
2. Through the California court system

For more information on State Registered Domestic Partnership (SRDP), please visit the California Secretary of State's website here.

The Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (VDOP) may be completed at the hospital after your child's birth. For more information on establishing legal parentage and the Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (VDOP) visit California Child Support Services website here.

If you and your child's father were married or in a State Registered Domestic Partnership, then enter their full name.

If you and your child's father were not married or in a State Registered Domestic Partnership, please leave the name field blank. To add the deceased parent's name to your child's birth certificate, you will need to obtain an Adjudication of Facts of Parentage and submit an Amendment of Parentage (VS21) application to the California Department of Public Health.

This is the US state or foreign country where you, the parent, were born.

Select US State from the dropdown list. Then select UNK from the dropdown. USA-UNK will print on the birth certificate.

Select US Territory from the dropdown list. Then select the appropriate territory from the dropdown. The US Territory abbreviation will print on the birth certificate.

Select US Territory from the dropdown list. Then select Unknown from the dropdown. USA-UNK will print on the birth certificate.

Select Canadian Province from the dropdown list. Then select the appropriate province from the dropdown. The Canadian Province abbreviation and CN will print on the birth certificate.

Select Canadian Province from the dropdown list. Then select Unknown from the dropdown. UNK, CN will print on the birth certificate.

Select Mexican State from the dropdown list. Then select the appropriate state from the dropdown. The Mexican State abbreviation and MX will print on the birth certificate.

Select Mexican State from the dropdown list. Then select Unknown from the dropdown. UNK, MX will print on the birth certificate.

Select Other Country from the dropdown list. Then enter the full name of the foreign country (up to nine characters) or use the first 9 characters of the country's name. The foreign country name or abbreviation will print on the birth certificate.

Select Other Country UNK from the dropdown list. No further action is needed. FRN-UNK will print on the birth certificate.

Select Unknown from the dropdown list. No further action is needed. UNK will print on the birth certificate.

Please provide the full address of where you lived while you were pregnant. This is not necessarily the same as your mailing address or legal residence, but where you lived while pregnant.

Provide the address of the institution.

Select the state you live in, and then select Other. Enter the term Unsheltered, Sheltered, or In Institution, followed by an address if known, or a description of the physical location. (Example: Under the XYZ Bridge, Parking lot at 4th and Main Streets, etc.) in the street name subfield.

Provide your military or college address.

Provide the city and county of the battered shelter's address.

If you do not want to provide your address, please select Unknown.

Please provide the address where you'd like to receive any physical mail related to this birth. You may choose to provide an address that is different from your residential address.

If you are not of Hispanic/Latino/Spanish origin or descent, then select NO.

If you are of Hispanic/Latino/Spanish origin or descent, then select YES – and specify your origin or descent by selecting the applicable checkbox(es) Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Other. You can select more than one checkbox, as applicable.

If you are of Hispanic/Latino/Spanish origin or descent, and desire to list HISPANIC only, then select YES, check the Other checkbox and enter UNKNOWN.

If you are of Hispanic/Latino/Spanish origin or descent, but your specific origin or descent is unknown, then select YES from the dropdown list, check the Other checkbox and enter UNKNOWN.

If you would not like to provide this information, you may select WITHHELD.

While providing this information is optional, it is extremely valuable in producing data for various population groups. It is used to study racial variations in childbearing, access to health care, and pregnancy outcomes, such as infant mortality and birth weight. Race and Hispanic origin are important variables in preparing population estimates, and in planning, developing, and evaluating the effectiveness of health programs.

If you do not want to provide information about your race, you may select Withheld

All medical information, including parents' race, education, occupation, social security numbers, and address, is considered confidential and is not released to the public. Access to the confidential portion of the birth certificate is limited to the California Department of Public Health, California Department of Health Care Services, California Department of Finance, ScholarShare Investment Board, local health department, persons with a valid scientific interest as determined by the State Registrar, the county coroner, the parent who signed the certificate or parent giving birth, the newborn named on the birth certificate, and the hospital responsible for preparing and submitting the birth record (Reference: HSC 102430). This app identifies the fields that contain confidential data collected from the parents at the top of the pages.

Provide your race with how you most self-identify. You may provide up to three races. Unless otherwise specified, the race(s) you select will print on your child's birth certificate.

You can type in the search field to find the race that best matches your self-identification. If there is no entry that matches, please select "Other" and type in your race. Ensure accurate spelling of the entry, if the entry is misspelled, you may request an amendment after the certificate is registered.

If the text entered is too long, it will be truncated to fit on the birth certificate. Facetious, derogatory and/or extraneous (e.g., human being) entries are not acceptable.

If you are still unsure about your race information, select the race(s) that best matches how you self-identify.

While providing this information is optional, complete information is important for identifying and studying differences in health outcomes across race and ethnic groups. More complete and accurate information allows better planning, development, and evaluation of health programs in California.

If you do not want to provide information about your race, you may select Withheld.

Please select the option that best describes your highest degree or level of school completed from the dropdown list:

Please provide your usual occupation. If you are retired, unemployed, or disabled, provide your usual occupation when you were working. Enter the type of work you did for the longest period of time. Do not enter company name.

The table below provides examples of appropriate entries.

Enter your usual kind of business or industry corresponding with the Occupation you provided. The description should indicate clearly and specifically the kind of business or industry of employment. Do not enter company name. If you do not want to provide this information, please select Withheld.

The table below provides examples of appropriate entries.

ScholarShare 529 is California's official 529 college savings plan offered by the State of California, providing families with a flexible and tax advantaged way to save for college and future qualified education expenses. ScholarShare 529 is administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, an agency of the State of California. To learn more or to open an account, please visit the ScholarShare 529's website here or call 1-800-544-5248.

This information is collected for ScholarShare 529 purposes only and is not reported on the birth certificate.

CalKIDS is your baby's first college scholarship provided by the State of California. All children born in the state after July 1, 2022 are awarded a CalKIDS Scholarship worth up to $175 that can eventually be used for higher education. You will need your child's Local Registration Number found on their birth certificate to claim their scholarship account. CalKIDS is administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, an agency of the State of California. To learn more, visit the CalKIDS website here or call 1-888-445-2377.

This information is collected for CalKIDS purposes only and is not reported on the birth certificate.

This information is optional. This information is collected electronically only and does not print on the birth certificate. Responses to these questions can only be self-reported/provided by you, and not by a third party or any other person.

Please provide your birth name – your name prior to any marriages, as it appears on your birth record, adoption, court-ordered name change, or naturalization papers.

Do not provide "Also known as" (AKA) names here.

If you don't have a middle name, please leave that field blank.

This is the US state or foreign country where you, the parent was born.

Select US State from the dropdown list. Then select UNK from the dropdown. USA-UNK will print on the birth certificate.

Select US Territory from the dropdown list. Then select the appropriate territory from the dropdown. The US Territory abbreviation will print on the birth certificate.

Select US Territory from the dropdown list. Then select Unknown from the dropdown. USA-UNK will print on the birth certificate.

Select Canadian Province from the dropdown list. Then select the appropriate province from the dropdown. The Canadian Province abbreviation and CN will print on the birth certificate.

Select Canadian Province from the dropdown list. Then select Unknown from the dropdown. UNK, CN will print on the birth certificate.

Select Mexican State from the dropdown list. Then select the appropriate state from the dropdown. The Mexican State abbreviation and MX will print on the birth certificate.

Select Other Country UNK from the dropdown list. No further action is needed. FRN-UNK will print on the birth certificate.

Select Unknown from the dropdown list. No further action is needed. UNK will print on the birth certificate.

Please provide the month, day and year you were born. If month, day or year are unknown, please use 00 (zero-zero) in the field. Example: 12/00/1999

You are not required to provide a social security number. Your child's birth certificate will still be registered without your social security number.

Select the appropriate relationship from the dropdown list or leave blank as appropriate. This field is optional. No more than one option can be selected for each parent.

If you are not of Hispanic/Latino/Spanish origin or descent, then select NO.

If you are of Hispanic/Latino/Spanish origin or descent, then select YES – and specify your origin or descent by selecting the applicable checkbox(es) Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Other. You can select more than one checkbox, as applicable.

If you are of Hispanic/Latino/Spanish origin or descent, and desire to list HISPANIC only, then select YES , check the Other checkbox and enter UNKNOWN.

If you are of Hispanic/Latino/Spanish origin or descent, but your specific origin or descent is unknown, then select YES from the dropdown list, check the Other checkbox and enter UNKNOWN.

If you would not like to provide this information, you may select WITHHELD.

While providing this information is optional, it is extremely valuable in producing data for various population groups. It is used to study racial variations in childbearing, access to health care, and pregnancy outcomes, such as infant mortality and birth weight. Race and Hispanic origin are important variables in preparing population estimates, and in planning, developing, and evaluating the effectiveness of health programs.

If you do not want to provide information about your race, you may select Withheld.

All medical information, including parents' race, education, occupation, social security numbers, and address, is considered confidential and is not released to the public. Access to the confidential portion of the birth certificate is limited to the California Department of Public Health, California Department of Health Care Services, California Department of Finance, ScholarShare Investment Board, local health department, persons with a valid scientific interest as determined by the State Registrar, the county coroner, the parent who signed the certificate or parent giving birth, the newborn named on the birth certificate, and the hospital responsible for preparing and submitting the birth record (Reference: HSC 102430).

This app identifies the fields that contain confidential data collected from the parents at the top of the pages.

Provide your race with how you most self-identify. You may provide up to three races. Unless otherwise specified, the race(s) you select will print on your child's birth certificate.

You can type in the search field to find the race that best matches your self-identification. If there is no entry that matches please select "Other" and type in your race. Ensure accurate spelling of the entry, if the entry is misspelled, you may request an amendment after the certificate is registered.

If the text entered is too long, it will be truncated to fit on the birth certificate. Facetious, derogatory and/or extraneous (e.g., human being) entries are not acceptable.

If you are still unsure about your race information, select the race(s) that best matches how you self-identify.

While providing this information is optional, complete information is important for identifying and studying differences in health outcomes across race and ethnic groups. More complete and accurate information allows better planning, development, and evaluation of health programs in California.

If you do not want to provide information about your race, you may select Withheld.

All medical information, including parents' race, education, occupation, social security numbers, and address, is considered confidential and is not released to the public. Access to the confidential portion of the birth certificate is limited to the California Department of Public Health, California Department of Health Care Services, California Department of Finance, ScholarShare Investment Board, local health department, persons with a valid scientific interest as determined by the State Registrar, the county coroner, the parent who signed the certificate or parent giving birth, the newborn named on the birth certificate, and the hospital responsible for preparing and submitting the birth record (Reference: HSC 102430). This app identifies the fields that contain confidential data collected from the parents at the top of the pages.

Please select the option that best describes your highest degree or level of school completed from the dropdown list:

Please provide your usual occupation. If you are retired, unemployed, or disabled, provide your usual occupation when you were working. Enter the type of work you did for the longest period of time. Do not enter company name.

The table below provides examples of appropriate entries.

Enter your usual kind of business or industry corresponding with the Occupation you provided. The description should indicate clearly and specifically the kind of business or industry of employment. Do not enter company name. If you do not want to provide this information, please select Withheld.

The table below provides examples of appropriate entries.

ScholarShare 529 is California's official 529 college savings plan offered by the State of California, providing families with a flexible and tax advantaged way to save for college and future qualified education expenses. ScholarShare 529 is administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, an agency of the State of California. To learn more or to open an account, please visit the ScholarShare 529's website here or call 1-800-544-5248.

This information is collected for ScholarShare 529 purposes only and is not reported on the birth certificate.

CalKIDS is your baby's first college scholarship provided by the State of California. All children born in the state after July 1, 2022 are awarded a CalKIDS Scholarship worth up to $175 that can eventually be used for higher education. You will need your child's Local Registration Number found on their birth certificate to claim their scholarship account. CalKIDS is administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, an agency of the State of California. To learn more, visit the CalKIDS website here or call 1-888-445-2377.

This information is collected for CalKIDS purposes only and is not reported on the birth certificate.

This information is optional. This information is collected electronically only and does not print on the birth certificate. Responses to these questions can only be self-reported/provided by you, and not by a third party or any other person.

Enter your weight (in whole pounds) when you became pregnant with this child.

Please provide your height in feet and inches.

WIC (Women, Infants and Children) is a program that helps families across the state of California by providing nutrition education, breastfeeding support, healthy foods and referrals to health care and other community services.

If you were enrolled in WIC, you would have received benefits through and EBT card, checks, or vouchers. If you are still unsure if you received WIC food, you can contact your local or state WIC office.

During the 3 months prior to becoming pregnant did you smoke cigarettes?

• If no, select Did not smoke.
• If you smoked one or more cigarette, (but less than one pack) during the 3 months prior to becoming pregnant, select Cigarettes from the dropdown list, and then provide the approximate number of cigarettes you smoked during those 3 months.
• If you smoked one or more packs of cigarettes, during the 3 months prior to becoming pregnant, select Packs from the dropdown list, and then provide the approximate number of packs you smoked during those 3 months.

During the first 3 months of this pregnancy did you smoke cigarettes?

• If no, select Did not smoke.
• If you smoked one or more cigarette, (but less than one pack) during the first 3 months of this pregnancy, select Cigarettes from the dropdown list, and then provide the approximate number of cigarettes you smoked during those 3 months.
• If you smoked one or more packs of cigarettes, during the first 3 months of this pregnancy, select Packs from the dropdown list, and then provide the approximate number of packs you smoked during those 3 months.

During the last 3 months of this pregnancy did you smoke cigarettes?

• If no, select Did not smoke.
• If you smoked one or more cigarette, (but less than one pack) during the last 3 months of this pregnancy, select Cigarettes from the dropdown list, and then provide the approximate number of cigarettes you smoked during those 3 months.
• If you smoked one or more packs of cigarettes, during the last 3 months of this pregnancy, select Packs from the dropdown list, and then provide the approximate number of packs you smoked during those 3 months.

This is the start date/first day of your most recent period. If the exact date is unknown, you may enter zeroes (0) for the month, day or year. Example: 12/00/2024

This refers to the date when you had your first medical appointment specifically for this pregnancy. If the exact date is unknown, you may enter zeroes (0) for the month, day or year. Example: 12/00/2024

To determine which month your prenatal care began, you can look at the date of your First Prenatal Care Visit and calculate the number of weeks pregnant you were at that time. Based on the number of weeks you were pregnant at your first prenatal care visit, you can determine which month to select from the dropdown:

1st month = Weeks 1-4

2nd month = Weeks 5-8

3rd month = Weeks 9-12

4th month = Weeks 13-16

5th month = Weeks 17-20

6th month = Weeks 21-24

7th month = Weeks 25-28

8th month = Weeks 29-32

9th month = Weeks 33-40

If you did not receive any prenatal care throughout your pregnancy, select NONE from the dropdown.

If you do not know what month you began receiving prenatal care, select UNKNOWN from the dropdown.

After processing (which can take several weeks), you can request a certified authorized copy of your newborn's birth certificate from the County Registrars or Recorders Office, or the California Department of Public Health.

You will need to complete an application, sworn statement, and pay a fee.

While completing Section 2 (Parent/Mother) of this app, you will have the option to request a Social Security number for your newborn. After you give birth at the hospital, the hospital will forward your newborn's birth certificate information to the California Department of Public Health, which then shares it with the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA will automatically process the request and mail your newborn's social security card to you. This typically takes about 4 to 6 weeks after birth.