Cal. CIV § 1183
This is the official text of Cal. CIV § 1183, part of California’s Civil Code — covers contracts, property ownership, personal rights, and other general civil obligations between private parties.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
(a) The proof or acknowledgment of an instrument may be taken without the United States, by any of the following:
(1) A minister, commissioner, or chargè d’affaires of the United States, resident and accredited in the country where the proof or acknowledgment is made.
(2) A consul, vice consul, or consular agent of the United States, resident in the country where the proof or acknowledgment is made.
(3) A judge of a court of record of the country where the proof or acknowledgment is made.
(4) Commissioners appointed by the Governor or Secretary of State for that purpose.
(5) A notary public.
(b) If the proof or acknowledgment is taken by a notary public, the signature of the notary public shall be proved or acknowledged (1) before a judge of a court of record of the country where the proof or acknowledgment is taken, or (2) by any American diplomatic officer, consul general, consul, vice consul, or consular agent, or (3) by an apostille (certification) affixed to the instrument pursuant to the terms of The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents.
(1) A minister, commissioner, or chargè d’affaires of the United States, resident and accredited in the country where the proof or acknowledgment is made.
(2) A consul, vice consul, or consular agent of the United States, resident in the country where the proof or acknowledgment is made.
(3) A judge of a court of record of the country where the proof or acknowledgment is made.
(4) Commissioners appointed by the Governor or Secretary of State for that purpose.
(5) A notary public.
(b) If the proof or acknowledgment is taken by a notary public, the signature of the notary public shall be proved or acknowledged (1) before a judge of a court of record of the country where the proof or acknowledgment is taken, or (2) by any American diplomatic officer, consul general, consul, vice consul, or consular agent, or (3) by an apostille (certification) affixed to the instrument pursuant to the terms of The Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in California?
Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.