(a) When an affidavit is taken before a judge or a court in another state or in a foreign country, the genuineness of the signature of the judge, the existence of the court, and the fact that such judge is a member thereof, must be certified by the clerk of the court under the seal thereof.
§ 2015.Made in foreign state or country before judge or
Title 3. Of the Production of Evidence · Chapter 3. Manner of Production · Article 2. Affidavits · Last amended 2025 · Last verified July 29, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2015 requires that when an affidavit is taken before a judge of a court in another state or a foreign country, the clerk of that court certify under seal that the judge's signature is genuine, that the court exists, and that the judge sits on it, though this authentication requirement does not apply to oaths for admission to the State Bar of California.
Full Text of § 2015
(b) This section shall not apply to oaths administered for admission to the State Bar of California pursuant to Section 6067 of the Business and Professions Code.
Plain-English Summary
A California court has no independent way to know whether a signature on an out-of-state or foreign affidavit really belongs to the judge it claims to, or whether the court that judge supposedly sits on even exists. This section bridges that gap. When an affidavit is taken before a judge of a court in another state or in a foreign country under Sections 2013 or 2014, the clerk of that court must certify, under the court's seal, that the judge's signature is genuine, that the court exists, and that the judge is in fact a member of it.
Subdivision (b) carves out one specific proceeding from this authentication chain: oaths administered for admission to the State Bar of California under Business and Professions Code Section 6067 are not subject to this section's requirement. That exception was added by a 2024 amendment effective January 1, 2025, reflecting that bar admission oaths follow their own separate procedure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Section 2015 require a clerk's certification for an out-of-state or foreign judge's affidavit?
Because a California court has no independent way to confirm that the judge's signature is genuine or that the court the judge claims to sit on exists.
What exactly must the clerk certify?
The genuineness of the judge's signature, the existence of the court, and the fact that the judge is a member of that court, all under the court's seal.
Does this certification requirement apply to State Bar admission oaths?
No. Subdivision (b) exempts oaths administered for admission to the State Bar of California under Business and Professions Code Section 6067.
When was the State Bar exception added?
By a 2024 amendment, effective January 1, 2025.
Amendment History
(Enacted in 1872. Amended by Stats.2024, c. 227 (A.B.3279), § 28, eff. Jan. 1, 2025.)
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the West's Annotated California Codes / Thomson Reuters. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 29, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: ccp 2015 certification of foreign judge affidavitclerk seal certifying out of state affidavitstate bar oath exception affidavit certification