How Much Is a Birth Certificate in Philadelphia?

A certified copy of a birth certificate in Philadelphia costs $20, and the fee is the same whether you order one copy or several.¹ If you order online, a $10 service fee gets added, bringing a single online copy to $30.² Eligible veterans and their immediate families pay nothing.

What You Pay by Each Ordering Method

The $20 state fee stays the same across every channel. What changes is the add-on and how you can pay it.

Online (VitalChek): $20 plus a $10 service fee, credit card only. Pennsylvania’s authorized portal is mycertificates.health.pa.gov, open around the clock.²
By mail: $20, paid by check or money order made payable to “VITAL RECORDS.” Cash is not accepted.¹
In person in Philadelphia: $20, credit card only at the Vital Records Public Office.²

Fees are deposited when the state receives your request and are non-refundable, even if your application is denied or sent back for missing information. That makes it worth getting the paperwork right the first time.

Free Birth Certificates for Veterans and Military Families

Pennsylvania waives the full $20 fee for veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. The waiver also covers the spouse or surviving spouse of an eligible veteran or an active-duty service member, and it applies to certificates for the veteran, their spouse, and dependent children. You’ll need to include documentation of military status with your application to receive the waiver.³

Who Is Allowed to Order and Pay for a Copy

Pennsylvania limits who can request a birth certificate, so it’s worth confirming you qualify before you send money. Eligible requesters include:

The person named on the certificate
A spouse, parent, or step-parent
A sibling or half-sibling
A child, stepchild, grandchild, or great-grandchild
A grandparent or great-grandparent
Someone holding power of attorney for the person named
An attorney or legal representative of the person named

If a family member is ordering on your behalf, they’ll need documents proving the relationship, such as a marriage certificate or their own birth certificate.¹

What You Need Ready Before You Pay

Every applicant must present an unexpired government-issued photo ID: a driver’s license, state ID, passport, military ID, or license to carry firearms. If you’re asking for the certificate to be mailed, your photo ID also has to show your current address.⁴

Without a government photo ID, you can substitute two current documents verifying your full name and mailing address, such as bank statements, pay stubs, utility bills, tax returns, lease agreements, or car insurance cards. Two pieces of current mail will work as a last resort, but junk mail and plain envelopes don’t count.⁴

On the application itself, you’ll provide the full name as it appears on the record, the date of birth, the city and county of birth, and both parents’ full names including the mother’s maiden name. Missing information is one of the most common reasons applications stall after the fee has already been charged.

How Fast Each Paid Option Delivers

Price and speed don’t line up the way you might expect. The cheaper mailed option is slower; paying extra online doesn’t actually make it faster; and walking in costs the base fee and can be the quickest.

Online and mailed applications currently take about two weeks to process, with completed certificates sent by First Class Mail.⁵

In person is the fastest. The Philadelphia Vital Records Public Office at 110 N. 8th Street is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., by appointment only as of October 2025. Requests received before 2:30 p.m. may be filled the same day.⁶ If you need the document quickly and can get an appointment, that’s $20 for a same-day certificate versus $30 and a two-week wait online.

Extra Cost if You Need It Abroad

A standard $20 certified copy is enough for almost every domestic use. If you need the certificate recognized in another country, you’ll usually need an apostille, which is an additional $15 per document.⁷

Apostilles are handled by the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Bureau of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation, not the Department of Health, so it’s a separate submission after you receive the certificate. You must send the original certified copy issued by the state, not a photocopy, and the certificate does not need to be notarized first. If the destination country isn’t a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille won’t be accepted and you’ll need embassy legalization instead, handled through that country’s embassy or consulate.⁷

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Request a Birth Certificate
2
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health. Department of Health – Birth Certificates
3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health. More Veterans Now Eligible for Free Birth and Death Certificates
4
Department of Health, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Acceptable Identification for Vital Records
5
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Department of Health – Processing Times
6
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Department of Health – Public Offices
7
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Get Document Certifications – Apostilles