How to Apply for a Birth Certificate in PA: Steps, Fees, and Waivers

To apply for a birth certificate in PA, you order a certified copy from the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Division of Vital Records for $20 per copy. You can apply online, by mail, or in person at one of six walk-in offices, and current processing runs about two weeks for online and mail orders.¹

Who Can Request a Copy

Pennsylvania limits certified birth certificates to the person named on the record and specific relatives. The person on the certificate can apply on their own starting at age 16. Parents and step-parents listed on the record can request a copy for their child at any age.¹

Other eligible family members include:

Spouse
Brother, sister, half-brother, or half-sister
Son or daughter
Grandparent or great-grandparent
Grandchild or great-grandchild

An attorney, legal representative, or someone holding power of attorney for an eligible person may also apply. They need to include documentation of their authority, such as a signed power of attorney, guardianship papers, or a letter from the court.¹

For youth experiencing homelessness or in foster care, a qualified advocate working with that young person can help submit the request, along with a letter on organizational letterhead confirming the advocate’s identity and relationship to the applicant.²

What You Need Before You Apply

Identification

Every applicant needs an unexpired government-issued photo ID. If the certificate will be mailed to you, the address on your ID must match your current mailing address. Accepted photo IDs include:³

Driver’s license (valid for pickup and mail)
State-issued ID card (pickup and mail)
U.S. or foreign passport (pickup and mail)
Military ID (pickup only)
Medical marijuana ID card (pickup only)
Firearms carry permit (pickup only)
Inmate ID card, with release papers if no longer incarcerated (pickup only)

No unexpired photo ID? You can submit two documents that verify your name and current mailing address instead: a bank or credit card statement dated within the last 90 days, a current utility bill, a pay stub, medical records, a current lease, a vehicle registration, your most recent tax return, or a current student ID.³

If you have lost all identification, two pieces of current mail addressed to you may be accepted as a last resort. Junk mail and plain envelopes do not count; letters from a government agency, doctor, or employer will. Some applicants find it simpler to replace a driver’s license first and then use that to order the birth certificate.

Information for the Form

The application asks for the full name at birth of the person on the certificate, date of birth, place of birth including hospital, city, and county, and both parents’ full names. You also enter your current legal name and, if applicable, your last name before your first marriage.⁴

Fill in as much as you can. Missing details like a hospital name or a parent’s middle name will not automatically get your application rejected, though incomplete information may slow things down.

The Three Ways to Submit

Online

The fastest option is Pennsylvania’s online portal at mycertificates.health.pa.gov, powered by VitalChek. This is the state’s only authorized online vendor. Ordering through any other website usually causes delays and extra charges, because those third parties simply convert your order into a paper application and mail it in themselves.⁵ The portal is available around the clock and walks you through uploading your ID and paying by credit card.

By Mail

Download the Application for Birth Certificate from the Department of Health website, complete it, and mail it with a legible photocopy of your ID and payment to:⁵

Division of Vital Records
Birth Certificate Processing Unit
PO Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103

Mail-in payment must be a check or money order. Do not send cash. If you are applying on behalf of someone else, include your supporting documents (power of attorney, guardianship papers, and the like) in the same envelope.

In Person

Pennsylvania runs six walk-in vital records offices, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and closed on state holidays:⁶

Erie: 156 E 14th Street, Erie, PA 16503
Harrisburg: Forum Place, 1st Floor, 555 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101
New Castle: 105 Nesbitt Road, New Castle, PA 16105
Philadelphia: 110 N. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (by appointment only)
Pittsburgh: 411 Seventh Avenue, Room 360, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Scranton: Scranton State Office Building, Room 112, 100 Lackawanna Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503

Bring your completed application, original ID, and payment. In-person turnaround runs from same day to about five days depending on office workload.⁷ Walk-in offices accept credit card, check, or money order.

Fees and Timing

A certified copy is $20. Online orders through VitalChek carry an additional $10 service fee, so the online total is $30 per certificate.¹ The fee is non-refundable once your application is received.

Online and mail orders currently take about two weeks to process, faster than the four-week timeframe the state has quoted in the past.⁸ Certificates ship by First Class Mail, which does not include tracking. Online orders can add UPS Next Day Air through VitalChek, though the shipping charge runs around $36 on top of the certificate and service fees.

Fee Waivers

Pennsylvania waives the $20 fee for two groups. People experiencing homelessness can submit a dedicated fee-waiver application that includes a signed statement attesting to housing status and inability to pay.⁷

Veterans and military families also qualify. Under Act 137 of 2024, the waiver covers all veterans discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, including those with a general discharge, and extends to a veteran’s spouse, widow or widower, and dependent children. Submit documentation proving military status with your application.⁹

Correcting an Error on a Certificate

If a Pennsylvania birth certificate contains an error or needs updating, use a “Request to Modify” form rather than the older correction forms that sometimes came attached to the certificate. Those older forms are no longer accepted. The form you use depends on the age of the person whose record is being changed:¹⁰

Less than 1 year old
1 year to less than 7 years old
7 years to less than 14 years old
14 years to less than 18 years old
18 years old and above

A separate form covers changing a parent on a birth record. These forms are not used for adoption-related changes, which follow a different process.

Mail the completed and notarized form, your ID, payment if required, and supporting evidence to the Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries, 555 Walnut Street, 6th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101-1934. Note that this is a different address than the one used for ordering copies. Evidence requirements vary depending on the person’s age and the type of change requested.¹⁰ Once the record is updated, you can order a new certified copy reflecting the correction.

If You Need the Certificate for Use Abroad

A Pennsylvania birth certificate used by a foreign government generally needs an apostille, which verifies the document’s authenticity for countries in the 1961 Hague Convention Treaty. Countries outside the Convention require an authentication certificate instead.¹¹

Because birth certificates are state-issued, the apostille comes from the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth, not the federal government. The fee is $15 per document. Submit your certified birth certificate with the Apostille/Certification Request Form, a check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and a self-addressed stamped envelope for return. Documents must carry original signatures and official seals; photocopies will not be accepted.¹² Processing times vary with volume, so submit well before any deadline.

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Request a Birth Certificate
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Department of Health. FAQ Youth Applicants
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Acceptable ID
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Pennsylvania Government. Application for a Birth Certificate
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Vital Records – Birth Certificates
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Public Offices – Vital Records
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Pennsylvania Department of Health. Application for Birth Certificate with Fees Waived for an Individual Who is Experiencing Homelessness
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Department of Health. Processing Times
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. More Veterans Now Eligible for Free Birth and Death Certificates
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Edit a Birth Certificate
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U.S. Department of State. Preparing your Document for an Apostille Certificate
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Apostille/Certification Request Form