How to Get a Birth Certificate in PA: Online, Mail, or In Person

A certified copy of a Pennsylvania birth certificate costs $20 and can be ordered three ways: online through VitalChek, by mail, or in person at one of six state Vital Records offices. Walk-ins received before 2:30 p.m. can leave with the certificate the same day. Online and mail orders take about three weeks. Here is how to get a birth certificate in PA, what to bring, and which method fits your timeline.¹

Who Can Order One

You must be at least 16 to order your own certificate by mail or in person, and at least 18 to order online. Other people entitled to request a copy include the spouse, parent or step-parent, sibling (including half-siblings), child or step-child, grandparent, great-grandparent, grandchild, great-grandchild, and an attorney or legal representative of the person named on the record. Step-parents and step-children must submit the marriage certificate that establishes the relationship, and an attorney must provide supporting documentation.¹

If the person named on the certificate is deceased, a family member outside that list can still apply by including a copy of the death certificate.¹

What You Need Before You Apply

The application asks for the full name at birth, the date of birth, the city and county of birth, and both parents’ full names including the mother’s maiden name. If you don’t have every piece, submit the application with what you know; Vital Records will search on whatever details you provide.²

You also need an unexpired government-issued photo ID: a driver’s license, state ID card, U.S. or foreign passport, military ID, firearms carry permit, medical marijuana card, or inmate ID. If you don’t have any photo ID, you can substitute two documents showing your full name and current mailing address, such as a bank statement, utility bill, pay stub, lease, vehicle registration, tax return, W-2, school or medical record, or Social Security statement. Two pieces of current mail addressed to you will work if nothing else is available.³

Online Through VitalChek

VitalChek is the only vendor Pennsylvania authorizes for online orders. Start at mycertificates.health.pa.gov, upload scans of your ID and any supporting documents, and pay by credit or debit card. The cost is $30 per copy: the $20 certificate fee plus a $10 service fee. Processing takes roughly three weeks and the certificate ships by First Class Mail.¹

By Mail

Download the application form from the Pennsylvania Department of Health website. Send the completed form, a photocopy of your ID, and a check or money order for $20 per copy made out to “VITAL RECORDS” to:

Division of Vital Records
Birth Certificate Processing Unit
PO Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103²

Processing runs about three weeks, plus mailing time in both directions. Certificates go out by First Class Mail.⁴

In Person

This is the fastest option. Walk in with your application and original ID, and if your request is received before 2:30 p.m. you can leave with a certified copy the same day. All six offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and closed on state holidays. Payment is by check or money order.⁵⁴

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 (appointment required)
Pittsburgh: 411 Seventh Avenue, Room 360, Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Scranton: Scranton State Office Building, Room 112, 100 Lackawanna Avenue, Scranton, PA 18503

Philadelphia is the only office requiring an appointment. The other five accept walk-ins.⁵

Free Copies for Veterans and Military Families

Active-duty service members and most veterans can receive up to 10 free certified copies. Under Act 137 of 2024, any veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable qualifies. The waiver also covers the service member’s or veteran’s spouse, widow or widower, and dependent children. Include documentation of military status with your application.⁶

If You Need to Correct an Error

A standard birth certificate order won’t fix a misspelling, wrong date, or incorrect parent information. Corrections use a separate Request to Modify form, and the correct version depends on the age of the person on the record; a different form (Request to Modify Parentage on a Birth Record) is used to add, remove, or replace a parent. Mail the completed form, ID, payment, and supporting documents to the Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries, ATTN: Birth Registry, 555 Walnut Street, 6th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101-1934. Court-ordered name changes go through the same process, submitted with the court order.⁷

Adoption Records Follow a Different Path

If you were adopted and want a copy of the current birth certificate that lists your adoptive parents, use the standard application. To obtain the original birth record with your birth parents’ names, Pennsylvania uses a separate process under Act 127. Eligible applicants (the adopted person or their direct descendants) submit an Adoptee’s Application for Noncertified Copy of Original Birth Record, pay $20, and wait about 45 days. The result is a noncertified copy only, showing your original birth name, birth date, county of birth, and birth parent names and ages. If a birth parent filed a Name Redaction Request, their name appears as “NAME REDACTED.”⁸

When No Birth Record Exists

Sometimes a birth was never registered. Pennsylvania allows a delayed registration, and how you file depends on age. For a child under 7, a parent can file without documentary evidence. For ages 7 through 17, a parent or a witness to the birth files with documentary evidence. At 18 or older, you must file yourself.⁹

For anyone age 7 or older, acceptable evidence includes a certified county record showing the birth facts, a notarized statement from the doctor or midwife who delivered you, or a baptismal certificate at least five years old and certified by the officiating clergy. If none exist, any recorded document at least five years old that proves your name, date, and place of birth will be accepted. The form must be notarized before submission and is mailed to the Bureau of Health Statistics in Harrisburg. The resulting certificate is marked “delayed.”⁹

1
Pennsylvania Department of Health. Ordering a Birth Certificate
2
Pennsylvania Department of Health. FAQ for Youth Applicants
3
Department of Health. Acceptable ID
4
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Request a Birth Certificate
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Pennsylvania Department of Health. Public Offices
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Pennsylvania Department of Health. More Veterans Now Eligible for Free Birth and Death Certificates
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Pennsylvania Department of Health. Amending Birth Record
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Pennsylvania Department of Health. Information for Adoptees
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Pennsylvania Bulletin. Pennsylvania Code 28 Chapter 1 – 1.4 Delayed Registrations