How to Get a New Birth Certificate in Pennsylvania: Steps, Fees, Timing

To get a birth certificate in Pennsylvania, apply through the Department of Health’s Division of Vital Records online, by mail, or in person at one of six public offices. Each certified copy costs $20, prints on security paper with a raised seal, and satisfies REAL ID, passport, and other identity verification requirements.¹

Who Can Request the Certificate

Pennsylvania restricts birth certificate orders to a defined list of applicants. If you are the person named on the record and at least 16, you can request it yourself. For anyone younger, a parent, legal representative, or caseworker has to submit the request.¹

Other eligible applicants are the spouse, a parent or step-parent, a full or half sibling, a child or step-child, a grandparent or great-grandparent, a grandchild or great-grandchild, someone holding power of attorney, and an attorney or legal representative of the person named on the certificate.¹

If you’re applying for someone else, include proof of the relationship. A marriage certificate covers a spouse. Your own birth certificate shows a parent-child or sibling connection. Attorneys and legal representatives must supply a signed authorization or court order.¹

What to Have Ready Before You Apply

The application form is on the Pennsylvania Department of Health website and available at any Vital Records public office. You’ll fill in the person’s full name at birth, date of birth, city, county and hospital of birth, and both parents’ full names, including the mother’s maiden name.²

Acceptable ID

Include a legible photocopy of a current government-issued photo ID: driver’s license, state ID card, passport, or military ID. For mail applications, the address on your ID has to match the mailing address on your form.²

Without a photo ID, you can substitute two documents that verify your full name and current address. Vital Records accepts a bank statement dated within the last 90 days, a pay stub or Social Security statement, a utility bill, a tax return or W-2 from the most recent filing year, current vehicle registration or car insurance, a current lease or rental agreement, current school records or a student ID, and medical records or a credit card statement.³

If none of those work, two pieces of current mail showing your name and address will do. Junk mail and plain envelopes don’t count, but a letter from a government agency, a physician, or an employer qualifies.³

The Three Ways to Apply

Online

VitalChek is Pennsylvania’s only authorized online vendor. Orders go through mycertificates.health.pa.gov and are paid by credit card. VitalChek adds a $10 service fee to the $20 certificate cost, so a single copy runs $30.¹

By Mail

Mail the completed application, ID copies, and payment to:

Division of Vital Records
PO Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103

Pay by check or money order made out to “VITAL RECORDS.” Cash isn’t accepted.¹

In Person

Six Vital Records offices take applications in person, and same-day service is often possible. All are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and closed on state holidays:⁴

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

Book the Philadelphia office by calling 844-228-3516 and selecting option 8. The other five take walk-ins. In-person offices accept credit cards.⁴

Fee Waivers

Two groups can skip the $20 fee.

Veterans and active-duty service members qualify under Act 137 of 2024. Eligibility now covers any veteran discharged under conditions other than dishonorable, including general discharges alongside honorable ones. A veteran’s spouse, unmarried widow or widower, and dependent children can also use the waiver, and it covers up to 10 free copies. Submit a copy of your Military ID or DD214 (or equivalent) showing character of service with your application.⁵²

People experiencing homelessness can use a separate application that waives the fee entirely. You must be at least 16 or emancipated, and an advocate (a social worker, facility director, or attorney) has to verify your identity and situation, provide their own photo ID, and supply a letter on their organization’s letterhead confirming their affiliation with you.⁶

How Long It Takes

Online and mail orders both take about two weeks to process. Certificates ship by First Class Mail, so add a few days for delivery.⁷

In-person orders at a Vital Records office can be handled the same day, though the turnaround runs anywhere from same-day to five business days depending on the office’s workload. Pennsylvania does not offer expedited shipping for online or mail orders; First Class Mail is the only delivery option.⁸

To check on a pending order or report an error, call the Division of Vital Records at 724-656-3100 or toll-free at 844-228-3516. Phone hours are Monday through Friday, 7:15 AM to 6:00 PM, and weekends from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM.¹

Fixing an Error on the Certificate

If your certificate has a mistake, the fix depends on the error and the person’s age.

For a misspelled name on a certificate belonging to a child under one, both parents can sign a statement correcting it. After age one, an affidavit from the parents (or from the person themselves once of legal age) is required. If the “correction” looks more like a surname change, the Department of Health may ask for extra evidence or a court order.⁹

Date-of-birth corrections for a child under one require statements from both parents plus the hospital, physician, or midwife. After age one, you need an affidavit from both parents (or the person if of legal age) and a supporting document at least five years old, such as a baptismal or early school record, that conclusively shows the correct date.¹⁰

Amendments are handled by mail through a separate office, not the New Castle PO box used for regular orders. Send forms, ID, payment, and evidence to:¹¹

PA Department of Health
Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries
ATTN: Birth Registry
555 Walnut Street, 6th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1934

Gender designation changes use the “Request to Modify an Adult’s Birth Record” form. If the original sex was recorded inaccurately at birth, submit a medical record as evidence. If you’re updating the marker as part of a gender transition, you’ll need a letter from the physician providing your clinical treatment; the specific requirements for that letter are posted at certificate.health.pa.gov.¹²

Special Situations

Adoptees Seeking the Original Record

When a Pennsylvania adoption is finalized, the original birth record is sealed and a new certificate is issued in the adoptive parents’ names. An adopted person can request a noncertified copy of the original if they are at least 18 and have finished high school, completed a GED, or legally withdrawn from secondary schooling. Lineal descendants of a deceased adoptee also qualify. Adoptive parents and birth parents cannot request it.¹³

The copy is noncertified and can’t be used as official identification. It shows your original birth name, birth date, county of birth, and the names and ages of your birth parents. A parent who filed a Name Redaction Request appears as “NAME REDACTED”; a parent whose name was never on the record appears as “NOT RECORDED.” The fee is $20 per application, only one copy is released per application, and processing takes about 45 days. For anyone adopted more than once, only the original record tied to the most recent adoption can be released.¹³

Births That Were Never Recorded

If a Pennsylvania birth was never filed with Vital Records, you can submit a delayed registration. A parent can register the birth of a child under 7 without documentary evidence. For ages 7 through 18, either parent or someone personally familiar with the birth can file, but supporting evidence is required. At 18 or older, the person has to file for themselves.¹⁴

From age 7 up, the form must be sworn before a notary and filed with one of the following: a certified copy of a county record showing the facts of birth; a notarized statement from the delivering doctor or midwife; a baptismal certificate showing birth facts, certified by a priest or minister, where the baptism occurred at least five years before the application; or an adoption decree showing the name, date, and place of birth. If none of those exist, a single recorded document at least five years old that conclusively establishes the name, date, and place of birth can substitute. Any delayed registration certificate is permanently marked “delayed.”¹⁴

Using Your Certificate Abroad

A Pennsylvania birth certificate used overseas usually needs an apostille, which authenticates it for use in another country. Apostilles are issued by the Pennsylvania Department of State (not the Department of Health), so this is a separate step after your certified copy arrives. The fee is $15 per document, paid by check, money order, or cashier’s check made out to “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” Birth certificates don’t need to be notarized before submission. You can walk in, mail the request, or use the Department of State’s drop box in Harrisburg; mail and drop box requests take five to seven business days once received.¹⁵

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Request a Birth Certificate
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pa.gov. Application for a Birth Certificate
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health. Acceptable ID
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Public Offices
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health. Shapiro Administration Announces More Veterans Now Eligible for Free Birth and Death Certificates
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Pennsylvania Department of Health. Application for a Birth Certificate with Fees Waived for an Individual Who is Experiencing Homelessness
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health. Processing Times
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health. Birth Certificates
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LII / Legal Information Institute. Pennsylvania Code 28 1.34 – Correction of Spelling of Names
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Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. Pennsylvania Code 28 1.33 – Correction of Date of Birth
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Department of Health. Amending Birth Record
12
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Request to Modify an Adults Birth Record
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health. Information for Adoptees
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Legal Information Institute (LII). Pennsylvania Code 28 1.4 – Delayed Registrations
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Get Document Certifications and Apostilles