To get a Pennsylvania birth certificate apostille, send a certified copy of the birth certificate issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, along with a completed request form, a $15 fee, and a return envelope, to the Pennsylvania Department of State’s Bureau of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation in Harrisburg. Mail requests are processed in roughly two to three weeks; walk-in requests are handled while you wait. The apostille certifies the signature and seal on the birth certificate so that any country participating in the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention will accept it without further legalization.
Start With the Right Birth Certificate
The certificate you submit must be a certified copy from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records. Hospital-issued certificates, photocopies, and records from municipal or county health departments will not be accepted. The document has to carry the raised seal of the Commonwealth and the signature of the State Registrar.
Many foreign governments specifically require the long-form birth certificate rather than the short-form abstract. The long form is a certified copy of the original birth record and includes parents’ full names and birthplaces, the hospital or birth location, and the attending physician’s or midwife’s signature. A short form only summarizes basic details like name, date of birth, and place of birth, and may not satisfy a foreign agency reviewing your file.
If your certificate was issued decades ago, order a fresh one. Some countries require vital records to have been issued within the last six to twelve months, and an older certificate may bear a former registrar’s signature that the Department of State cannot verify against current records. A new certified copy solves both problems.
Ordering a Certified Copy
You can order a certified birth certificate online, by mail, or in person through the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The fee is $20 per copy. Online orders go through the state’s authorized vendor at mycertificates.health.pa.gov and carry an additional $10 processing fee, paid by credit card. Mail orders require a completed Application for Birth Certificate and a check or money order for $20 payable to “VITAL RECORDS,” sent to the Division of Vital Records, Birth Certificate Processing Unit, PO Box 1528, New Castle, PA 16103. In-person orders can be placed at any Vital Records public office. Valid identification is required with every application.
Confirm the Destination Country Accepts an Apostille
Before spending anything on the apostille, confirm that the country where you plan to use the birth certificate is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention. More than 120 countries participate, but several major nations do not. The official membership list is maintained by the Hague Conference on Private International Law at hcch.net.
If the country is not a Hague member, an apostille will not work there. You will instead need full legalization: authentication by the Pennsylvania Department of State, then federal authentication by the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Authentications in Washington, D.C., then a final legalization stamp from the destination country’s embassy or consulate. That chain takes substantially longer than an apostille and carries fees at each step, so verify membership before you start.
What to Put in the Package
The Department of State requires four things. Miss any one and the whole package comes back unprocessed.
- The original certified birth certificate from the Division of Vital Records. Not a photocopy. Birth certificates do not need to be notarized.
- A cover letter or the Request for Legalization of Documents form, available on the Department of State’s website in English, Chinese, and Spanish. The form asks for the country where the document will be used and your contact information: name, phone number, email, and mailing address.
- The $15 fee, charged per document rather than per page. For mail and drop-box submissions, pay by personal check, money order, or cashier’s check made payable to “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” Checks and money orders must come from a U.S. institution or, if drawn on a foreign bank, be in U.S. dollars with a routing number. Cash is not accepted by mail or drop box. Walk-in visitors can also pay by credit card.
- A self-addressed, stamped envelope for standard mail return. If you prefer a courier, include a prepaid air bill. UPS is the only accepted courier; the Department does not accept FedEx or DHL. For UPS, list yourself as both sender and recipient on the air bill.
Where to Submit It
Pennsylvania offers three submission methods: in person, by mail, or by drop box. There is no online option.
In Person
Walk-in requests are processed while you wait, which is the fastest route if you can get to Harrisburg. The office is at the Bureau of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation, North Office Building, Room 201, 401 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays. Arrive by 4 p.m. to have your documents processed before closing, and note that the public entrance to the North Office Building closes at 3 p.m. daily. Appointments can be booked in advance through the Department of State’s online scheduling system.
By Mail
Send the complete package to: Pennsylvania Department of State, Apostilles & Certifications, North Office Building, Room 201, 401 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0029. Processing runs about two to three weeks, not counting transit time in either direction. Trackable shipping on both the outgoing package and the return envelope lets you see where your documents are along the way.
By Drop Box
A blue drop box sits in front of the Keystone Building at 400 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120. The same requirements apply as with mail submissions: form, fee by check or money order, and return envelope. Processing time matches the mail timeline.
Translation Into Another Language
If the destination country’s official language is not English, you will likely need a certified translation of your birth certificate. Most foreign governments require the translator to sign an affidavit attesting to their competence in both languages and to the accuracy of the translation. The translator has to be a disinterested party, so you cannot translate your own birth certificate, and neither can a family member.
Some countries also require the translation to be notarized, meaning a notary public witnesses the translator’s signature on the affidavit. Whether the translation should happen before or after the apostille depends on the receiving country’s rules. In most cases, the apostille attaches to the birth certificate itself and the translation is submitted alongside as a separate document. Confirm the requirements with the foreign government or its local consulate before paying for translation.
Why Requests Get Rejected
Most rejections trace back to the wrong type of document or an incomplete package. The issues that come up most often:
- A birth certificate issued by a hospital, local registrar, or county office instead of the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
- A photocopy of a certified copy rather than the original certified copy.
- A registrar’s signature on an older certificate that no longer matches current records. Order a new certified copy.
- Cash sent by mail, a check made out to the wrong payee, or a foreign check without a U.S. routing number.
- No return envelope or prepaid air bill, leaving the Bureau no way to send your documents back.
How Long an Apostille Stays Good
An apostille itself has no expiration date. The receiving country, however, may impose its own recency rules on the underlying document or the apostille. Some countries require birth certificates to have been issued within the past 6 to 12 months. Others want the apostille to be no older than 3 to 6 months. These rules vary by country and sometimes by the specific agency within that country, so check with the foreign authority before you start. Ordering a fresh birth certificate and submitting it for the apostille promptly gives you the widest usable window on the other end.