Philadelphia Vital Records: Birth and Death Certificates

Birth and death certificates for events that happened in Philadelphia are issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Division of Vital Records, not by the city. A certified copy costs $20, and most requests take about two to three weeks. You can order Philadelphia birth and death certificates online, by mail, or in person at the state’s walk-in office at 110 N. 8th Street.¹

Who Can Request a Certificate

Pennsylvania’s Vital Statistics Law of 1953 limits access to people with a direct personal or legal connection to the person named on the record. The rules differ slightly between birth and death certificates.

Birth Certificates

You must be at least 16 to apply by mail or in person, and at least 18 to apply online. Eligible requesters include the person named on the record, their spouse, a parent or step-parent, a sibling (including half-siblings), a child or step-child, a grandparent or great-grandparent, a grandchild or great-grandchild, someone with power of attorney, or an attorney or legal representative.¹

Step-parents and step-children have to include a marriage certificate that shows the relationship. If the person on the record has died, other family members can request it by submitting a copy of the death certificate with the application.¹

Death Certificates

All applicants for a death certificate must be at least 18. Eligible requesters include a spouse or ex-spouse, a parent or step-parent, a child or step-child, a sibling, a grandparent or great-grandparent, a grandchild or great-grandchild, a power of attorney or attorney for the estate, an estate representative, a government office administering the estate, anyone with a documented direct financial interest in the decedent, and extended family members who can show a direct relationship.²

Ex-spouses have to document their direct interest. Funeral homes can request a death certificate only when the decedent was a veteran or the decedent’s spouse is a current or honorably discharged member of the U.S. Armed Forces.²

What You Need To Apply

Every application asks for two things: enough information to find the record, and proof of who you are.

For the record search, give the person’s full legal name at the time of the event, the date of birth or death, and the names of both parents including the mother’s maiden name. Note that the event took place in Philadelphia so the search targets the right file.

For identification, the standard is an unexpired government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or state ID card. If you’re applying by mail, the ID must also show your current mailing address. Send legible photocopies, not originals.³

If you don’t have a photo ID, you can submit two documents that verify your name and current address instead. Acceptable substitutes include, dated within 90 days, a bank or credit card statement, medical records, a pay stub, a Social Security statement, or a utility bill. A current car insurance policy, lease or rental agreement, school record or student ID, or vehicle registration also works. So does a tax return or W-2 from the most recent year. If none of those are available, two pieces of current mail from a government agency, doctor’s office, or employer showing your name and address will do. Junk mail and plain envelopes don’t count.³

How To Order

Online

Online orders go through the state portal at mycertificates.health.pa.gov. You have to be at least 18. The state charges the $20 certificate fee plus a $10 processing fee, with shipping added at checkout.¹ Processing runs about two weeks for birth certificates and three weeks for death certificates.⁴

By Mail

Send your completed application, a photocopy of your ID, and payment to:

Division of Vital Records
P.O. Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103-1528

Payment is a check or money order for $20 per copy, made payable to the Division of Vital Records. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the return. Mail processing takes roughly two weeks for birth certificates and three weeks for death certificates, plus transit time on each end.⁴

In Person in Philadelphia

The Department of Health runs a walk-in vital records office in Philadelphia at 110 N. 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and closed on holidays.⁵

Appointments are required. Schedule one by calling 844-228-3516 and selecting option 8, or through the online scheduling link on the Department of Health website. Bring your completed application, valid ID, and $20 payment.⁵

Fees

The base fee is $20 per certified copy for both birth and death certificates, and additional copies are $20 each.¹ Online orders add a $10 processing fee plus shipping. Active-duty military members and veterans can request birth and death certificates at no charge.⁶

Fees are non-refundable, even if the search doesn’t turn up a matching record. Before mailing anything, double-check that names, dates, and parent information match exactly. A rejected application means paying again.

Correcting a Mistake on a Certificate

If a birth certificate has an error, Pennsylvania uses a set of “Request to Modify” forms rather than a correction form on the back of the certificate. The form you use depends on the age of the person on the record: infant (under 1), child (1 to under 7), preadolescent (7 to under 14), teenager (14 to under 18), or adult (18 and older). Each has to be signed in front of a notary, with an acceptable ID and supporting evidence such as hospital records or a passport that shows the correct information. Part 7 of the form lists what evidence is required.⁷

Adding or removing a parent is a heavier lift. Pennsylvania allows a maximum of two parents on a birth certificate. Removing a parent requires either a court order or an approved cancellation of an Acknowledgment of Paternity. If one parent is being removed and another added, you submit two separate parentage modification forms. Both parents generally sign in front of a notary. If one parent has died, the surviving parent attaches the death certificate (unless the death was in Pennsylvania, in which case the state verifies it internally) and a court order establishing parentage.⁸

Plan for a wait. Birth record modifications take roughly 20 weeks when the application is complete, longer if the Department of Health suspends the request for missing information. Death record modifications run about 8 weeks, or 12 if suspended.⁴ Modifications can’t be handled at the Philadelphia walk-in office or online; they go by mail to the Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries in Harrisburg.⁷

If the Certificate Is Going Abroad

A Philadelphia birth or death certificate used in another country usually needs an apostille, an authentication stamp recognized under the Hague Convention. That step is handled by the Pennsylvania Department of State, not the Department of Health.

Order the certified copy first through the Division of Vital Records. Then send the original certified document to the Department of State with a cover letter identifying the destination country, your contact information, a $15 check or money order per document payable to “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” and a self-addressed stamped envelope.⁹

Mail the request to:

Pennsylvania Department of State
Apostilles & Certifications
North Office Building, Room 201
401 North Street
Harrisburg, PA 17120-0029

Processing takes two to three weeks plus mail time. You can also handle it in person by appointment at the same Harrisburg address, where checks, money orders, and credit cards are accepted but not cash. When the document comes back, leave the staple alone. The authentication is physically attached to the certificate, and separating the two invalidates it.⁹

Older Records and Genealogy

For family history research, different rules and repositories apply. Pennsylvania restricts access to birth records for 105 years after the date of birth and death records for 50 years after the date of death. Once those periods pass, the records become public and transfer to the Pennsylvania State Archives.¹⁰

The State Archives holds birth and death records back to 1906, when Pennsylvania began centralized registration. Some are digitized and available through Ancestry.com; others require an on-site visit or reference request.¹¹

For records that predate the 1906 state system, the Philadelphia City Archives is the place to go. It holds Philadelphia birth and death records from July 1860 through June 1915, cemetery returns back to 1803, and marriage records from July 1860 through December 1885. Marriage records after that date are held by the Register of Wills. The City Archives is at 548 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mail requests generally arrive within two to four weeks, and personal checks are not accepted.¹²

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Birth Certificates
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Death Certificates
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Acceptable ID
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Processing Times – Vital Records
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Public Offices
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VitalChek. Pennsylvania Vital Records
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Edit a Birth Certificate
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Pennsylvania Department of Health. Request to Modify Parentage on a Birth Record
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Certifications, Apostilles, and the Authentication of Documents
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Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 35 PS Health and Safety 450.801
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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Vital Records – PA State Archives
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City of Philadelphia. Get Archival Birth, Death, and Marriage Records