Pennsylvania's vital records are the official records of births, marriages, divorces, and deaths in Pennsylvania. The Division of Vital Records of Pennsylvania maintains these records and issues certified copies of vital records to authorized individuals.
The Division of Vital Records has been collecting Pennsylvania birth records since 1906. However, some earlier birth records may exist in other record-keeping agencies. You can visit the Pennsylvania County Courthouse for a list of county courthouses with birth records.
The only persons who can receive certified copies of birth certificates in Pennsylvania are:
You will need to provide the following information when ordering a certified copy of a birth certificate in Pennsylvania:
To order a birth certificate online, you can use VitalChek. Aside from paying the standard certificate fee of $20, an additional processing fee of $10 also applies. They accept all major credit and debit cards, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Select between First Class Mail® or UPS as your shipping option.
VitalChek is the only authorized vendor of Pennsylvania vital records. Expect a delay in service if you choose to use any other vendor.
For walk-in services, you can visit the Public Office page of Pennsylvania Vital Records for office locations and operating hours. All Vital Records offices are open for walk-in services. They operate Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, except on holidays.
You must complete the Application for Birth Certificate form for mail services and send it to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records with the appropriate fee. All certificates are mailed using First Class Mail. If you require expedited shipping, you can apply online and choose UPS as your shipping option.
Send your completed application form, along with the appropriate fee, to:
Division of Vital Records
Birth Certificate Processing Unit
PO Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
The estimated processing time for all paper applications mailed to the Division of Vital Records is two weeks. Online orders placed through mycertificates.health.pa.gov have a processing time of two weeks as well.
You can call the Pennsylvania Vital Records at 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516 (toll-free) if you have any questions about ordering birth certificates.
The Division of Vital Records has been collecting Pennsylvania vital records since 1906. All records before 1906 were recorded sporadically by some counties and cities such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. You can visit the Pennsylvania State of Archives for a list of counties with death records.
The only persons who can receive certified copies of death certificates in Pennsylvania are:
You will need to provide the following information when ordering a certified copy of a death certificate in Pennsylvania:
To order a death certificate online, you can use VitalChek. In addition to paying the standard certificate fee of $20, an additional processing fee of $10 also applies. They accept all major cards, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Select between First Class Mail® or UPS as your shipping option.
VitalChek is the only authorized vendor of Pennsylvania vital records. Expect a delay in service if you choose to use any other vendor.
For walk-in services, you can visit the Public Office page of Pennsylvania Vital Records for office locations and operating hours. All Vital Records Offices are open for walk-in services Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, except on holidays.
You must complete the Application for Certified Copy of Death Certificate form for mail services and send it to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, with the appropriate fee. All certificates are mailed using First Class Mail. If you require expedited shipping, you can apply online and choose UPS as your shipping option.
Send your completed application form, along with the appropriate fee, to:
Division of Vital Records
Death Certificate Processing Unit
PO Box 1528
New Castle, PA 16103
The estimated processing time for all paper applications mailed to the Division of Vital Records is three weeks. Online orders placed through mycertificates.health.pa.gov have a processing time of 3 weeks as well.
You can call the Pennsylvania Vital Records at 724-656-3100 or 844-228-3516 (toll-free) if you have any questions about ordering death certificates.
According to the provisions of state law, marriage records that are licensed within the state's jurisdiction are public records. However, certified copies of marriage certificates can only be issued to authorized individuals.
The following persons are authorized to receive a certified copy of a marriage certificate in Pennsylvania:
Marriage records in Pennsylvania are managed by the Marriage Records Division of the courts in the county where the marriage license was obtained. You can request public marriage records in person or mail them to the courthouse clerk of the county where the marriage license was issued.
You can also request PA marriage records by submitting a completed marriage certificate order at the appropriate Orphan's Court Clerks office.
Upon request, you will need to provide the following information:
Together with the information above, you will need to provide a government-issued ID to prove your identity.
Pennsylvania divorce records are public information in Pennsylvania unless ruled by court order. However, certified copies of divorce certificates can only be issued to authorized individuals.
The following persons are authorized to receive a certified copy of a divorce certificate in Pennsylvania:
Divorce records in Pennsylvania are managed by the Divorce Certificate Division of the courts in the county where the divorce decree was granted. You can send your request for public divorce records to the Orphans' Court Clerk of the county where the divorce decree was granted either in person or by mail.
If you require certified records, you must provide the following information:
Additional documents proving your eligibility to access and receive certified records may be required, including