Pennsylvania, vital records
The Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, issues birth and death certificates for events from 1906 on. Marriage records come from the county Orphans' Court clerk and divorce records from the county prothonotary.
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Vital records
A Pennsylvania birth certificate costs $20 each from the Division of Vital Records, ordered online, by mail or in person. The fee is not refunded.
Open official site Pennsylvania birth certificatesVital records
A Pennsylvania death certificate costs $20 each, a fee set by the Administrative Code of 1929, and the payment is not refunded once deposited.
Open official site Pennsylvania death certificatesVital records
Unified Judicial System contact list of each county Orphans' Court clerk, the office that keeps Pennsylvania marriage license records.
Open official site Pennsylvania Orphans' Court clerksVital records
Older Pennsylvania birth and death records are public, with noncertified copies from the State Archives. Certified copies still come only from the Division of Vital Records.
Open official site Pennsylvania genealogy recordsVital records
How to research Pennsylvania birth records at the State Archives. Most older registers are at the county Register of Wills or Clerk of the Orphans' Court.
Open official site Pennsylvania State Archives, birth recordsState agencies
State Archives list of county government records on microfilm, county by county, such as commissioners' minutes and other early county series.
Open official site Pennsylvania State Archives, county government records (RG-47)Vital records
Research guide to Pennsylvania birth, marriage, death and divorce records. Since 1804 divorce records have been kept by the prothonotary of the county that granted the divorce.
Open official site State Library of Pennsylvania, vital records guideVital records
National Center for Health Statistics links to every state and territory vital records office, with fees and mailing addresses. The federal government itself issues no certificates.
Open official site CDC, Where to Write for Vital RecordsVital records
National Center for Health Statistics data on births and deaths in the United States, such as leading causes of death and life tables. It publishes statistics, not copies of records.
Open official site CDC, National Vital Statistics SystemVital records
Department of Health office for Pennsylvania birth and death certificates, ordered online through the one authorized vendor, by mail or at its public office.
Open official site Pennsylvania Division of Vital RecordsFederal
Social Security Administration form to apply for an original or replacement card or to correct your record. It generally asks for your birth certificate as proof of age.
Open official site SSA, Form SS-5, Social Security card applicationGuide
Pennsylvania has no state divorce certificate. The Pennsylvania Department of Health Division of Vital Records issues birth, death and fetal death records and offers only aggregate marriage and divorce statistics, and its statistics page says more detailed breakouts may be available through the county courthouse where the event occurred. The decree in divorce and certified copies of it come from the Prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas that granted the divorce, and the marital settlement agreement behind it is confidential under the Public Access Policy. The Department's page is at pa.gov.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More Pennsylvania records on this site: Pennsylvania public records, Free Background Checks.
Straight answers
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No. The CDC is explicit: 'The Federal Government does not maintain files or indexes of these records.' Every U.S. vital record is kept by the state where the event occurred.
A certified copy has a raised seal and is accepted by SSA, passport offices, and courts. An informational copy is marked 'Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity' and cannot be used for legal ID.
It varies by state, but a mail order to a state vital records office is typically 4, 8 weeks. Walk-in county clerk requests can be same-day. Online orders through VitalChek add a separate processing time on top of the state's.
Most states limit certified copies to the registrant, immediate family, and legal representatives. Informational copies are generally available to anyone after a waiting period defined by state law.
You should have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA, form FS-240). Replacements come from the U.S. Department of State, not from a state vital records office.
All states
Every state page lists that state's official vital record sources, each opened and verified.