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Official Website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means its official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 

    Vital Records

    Learn how to access birth, death, and adoption records in Pennsylvania.

    System Enhancement Update

    Part of the vital records system will be offline for an upgrade October 3 – 6, 2024. However, customers may continue to place online orders and submit mail applications during this time. Please be advised there will be brief delays in birth and death certificate processing in early October.

     

    Records marking a birth, death or fetal death are known as vital records. Certificates issued from the official records are used for everything from applying for a driver's license to settling an estate after someone dies. Sometimes these certificates can become misplaced, or you need additional copies of these certificates. Our Bureau of Health Statistics and Registries is the official custodian of vital records dating back to 1906 for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  This website outlines our requirements for obtaining certificates for births, deaths and fetal deaths that occurred in Pennsylvania since 1906.