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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. 

    If your child was adopted in Pennsylvania, the court will complete a report titled "Certificate of Adoption" (H105.091) reporting form. This form is completed after an adoption decree has been issued and is used by a state's vital record office in locating the child's original birth record.  Once the child's original birth record is located, it is sealed and the child's birth record is replaced with the information submitted on the "Certificate of Adoption" (H105.091) reporting form.

    Children Born in Pennsylvania

    Children Born in Pennsylvania and Adopted in Pennsylvania

    If the child was born in Pennsylvania and the adoption was processed by a Pennsylvania court, the court will report this adoption directly to our office. Each court is required to submit adoptions for the preceding month by the 15th of each month. Upon receipt of the "Certificate of Adoption" (H105.091), it is reviewed for completeness and accuracy before it is formally accepted by our office.

    Once the "Certificate of Adoption" reporting form has been accepted by our office, we will seal the adopted child's original birth record and create a replacement birth record based upon the information filed on the "Certificate of Adoption". We will then notify you that you may place an order for your adopted child's birth certificate.

    Children Born in Pennsylvania and Adopted in a Court Outside of Pennsylvania

    If the child was born in Pennsylvania and the adoption was processed by a court outside of Pennsylvania, please submit a certified copy of the form equivalent to our "Certificate of Adoption" that is used to report adoptions to that state's vital records office.  

    Once a form equivalent to our "Certificate of Adoption" has been accepted by our office, we will seal the adopted child's original birth record and create a replacement birth record based upon the information filed on the "Certificate of Adoption".   We will then notify you that you may place an order for your adopted child's birth certificate.

    Children Born in Other States and Territories of the United States

    If you are adopting a child born in another state or territory of the United States, please work with that area's vital statistics office to understand their requirements for updating the child's birth record.  See the National Center for Health Statistics' website for contact information.

    Please note that we are unable to assist you in working through legalities in other states and jurisdictions.  "Certificates of Domestic Adoption" received in our office for a child born in another state or territory will be forwarded to the appropriate vital statistics office.

    Processing Times

    Please allow up to six weeks after the adoption for the child to hear from us.  If you do not hear from us by that time, you may submit a certified copy of the "Certificate of Adoption" (H105.091) reporting form directly to our office for processing.  This certified copy must contain a raised seal of the Pennsylvania court that issued the adoption decree.

    Ordering a Birth Certificate for an Adopted Child

    Please do not submit an "Application for a Birth Certificate" for the adopted child until you receive confirmation from our office that we have updated the child's birth record.