Pennsylvania Apostille FAQs

Apostille stamps for birth, death and marriage certificates issued in Pennsylvania can be obtained from the Secretary of the Commonwealth in Harrisburg.

Birth and death certificates must be issued by the Department of Health with a raised (embossed) seal. Death certificates must be signed by the State Registrar (not by a local registrar). Hospital commemorative birth certificates or birth registration notices issued by the Division of Vital Records are not birth certificates and cannot be authenticated.

Marriage certificates must be signed by the register of wills or clerk of the orphans court (and not only the officiant or clergy person).

For further information about obtaining apostille stamps on Pennsylvania vital records, see:
Apostille Pennsylvania Vital Records

Original Pennsylvania university and high school diplomas can be authenticated by notarizing the signature of the school or university official in Pennsylvania. The notary's signature can then authenticated with an Apostille from the Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth in Harrisburg.

For further information, see:
Apostille STATE University Diplomas

Pennsylvania university degree certificates, course transcripts and high school diplomas can also be authenticated as notarized copies. A true copy is certified by a notary (this can often be done from a scan without having to submit the original) and then authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the Washington DC Secretary of State. Authenticated documents can also be attested by the embassies of Vietnam and the United Arab Emirates.

For further information, see:
University Degrees and School Records

Isarey offers expedited Apostille and Authentication services in Pennsylvania. Apostilles are normally obtained in 1 business day

Pennsylvania Apostille stamps can be obtained for Pennsylvania birth, death divorce and marriage certificates, County documents signed by the clerk in charge of the county office, notarized university and high school diplomas and transcripts, Pennsylvania criminal record checks, vehicle certificates, Company Subsistence Certificates (Certificates of Good Standing) and Certificates of Registration (Certificates of Status).

Other documents, such as powers of attorney, can also be certified by apostille in Pennsylvania where they have been notarized by a Pennsylvania notary public.

If documents are required for submission to the authorities or consulate of a signatory country of the Hague Apostille Convention, an apostille stamp affixed by the Secretary of State of Pennsylvania will generally be recognized directly as confirming authenticity, although a certified translation may also be required if presenting to a country that does not have English as an official language.

If documents are required for presentation in a country that is not a signatory to the apostille convention (e.g. United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Taiwan, Vietnam), then an apostille stamp is not valid. Documents will need to be authenticated at State level in Pennsylvania, then by the State Department Authentication Division, and finally by the embassy or consulate of the destination country in the United States. A Certified Translation may also be required.

For further information about Pennsylvania apostilles and authentications or to obtain a quote for assistance submitting your documents, with free eligibility pre-check, international collection and delivery by courier, please contact us or send us your documents using our Online Quotation Form.

The certificate of notarial act on notarized documents must be worded and completed using the English language. The certificate may be simultaneously worded and completed in another language that is understood by the notary public and must be immediately adjacent to the English-language certificate.

Pennsylvania Death and Birth Certificates can be ordered online or by mail from the Division of Vital Records.

• Pennsylvania - Online Vital Record Ordering
• Pennsylvania Department of Health - birth certificates
• Pennsylvania Birth Certificate FAQS
• Pennsylvania Department of Health - death certificates
• Pennsylvania Death Certificate FAQs

Pennsylvania marriage certificates are available from the county courthouse where the document was issued.

• Orphans' Court Clerks

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