Apostille › Pennsylvania
Apostille in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Secretary of State apostilles documents that Pennsylvania issued. It cannot apostille a federal document, and that distinction is where most people lose a month.
Verified 2026-08-04
| Fee | $15 per document, not per page. |
| In person | Counter service 8:00 to 4:30, arrive by 4:00. Walk-in requests are processed while you wait. The drop box at 400 North Street is stated as 5 to 7 business days plus mail time. |
| By mail | Pennsylvania does not publish a separate mail turnaround. |
| Mail to | Bureau of Notaries, Commissions and Legislation, North Office Building, 401 North Street, Room 201, Harrisburg, PA 17120 |
| Payment | Personal check, money order or cashier’s check payable to “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania”, drawn on a U.S. institution or in U.S. dollars with a routing number. No cash by mail or drop box. |
Source: Pennsylvania Secretary of State. Checked 2026-08-04. Fees and backlogs change, so confirm before you send anything.
Pennsylvania cannot apostille an FBI background check. That is a federal document and goes to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications in Washington instead. If you have already sent one to Pennsylvania, it will come back unprocessed. How to recover →
What Pennsylvania can apostille
- ✓Birth and death certificates issued by Pennsylvania
- ✓Marriage certificates recorded in Pennsylvania
- ✓Pennsylvania court records
- ✓Documents notarised by a Pennsylvania notary
What it cannot
- ×FBI background checks
- ×Naturalisation and citizenship certificates
- ×Federal court records and IRS documents
- ×Documents issued by any other state
Need the federal one instead?
If your document is an FBI background check, we handle the whole chain including the trip to Washington. About three weeks, $299 all in.