Pennsylvania Apostille Services

Issuing office

Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Notaries, Commissions and LegislationOfficial page

Government fee

$15 per documentIncluded in our price

Hague Convention countries

Apostille

Non-Hague countries

Certification (the office says it now uses a single universal Apostille/certificate for both Hague and non-Hague countries)

The state accepts requests by

walk-in and mail

Published processing time

Walk-in: processed while you wait. Mail: service page says 5-7 business days after receipt; program page says allow about 2-3 weeks, excluding mailing time. On 10/29/2026 the program page showed mail received 10/23/2026 in process.As listed by the office on October 29, 2026

Documents Pennsylvania can apostille

• Original documents signed by a Pennsylvania public official with the official seal
• Documents notarized by a Pennsylvania notary
• Business documents (articles of incorporation, certificates of good standing, bylaws)
• Adoption paperwork (home studies, reference letters, birth and marriage certificates)
• Diplomas and transcripts (notarized)
• Birth and death certificates signed by the state registrar
• County documents signed by the clerk in charge
• Certificates of good standing for notaries public

The issuing state is what matters, not where you live now. A document issued or notarized in another state goes to that state's office, and documents from federal agencies go to the U.S. Department of State through our federal apostille service.

Pennsylvania requirements to check before you book

• Diplomas, transcripts and criminal record checks must be notarized by a Pennsylvania notary before requesting an apostille or certification.Source
• Death certificates must be signed by the state registrar; certificates signed by a local registrar are not accepted.Source
• County documents must be signed by the clerk in charge of the county office; assistant or deputy clerk signatures are not accepted.Source
• Marriage certificates must be signed by the register of wills or clerk of the orphans' court, not only the officiant.Source
• Notarial certificates must be in English; another language is allowed only immediately adjacent to the English text.Source

Good to know

• Destination country must be stated; substituting an apostille for a certification will delay use of the documents.
• Documents may be attached only by staple; do not remove the staple after processing.
• Apostilles and certifications are not issued for documents used within the United States.
• FedEx and DHL are not accepted for return shipment; UPS air bills must list the requester as both sender and recipient.

About our Pennsylvania apostille service

How it works

1. Book onlineChoose the option that matches your document and destination, then tell us the document type, the country where it will be used, and your deadline.
2. We review your document firstBefore anything is filed, we check it against the Pennsylvania requirements on this page. If a step is missing, such as a notarization or a certified copy, we tell you what's needed before we file.
3. Send your original or meet a notaryWe send mailing instructions after you book. If your document still needs to be signed and notarized, one of our mobile notaries can meet you, or you can use remote online notarization where it's accepted.
4. We file and track itWe submit your request to the Pennsylvania Department of State with the government fee and follow it until the office releases it.
5. We ship it backYour documents come back by tracked shipping. If your destination also needs embassy legalization or a certified translation, we can handle that next.

Pricing

$360 per document.

Prices include the Pennsylvania state fee, courier filing, return shipping, and handling. Sales tax is added at checkout where it applies, and any deposit is shown before you pay. If you have more than one document, tell us the count when you book and we'll confirm your total.

Government processing times are set by the issuing office and change during the year. We don't promise a delivery date that depends on a government office, and we'll tell you the current timing when we review your order.

Common questions

Working with Trilogy

Related services

Sources