I had mixed feeling going here. I was prepared to spend my whole day sitting and waiting but nope!! I was in and out within 15 minutes. I needed my birth certificate so I can get the Real ID. I got there as soon as they opened (highly recommended), got a ticket, filled out the application, and soon as I was done my number was called. I showed them my current ID and paid $20. Just 5 minutes later, my birth certificate was ready. read more

Vital Records Online is a joke...I need my late father's death certificate cause my nosey behind SIL will ask y I need it...so Long story short. I had to take a pic of my new address of either from a utility bill or any other bill that has my new address on it...I took the pics one after another the stupid email kept coming back my pictures weren;t accepted cause it was FOLDED, needed a full page of my bill , Now mind you the bill has my new address, the amount I paid, the sending address to where the bill has to go...They actually needed the full page of my Xfinity statement when it already is showing what is needed...So I said EFF you and requested a refund of which I did get...Stupid rules...I felt it was some sort of a scam and hung up..Why do you need a full page of my Xfinity statement when I just sent you what was needed...Scammers they were... read more

Vital Records in Willmington Delaware. I had ordered a copy of my birth certificate in August of 2025. It's now April 2026. I have yet to receive it. I've called numerous times. No solution. I want my $60 back. They won't give it to me. They said it could be another 20 weeks until you'll receive it your birth certificate. FRAUD! Contacting the Better Business Bureau, for answers. I have never come across such an unethical place. Do Not use them. Go to your local town, where you were born. Pay $10. You're done!!! And with no headache! read more

Everything needs to improve ! They need to move this location to a more accessible place with parking and larger space for people to sit down. Or open a second location in the city of Philadelphia. I arrived at 9am with my 75 year old father to obtain an updated copy of his birth certificate, as you now need your parents name on the certificate in order to get a passport. We walk in, I felt like I was at the airport we had to take off our coats and place our bags on the belt to look inside. Then we go into a L shaped room full of people everywhere, the guard said take a number and get an application, they will call your number. There were probably abt 50 people ahead of us. After an hour and a half our number was called I go to the window give my application, show my ID and pay my $20. I'm then told to have a seat they will call us when it's ready in abt 20-30 mins. We waited another hour and 10 mins before I went to the counter and asked if something was wrong because we weren't called. He immediately took our info to see what was going on and said give him a few minutes. I find it utterly ridiculous that these government offices have no one there to assist and help senior citizens handle this kind of stuff. So he came back with the certificate. I'm not sure why it wasn't called and I was seeing people who came after me leave before me. If I had never went to the window we would have been there all day. This whole process took about 3 hours. They need more workers and a larger space. Upon leaving we were in the lobby and the rude security guard rushed us out, as I'm looking over my certificate for any errors cause I'm not trying to ever come back here. I thought that was rude he saw my dad was elderly and you rushing people out the blding and clearly no one was rushing in the inside after waiting over 3 hours. Do better city of Philadelphia ! read more

Vital Records - Public Services & Government Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I parked at 8:28am and was out before 9:00am. In fact I'm sitting in my car writing this at 9:07am. I ordered a copy of mine and my son's birth certificates and I have them already. The staff is lovely and I appreciate them, considering it's a rainy Monday morning and I needed these for an 11:00am appointment. read more

Vital Records - I purchased my parking at 8:28am and I'm sitting in my car with the birth certificates I needed at 9:07am. Be kind to the staff!! - Public Services & Government Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

TOTAL RIPOFF / The State Legislature should be ashamed of themselves for funding such a terrible group of people! By the way... are these kids working from home? The customer service sucks - long (30-45 minute) hold times to speak with someone; embarrassingly slow records search; ridiculously high fees, ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY and absolutely NO COMMON SENSE! These people are antagonistic and look for any reason to not do their jobs. THEY SUCK -- BIG TIME! TELL YOUR LEGISLATOR THAT YOU DEMAND CHANGE OR DEFUND THEM! MAKE THIS AN ELECTION ISSUE TO EXTERMINATE THE STAFF AND OUTSOURCE THESE GOVERNMENT PARASITES THAT LIVE OFF THE STATE (THE HOST). What PA needs is a private, domestically located concern that can handle these important requests in a timely and dignified manner. read more

Very friendly, effective, professional and informative. Quite the opposite of most government agencies I've visited. Clearly they have a focus on hiring the right staff/provide great training and ensure the office in general is run well. read more

I received a charge on my credit card but did not receive nor did I order any records. I tried to order a marriage certificate but did not receive this either. How can I report this to a supervisor? read more

I wouldn't recommend this place to nobody, they're rude, they had me standing in line waiting for them to come up to the window but all they were doing were talking and laughing with the other workers, two people stood up and walk near the window and still didn't come to the window, i hope they lose their job because nobody has all day to be standing at a window, being ignored, and acting like we're invisible. They acting like they out on a lunch break by talking and laughing and etc. I don't come here if you have a short temper because you'll be highly upset. read more

They open at 9:00 am but a line starts forming early. I got there at 8:30 and about 20 people were already in line.

Why would a department of such importance not have their website up to date about hours of operation? Drove from Ohio to take care of some paperwork got there and it was closed for what I needed to do. Update your website read more

YOU GET A ZERO RATING. This has been a HORRIBLE experience. I have been trying to get thorough to speak to a person for over a month. The online service was useless for my client. He has autism and the web page assumes the person can comprehend the instructions. He needs a State Id. His has graduated from High School and cannot get his original birth certificate in order to get his ID. Plus, I could not pay for his record and he does not have a credit card and his family is dysfunctional. My wait time has been 60 min. after the office closes. I called at 3:15 pm. read more

Other than a long wait, and few customer service employees available, it was quick and easy! DO NOT use an online service, it only cost $20 here, on line they ask for $69.00+ ! And it takes months instead of days! read more

It was what I expected before reading all the negative reviews. It wasn't that bad. Got there at 10 am...had to wait about 50 minutes but I'm sure some days are worse. Started off with one clerk but got faster once a second clerk opened a window. Thankfully, I only have to wait 24 hours for the birth certificate to be ready for pick up. read more

Im just coming from that jawn and it was a easy in and out..less than a half hour and the girl at the window was pleasant..cant cosigin all the negative reviews..get there before it opens, have your stuff in order and you good read more

A COMPLETE ABOMINATION!!! So many things wrong with this place. For starters on a normal day there are around 100 people cramped into a room at any time but only 1 person working. I showed up and got a ticket, 960 was the number, they were on 866. After an hour 3 people had been seen. I watched as people frustrated stormed out. I found out after talking with security that they stop letting people in at 3 so here's a tip. Show up at 2:45, no one else can come in after that and the place starts to clear out as a second employee helps out. My issue was I needed my birth certificate immediately so I went in person to get it. After a 3 hour wait the lady working asked if I wanted to pick it up in which case I would come back Tuesday of the next week or if I wanted it mailed in which case it would take 7-10 days. I decided to have it mailed since it would only be a few more days and it would save me from needing to drive back in and pay for parking. What a mistake that was!!! After 2+ weeks of not receiving it in the mail I get an email (which btw you can't respond to). The email said they had acknowledged receiving my request and it would take 12 weeks to process my birth certificate. The whole purpose of me showing up was to get it immediately and instead the process was pushed back by potentially 3 months. The worst part, when you call you get an automated message that hangs up on you when you try to talk to someone. This is literally the worst service I've encountered. I see there are 2 reviews on here where the people left 5 stars but left no comment. It's a shame because these appear to be fake reviews. Every other review on here is a 1 star review mentioning the same key points. If there were 0 stars available the only way to prevent this service from getting a 0 would be the fake reviewers that it appears have left anything but the worst rating. Quick update for those that have made it this far. After trying multiple searches and phone numbers that lead me nowhere I found the following number will get you on the phone with an actual human who can answer questions: Telephone 724-656-3100. Hope this helps. http://www.health.pa.gov/MyRecords/Certificates/Pages/11596.aspx#ordering read more

I've been trying to obtain my mother's birth certificate; she was born in 1916. Because I live out of state, I needed to apply on Vital Check, but they weren't able to locate the records. So while I was visiting my family in Philadelphia, I decided to go to the office there. It was a relatively pleasant experience. There were clear instructions about the process posted on the walls, and after waiting an hour or so I was able to talk to a service employee. Debby (don't know how to spell her name) was pleasant and very helpful and gave me a phone number to call in New Castle to continue my search. The only suggestions I have are for additional employees to be hired to decrease the wait time, and for there to be a more prominent reminder that only checks or money orders can be used, not cash or credit cards. I was fortunate because the security guard had given me that info before I went into the vital records office, so I had already purchased a money order from the Post Office which is nearby. read more

This rating is actually below zero. I don't understand why the wait is sooo long here! It makes absolutely no sense. Only two ppl working always. If you do it online it's an extra $10! Civil service at its finest read more

Went on the last Wednesday of August around 10:40am and was in and out in less than 10 minutes. Employee was very plesant and professional.

This is a crazy location no where to park you have ride around or going the high parking lots. Trying to get my Birth Records with my parents name on it. The cost is $20.00 dollars. To get in the building the line is a block long you have to get here real early and wait in line. The city should've put this building in a better location with free parking. read more

Had to get a replacement for my mother's death certificate in a hurry so my father could sell his house. Went to the Vital Records office on 8th Street on a Friday afternoon. Big crowd. Took a number and waited, nearly 90 minutes. Only two employees for the whole place. Eventually got called. The woman who waited on me was helpful and pleasant. Said the certificate would be ready for pick up the following Wednesday. Returned Wednesday without any expectation that I would walk out with the certificate. Low and behold, I walked in, went right to the pick up window and was handed the certificate by a smiling employee. Not bad for a government office. read more

This office is completely unacceptable and should be an embarassment to our government. Slow, rude, unprofessional...i dont know where to start. Count on being there no less than a few hours! Perhaps have a glass of wine before you go to keep you more relaxed!!! I would give this office minus 5 stars!! read more

Went in person to apply for two birth certificates passports. Supposed to receive them in two 3 days...one came and the other did not. Now they say it was never processed or applied for even though I have the check for $40. Then they told me they would have it this afternoon, so I didn't drive to Harrisburg in person to get one. Now it looks like they won't have it ready today. If we can't go on our trip to Europe I am really going to be upset. Ineptitude at Vital Records is incredible. read more

I wish I could give -10. The attitude and service in this place is beyond terrible. I wanted to ask a question that's not answered online and I was told that the line wasn't a "question line?", and that I would have to wait for my number to come up. Seriously!?! So answering a quick question is beyond the scope of the line I am in!?! Horrible service and even worse attitude. If I could go somewhere else I would do it in a heart beat. This place is the worst. read more

This would be a minus 5 stars if possible. Be prepared to wait all day come back and wait some more. Pack a lunch except no food allowed. Then be prepared to have your birth certificate be wrong. Nothing but inefficiency and incompetence here. read more

I've been calling for 3 days to speak to a customer service rep, I follow the prompts to be directed to a "live person" and after ringing a few times the automated system returns and routes back to the beginning or hangs up. The staff was friendly and fast when I was in the office but they should consider getting someone for the phones. read more

1 attempt 2/24 I arrived at 8 am and learned quickly that I needed to be there earlier. 2nd attempt 2/27 I arrived about 7:30 waiting outside for office to open, line not as bad as last time though my ticket number was 50. Initially 2 windows were open and by 8:40 only 3 people were helped and the 1 window did 2 people the 2nd window only helped 1 person. The numbers weren't in order because 37-40 were called first but 39 left. They don't start immediately upon opening, and for only 3 people to be serviced after 40 minutes they need some damn help and additional training because there is no sense of urgency and why was only one at the window and the other sitting for 20 minutes after helping only 1 person? Security staff in the lobby are rude. How do these people get these jobs is beyond me. There should be more complaints on here people instead of bitching in line as many did, their complaints should be voiced on here. I plan to make a direct complaint, because staff has got to do better and if anything they should be complaining to management to hire more staff. I requested a day off to go back this week to get my son's birth certificate. I will be observing and will make a direct complaint in hope of getting a paper trail. This is cruel. I'm using a paid day to do this when I work in center city and thought I could easily do this an hour before I start work. read more

If I could leave a 0 star review I would. To settle an insurance claim, I needed a death certificate for my grandmother, who died in 1992. PA DOH sends official death records via VitalChek. I have no complaints with VitalChek; they processed my request for my grandmother's death certificate rapidly. The problem was the time it took PA DOH Vital Records to send it out - nearly 5 months! The VitalChek website says the typical death cert. can take up to around 3 months....which is a long time, but I was prepared to wait for that. Around 3 months, I started trying to contact Vital Records, but could not get through to a live person by phone, and they did not respond to my email inquiries. In desperation, I contacted the funeral home that had services for my grandmother, and they got me an official death certificate from Vital Records to me within a week! Hmmm....why on earth would it take so long to get a death certificate the "official" way? And, my grandmother died in 1992, not 1892; it should not be that hard to find a death cert. from that year! read more