Harrisburg, PA – Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced today that the Department of State recently cut waiting times by 85% for Pennsylvanians who need government documents verified for international use, demonstrating the Shapiro Administration’s continued commitment to cutting red tape and providing Pennsylvanians with efficient services.
“Until recently, Pennsylvanians who needed the Department to provide proof that their government-issued documents for an international adoption or proof of their study-abroad time in the U.S. had to wait an average of seven business days,” Schmidt said. “Thanks to our staff’s hard work and dedication, that wait time has been reduced to as little as one business day.”
When people need to prove to another country’s government that their Pennsylvania-issued documentation is legitimate, they request an apostille or certification from the Department. That form confirms that the Department and the Secretary verified the applicant’s documents contain an authentic Pennsylvania public official’s signature, seal, or stamp.
“People need apostilles or certifications for many everyday reasons,” Schmidt said. “For example, companies wanting to conduct international business often need us to provide verification that the filings to establish their business in Pennsylvania are authentic.
“Other common examples include when a person wants to prove to a foreign government they have dual citizenship, and when an international student needs to prove their U.S.-issued diploma is authentic,” Schmidt added.
In 2024, the Department reviewed and authenticated 58,933 documents. Through June 30, 2025, the Department had reviewed and authenticated 30,027 documents, and it reviewed an average of about 250 documents per day in November.
Kitty Huffman, who is president of Purrfect Patents LLC, a service and research company that helps patent and trademark law firms prep documents for filing in foreign countries, applauded the faster processing times.
“Because we deal with various international deadlines, speed and efficiency are of the utmost importance in our business,” Huffman said. “The Department’s faster turnaround times enable us to meet our filing deadlines more often, which allows our clients to maintain their patent/trademark applications in foreign countries without having to pay additional fees.”
Shortly after taking office in January 2023, Governor Shapiro signed an executive order directing state agencies to conduct a comprehensive review of how long it was taking them to process applications for professional licenses, permits, and certifications.
The Shapiro Administration then established a date-certain for each license, permit, and certificate by which completed applications must be processed. If completed applications are not processed by the guaranteed date, the agency responsible must refund applicants’ fees.
Schmidt added that the significant improvement in apostille and certification processing times resulted from a new strategic approach to collaboration between the Department’s Office of Notaries, Commissions & Legislation and Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations using input from vital agency partners.
Schmidt pointed out that people mailing their document certification applications must continue to allow time for the mail delivery service.
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