diff --git a/.changelog/5276.added b/.changelog/5276.added
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5be7ec4e63
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+++ b/.changelog/5276.added
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+`opentelemetry-sdk`: add public `opentelemetry.sdk.configuration` module that re-exports `configure_sdk`, `load_config_file`, `OpenTelemetryConfiguration`, and `ConfigurationError`. `load_config_file` is resolved lazily so the file-configuration extras (pyyaml, jsonschema) remain optional for callers that build an `OpenTelemetryConfiguration` programmatically.
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/configuration/__init__.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/configuration/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0c9bc99d51
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+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/src/opentelemetry/sdk/configuration/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+"""Public API for the OpenTelemetry SDK's declarative configuration.
+
+Load a parsed configuration from a YAML/JSON file and apply it to the
+process-global SDK providers:
+
+>>> from opentelemetry.sdk.configuration import (
+...     load_config_file, configure_sdk,
+... )
+>>> config = load_config_file("otel-config.yaml")
+>>> configure_sdk(config)
+
+Construct a configuration programmatically and apply it:
+
+>>> from opentelemetry.sdk.configuration import (
+...     OpenTelemetryConfiguration, configure_sdk,
+... )
+>>> configure_sdk(OpenTelemetryConfiguration(file_format="1.0-rc.1"))
+
+Loading from a file requires the optional ``[file-configuration]`` extras
+(``pyyaml`` and ``jsonschema``). ``configure_sdk`` itself has no extra
+dependencies: callers that construct an ``OpenTelemetryConfiguration``
+directly can use it without installing the extras.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+
+from opentelemetry.sdk._configuration._exceptions import ConfigurationError
+from opentelemetry.sdk._configuration._sdk import configure_sdk
+from opentelemetry.sdk._configuration.models import OpenTelemetryConfiguration
+
+
+def load_config_file(
+    file_path: str | os.PathLike[str],
+) -> OpenTelemetryConfiguration:
+    """Load and parse an OpenTelemetry configuration file.
+
+    Thin wrapper that defers importing the file loader until first call so
+    the optional ``[file-configuration]`` extras (``pyyaml``, ``jsonschema``)
+    are not required just to import this module. See
+    :func:`opentelemetry.sdk._configuration.file._loader.load_config_file`
+    for the full behaviour and error contract.
+    """
+    # pylint: disable=import-outside-toplevel
+    from opentelemetry.sdk._configuration.file._loader import (  # noqa: PLC0415
+        load_config_file as _load_config_file,
+    )
+
+    return _load_config_file(file_path)
+
+
+__all__ = [
+    "ConfigurationError",
+    "OpenTelemetryConfiguration",
+    "configure_sdk",
+    "load_config_file",
+]
diff --git a/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/_configuration/test_public_namespace.py b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/_configuration/test_public_namespace.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6dbd26662f
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+++ b/opentelemetry-sdk/tests/_configuration/test_public_namespace.py
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+# pylint: disable=protected-access
+
+import os
+import tempfile
+import unittest
+
+from opentelemetry.sdk import configuration
+from opentelemetry.sdk._configuration._exceptions import ConfigurationError
+from opentelemetry.sdk._configuration._sdk import configure_sdk
+from opentelemetry.sdk._configuration.models import (
+    OpenTelemetryConfiguration,
+)
+
+_PUBLIC_NAMES = (
+    "ConfigurationError",
+    "OpenTelemetryConfiguration",
+    "configure_sdk",
+    "load_config_file",
+)
+
+
+class TestPublicNamespace(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_public_symbols_resolve(self):
+        for name in _PUBLIC_NAMES:
+            self.assertTrue(
+                hasattr(configuration, name),
+                f"{name!r} missing from public namespace",
+            )
+
+    def test_public_symbols_match_private(self):
+        # Public namespace re-exports the same objects for the eager binds,
+        # not copies.
+        self.assertIs(configuration.ConfigurationError, ConfigurationError)
+        self.assertIs(
+            configuration.OpenTelemetryConfiguration,
+            OpenTelemetryConfiguration,
+        )
+        self.assertIs(configuration.configure_sdk, configure_sdk)
+
+    def test_load_config_file_delegates_to_loader(self):
+        # ``load_config_file`` is a thin wrapper that defers importing the
+        # file loader until first call (so the optional ``[file-configuration]``
+        # extras stay optional). Behaviourally it must round-trip a minimal
+        # valid file to an ``OpenTelemetryConfiguration``.
+        with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(
+            mode="w", suffix=".yaml", delete=False
+        ) as fh:
+            fh.write('file_format: "1.0"\n')
+            path = fh.name
+        try:
+            result = configuration.load_config_file(path)
+        finally:
+            os.unlink(path)
+        self.assertIsInstance(result, OpenTelemetryConfiguration)
+        self.assertEqual(result.file_format, "1.0")
+
+    def test_unknown_attribute_raises(self):
+        with self.assertRaises(AttributeError):
+            # pylint: disable=no-member
+            _ = configuration.no_such_thing
+
+    def test_dunder_all_is_exhaustive(self):
+        self.assertEqual(sorted(configuration.__all__), list(_PUBLIC_NAMES))