State Offices

North Dakota Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
600 E. Boulevard Ave. - Dept. 301
Bismarck, ND 58505-0200

Tel: (701) 328-2360
Fax: (701) 328-1850
Email: vitalrec@nd.gov
Website

The North Dakota Division of Vital Records (North Dakota Vital Records) issues certified copies of North Dakota birth certificates, North Dakota death certificates and North Dakota marriage records, for events which occurred within the State of North Dakota.

Divorce Records are maintained in the city where the marriage or divorce occurred. You may order copies of North Dakota vital records through VitalChek on an expedited basis.

Remarks: Effective January 1, 2008, North Dakota Vital Records requires proof of identification of the person requesting the certificate before releasing certified copies of birth or death certificates. Parents may submit their own ID when requesting their children's birth certificate.

By Fax - If you prefer, you may complete this form and fax it with your Visa, Master Card, or Discover credit card number and expiration date to (701) 328-1850. Remember to fax a copy of your ID;

By Mail - The certified copies will be sent by first class mail unless you specify and include the funds for special shipping through Federal Express for an additional $16.00 (add $6 for delivery to Alaska or Hawaii) or UPS for an additional $16;

In-Person - Walk in customers can usually get their certified copy with in a few minutes after filling out the request form in our office;

VitalCheck - Secured online applications to request for vital records, which accepts all major credit card payments, can be made through VitalCheck with an additional charge for their service.

Vital Records

Birth

Location:
North Dakota Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
600 E. Boulevard Ave. - Dept. 301
Bismarck, ND 58505-0200

Tel: (701) 328-2360
Fax: (701) 328-1850
Email: vitalrec@nd.gov
Website

North Dakota Vital Records issues only certified copies of North Dakota birth certificates, which are typically acceptable for passport, social security, employment and personal identification purposes.

Certified copies of North Dakota birth certificates may only be ordered for yourself (provided you are at least 16 years old), for your child if you are named as a parent on the record, or if you can prove a legal right to the certificate (with a court order or other accepted legal documentation).

Fee: $7.00 per copy
Time-frame: since 1870.
Notes: Additional copies of the same birth records ordered at the same time of certification are $4.00 each.

Remarks: Copies are generally processed within 5-7 working days after request is received.

U.S. Postal Service First Class Mail (Default)

Fee: No Charge

Federal Express (Priority Overnight)

Fees:

$16.00 - Continental U.S.
Mon-Fri delivery - (add $6.00 for AK and HI)

$30.00 - Continental U.S.
Mon-Sat delivery - (add $6.00 for AK and HI)

$50.00 - Outside the U.S.
Mon-Fri delivery

UPS (Next Day Air)

Fees:

$16.00 - Anywhere in the U.S. Mon-Fri delivery
$30.00 - Anywhere in the U.S. Mon-Sat delivery
$50.00 - Outside the U.S. Mon-Fri delivery

Death

Location:
North Dakota Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
600 E. Boulevard Ave. - Dept. 301
Bismarck, ND 58505-0200

Tel: (701) 328-2360
Fax: (701) 328-1850
Email: vitalrec@nd.gov
Website

A certified copy of a death record may be issued to a relative, an authorized representative, the child fatality review board, or a funeral director reporting the facts of death, or by the order of a court of competent jurisdiction and may include the cause of death and the social security number.

A certified copy of a death record that includes the facts of death and the social security number may be issued to any person that may obtain a certified copy of a death record or to any licensed attorney who requires the copy for a "bona-fide" legal determination.

Fee: $5.00 per copy
Time-frame: since July 1893.
Notes: Additional copies of the same birth records ordered at the same time of certification are $2.00 each. Copies are generally processed within 5-7 working days after request is received.

Remarks:

A certified informational copy of a death record may be issued to the general public, but the copy may not contain the cause of death or the social security number. (Our definition of a relative, according to state law, means a person's current or surviving spouse, a parent or legal guardian, a child, a grandparent, or a grandchild).

U.S. Postal Service First Class Mail (Default)

Fee: No Charge

Federal Express (Priority Overnight)

Fees:

$16.00 - Continental U.S.
Mon-Fri delivery - (add $6.00 for AK and HI)

$30.00 - Continental U.S.
Mon-Sat delivery - (add $6.00 for AK and HI)

$50.00 - Outside the U.S.
Mon-Fri delivery

UPS (Next Day Air)

Fees:

$16.00 - Anywhere in the U.S. Mon-Fri delivery
$30.00 - Anywhere in the U.S. Mon-Sat delivery
$50.00 - Outside the U.S. Mon-Fri delivery

Three Types of Certifications:

A Certification of the Facts of Death

This certificate will be issued immediately after the funeral home registers the facts of death with our office. This copy will have limited demographic information about the deceased, but will include the social security number.

The inclusion of the social security number on this type of copy is critical because immediate family members can use this type of certificate to close bank accounts, secure discounted airline travel, transfer title of land or property, etc.

Remarks: This copy should be used for all banking and financial needs where the cause of death is not required.

A Certification of Death

Once the medical portion of the record is completed by a physician or coroner, our office can issue to the immediate family a full and complete copy of the death record that includes the cause of death and a social security number.

This type of copy is usually needed for life insurance matters and any other matter where the cause of death and the social security number are required.

Remarks: Family members who have a certification of the facts of death record will be able to exchange it for a certification of death record for up to 90 days after the date of death at no cost. (This copy is the one that most families received in the past).

An Informational Copy of a Death Record

Other individuals, such as genealogists, sometimes need a copy of a death record. These individuals will receive certified informational copies.

These types of copies would be similar to a full death record and could be issued to anyone for any reason; however, these copies would not include the cause of death or social security numbers.

Remarks: Please understand that all three of these copies are official certified copies and are intended to serve a specific purpose or need. Because the disclosure of a decedent's cause of death and social security number is restricted by state law, these three types of certified copies have been developed to reduce the number of unnecessary disclosures of this confidential information.

Marriage

Location:
North Dakota Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
600 E. Boulevard Ave. - Dept. 301
Bismarck, ND 58505-0200

Tel: (701) 328-2360
Fax: (701) 328-1850
Email: vitalrec@nd.gov
Website

North Dakota Vital Records issues certified copies of North Dakota marriage records of individuals who were married within North Dakota, which can typically be used as proof of marriage and for other legal purposes.

Copies of North Dakota marriage records will be issued to the parties of the marriage or to persons with a legal right to the certificate.

County Health Offices

Remarks: Effective, January 1, 2008, all certified copies of marriage records must be issued by the county where the license was originally purchased and filed.

Divorce

Location:
North Dakota Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
600 E. Boulevard Ave. - Dept. 301
Bismarck, ND 58505-0200

Tel: (701) 328-2360
Fax: (701) 328-1850
Email: vitalrec@nd.gov
Website

Copies of divorce records can only be obtained from the county clerk or recorder in the county in which the divorce or annulment was decreed.

If you need assistance determining in which county the divorce decree was granted, contact our office at (701) 328-2360 or e-mail the information you are looking for to vitalrec@state.nd.us

County Clerks of Courts

Remarks: Certified copies are not available from the ND Department of Health

Nearby Cemeteries (within a 5 mile radius)

• Pleasant Hill Cemetery info