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How to order a North Dakota birth certificate

Who holds it: ND HHS Vital Records Unit, Bismarck.1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. How to search and order
  2. Who may order and what is restricted
  3. Older records and indexes
  4. Related records in North Dakota
  5. Birth certificates in North Dakota counties with a full guide
  6. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  7. Sources

Fee

$15.00 per copy. No uncertified copies.2

Who may order

The person named (age 16+), a parent named on the record, an authorized representative, a homeless youth agency, or by court order. For a deceased person, also a relative. Birth records over 125 years old are open to anyone, except adoption records.3

How to search and order

How to request
vrcerts.hhs.nd.gov/cart Online (vrcerts.hhs.nd.gov/cart), by mail, or in person by appointment. HHS gives 5-7 business days on its landing page and says copies are usually mailed in 3-5 business days on the birth page; neither includes return mail.2

Who may order and what is restricted

Restrictions
Birth records are confidential by statute unless the requester qualifies.3
ID requirement
Mail requests need a legible photocopy of one unexpired primary photo ID (e.g. driver's license, state photo ID, tribal ID, military ID, U.S. passport), or two secondary documents (e.g. bank statement or utility bill under three months old, Social Security card).4

Older records and indexes

Index
statemuseum.nd.gov/births State Historical Society index covers only births 125+ years old.5
Death certificates: who holds it
ND HHS Vital Records Unit (State Registrar).6
Death certificates: fee
$15.00 first copy; $10.00 each additional copy ordered at the same time. No uncertified copies.6

Birth certificates in North Dakota counties with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each county with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Burleigh CountyND HHS Vital Records Unit, 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 325, Bismarck; (701) 328-2360 (state, not county)7——
Cass CountyND HHS Vital Records Unit, Bismarck8—$15.00 per copy. No uncertified copies.9

For any other county, see the county list on the North Dakota guide.

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any North Dakota office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Rules in other states: birth certificates in every state. Everything else in North Dakota: North Dakota public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. Vital RecordsND Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  2. Certified Copies of Birth RecordsND Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  3. N.D.C.C. ch. 23-02.1 Vital StatisticsNorth Dakota Legislative Assemblychecked November 4, 2026
  4. Certified Copies of Birth by MailNorth Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  5. Vital Records: Birth, Death, Marriage, and DivorceState Historical Society of North Dakota, State Archiveschecked November 4, 2026
  6. Certified Copies of Death RecordsND Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  7. Vital RecordsND Health and Human Serviceschecked November 7, 2026
  8. Vital RecordsND Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  9. Certified Copies of Birth RecordsND Department of Health and Human Services, Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026