Ordering From the State Instead
You can also order from the state office. Ordering methods, fees and wait times are on our North Carolina death certificate guide.
Who Can Order a Certified Copy
North Carolina limits certified copies to people with a direct connection to the record. Under G.S. 130A-93, these people can order:
- The person's spouse, sibling, parent or grandparent, child or grandchild, or stepparent or stepchild
- A person seeking the record for a legal determination of personal or property rights
- An authorized agent, attorney, or legal representative of anyone above
- A funeral director or funeral service licensee
The state requires proof of identity and proof of eligibility. A spouse must be the current spouse and named on the death certificate. An authorized agent, attorney, or legal representative must send proof. The application lists the proof needed for each relationship.
The law does not name executors or administrators by title. If you are ordering as the estate's representative, contact the office to confirm what proof they need from you.
What to Bring or Send
- The application, or the details it asks for, including your relationship to the person named on the certificate
- Photo ID. The state requires ID from the person requesting the certificate. By mail, send a legible photocopy.
- If you don't have an accepted photo ID, send legible photocopies of two different forms of secondary ID. The application lists which IDs are accepted.
- Proof of eligibility, such as documents showing your relationship to the person who died, as listed on the application
- Payment. By mail to the state, make it payable to VitalChek.
A county Register of Deeds may ask for different ID or proof. Call the office or check its website before you go.
Certified vs. Informational Copies
A certified copy has the State Registrar's signature and a raised Vital Records seal. The state says a certified copy is required for most legal or official purposes, and under state law it has the same evidentiary value as the original.
Uncertified copies are for informational purposes only and are not accepted for legal purposes.
For estate work, such as banks, insurers, court filings, and title transfers, order certified copies.
When Certificates Are Available
Here's how the process works after a death in North Carolina:
- The funeral director (or the person acting as funeral director) who first takes custody of the body files the death certificate with the local registrar in the county where the death occurred. The funeral director gets the personal details from the next of kin or the best available source.
- The doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or medical examiner must complete the cause of death within three days after the death.
- By law, the certificate must be filed within five days after the death. Certificates are filed electronically with the state.
No official source gives an exact number of days before families can first order a copy. Contact the Register of Deeds in the county of death or NC Vital Records to confirm.
Funeral directors are entitled by law to request certified copies. Ask your funeral home whether it can order copies for you.
How Many Copies You Need
Banks, insurers, and other institutions often ask for their own certified copy. From the state, extra copies of the same certificate ordered together cost $15 each, while a new order later starts again at $24, so ordering a few at once can save money. For help deciding, see our guide on how many copies.
Fixing an Error
Once the state accepts a death certificate, it can only be changed through an amendment. You can request one in two ways:
- Through the Register of Deeds in the county where the death occurred. The Register of Deeds charges $10 to prepare an amendment (G.S. 161-10).
- By mail to NC Vital Records, using the Death Certificate Amendment Application. The cost is a $24 nonrefundable search fee plus a $15 amendment fee, $39 total.
By law, NC Vital Records and each Register of Deeds must process an amendment within 30 calendar days after receiving the completed application, the required evidence, and payment (G.S. 130A-118).
Details are on the state's amendment page. Amendment questions: 984-236-7203.
Only Order From Official Sources
The official ways to get a North Carolina death certificate are:
- The county Register of Deeds in the county where the death occurred
- NC Vital Records, in person by appointment or by mail
- VitalChek, the vendor linked from the state order page, online or at 1-800-669-8310
Unofficial sites cannot issue a certified copy. Start from the state order page or your county's official website.
Searches for North Carolina death certificates also turn up sites such as citydirectory.us, simplytrust.com, everplans.com, legalclarity.org, wikiprocedure.com, piercelaw.com, nolo.com, and ncgenweb.us. Some may be useful reading, but none of them are government offices, and they cannot issue a certified copy.