How to Get a Death Certificate in North Dakota

North Dakota issues three certified versions of a death record, and who can order depends on the version.

Full copy (cause of death and Social Security number). State law limits this version to:

• A relative: the current or surviving spouse, a parent or legal guardian, a child, a grandparent, or a grandchild
• A genetic sibling, for researching family medical history
• An authorized representative. State law defines this to include a personal representative (the estate's executor or administrator) or a guardian. The order form says to include a court order.
• A person with personal or real property interests that depend on information in the death record
• A funeral director, coroner, medical examiner, or state forensic examiner reporting the facts of death; a licensed physician; the child fatality review board; and the commissioner of veterans' affairs (for veterans)
• Anyone named in a court order
• Someone given written authorization by an eligible person, on the state's form

Facts of Death copy (Social Security number, no cause of death). Anyone who can get a full copy, plus any licensed attorney who needs it for a legal determination.

Informational copy (no cause of death, no Social Security number). Anyone.

State law says the state registrar may require proof of your relationship. The state's pages do not list specific documents for relatives.

One point the state's own pages describe differently: the main death records page lists genetic siblings as relatives, while the mail-order page and state law do not (the law lists genetic siblings separately, for family medical history). If you are a sibling, call Vital Records at (701) 328-2360 to confirm which version you can get.

All certified death certificates in North Dakota come from the state. State law says all issuing of copies of death records is done by the Department of Health and Human Services. County offices do not issue them. The office only has records for deaths that happened in North Dakota, from 1881 to the present.

Online. Order through the state's secure online ordering site. The state calls this its fastest method. Copies are usually mailed 3 to 5 business days after the office receives the request, plus mail time. If you can get to Bismarck, choose "Web Order Pickup" as the shipping method. The order is usually ready in under two hours, the office emails you directions when it is ready, and you bring the same ID you ordered with. Any service fee on the online site is not listed on the state's information pages. Contact the office to confirm.

By mail. Fill out the Request for Certified Copy of a Death Record (SFN 5531) and mail it with your fee and a copy of your ID to:

Vital Records

600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 325

Bismarck, ND 58505-0250

Pay by check or money order made out to "ND DHHS". The death records page says copies are usually mailed 3 to 5 business days after your request arrives, not counting mail time. The Vital Records home page says to allow 5 to 7 business days for processing. Plan for about a week plus mail time.

Faster return shipping is optional: FedEx $25 (add $5 for Alaska or Hawaii), UPS $30, or international FedEx/UPS $100. Regular First Class Mail is free. The two official sources differ on how fast FedEx and UPS orders go out: the order form says the same day if your request arrives by 10:00 a.m. Central Time (otherwise the next business day), while the death records page says the next business day. Call (701) 328-2360 to confirm.

In person. In-person service is by appointment only. Call (701) 328-2360 (TTY 711) to schedule. The state does not publish office hours, a separate walk-in address, or how long an in-person order takes. The state's suggested in-person route is to order online and choose Web Order Pickup.

Fax and email orders are not accepted. The phone number is for appointments and questions. Order online, by mail, or in person by appointment.

• The order form, SFN 5531, for mail orders (also on the state's forms page). You check your relationship to the person who died.
• Payment: $15 for the first copy and $10 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. By mail, use a check or money order to "ND DHHS".
• Proof of identity, one of these:
• A copy of one primary ID: an unexpired state driver's license or ID card, a BIA tribal ID (front and back), a U.S. military ID, a U.S. passport or visa, or a permanent resident card. A driver's license that expired within the last 30 days can be accepted.
• Copies of two secondary documents, such as a Social Security card, Medicare or Medicaid card, a utility bill or bank statement with your current address from the last three months, a pay stub from the last three months or last year's W-2, a current-year vehicle registration, a tribal enrollment record with date of birth, or a DD Form 214.
• Your signature on the form in front of a notary.
• Executors and administrators: the form says an authorized representative should include a court order. A copy of the court's Letters (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) is the usual court paper for an executor, but the state does not say whether Letters alone are always accepted. Call (701) 328-2360 if you are unsure which papers to send.
• Web Order Pickup: bring the same ID you used to order.

Every copy North Dakota issues is a certified paper copy. The office does not issue uncertified copies, and certified copies cannot be faxed or emailed. There are three versions:

• Full copy: includes the cause of death and Social Security number. The order form says this version is for life insurance and the Veterans Administration. Limited to relatives and other eligible requesters.
• Facts of Death copy: includes the Social Security number but not the cause of death. The order form says this version is for financial institutions.
• Informational copy: no cause of death and no Social Security number. Available to the general public.

If you are not sure which version a bank, insurer, or agency needs, ask them before you order.

Two filings happen after a death. Under state law:

• The funeral director gathers the personal facts from the next of kin and files them in the state's electronic death registration system within three days after taking custody of the body.
• The doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or coroner files the medical certification (cause of death) within ten days after death. It can take longer if the cause cannot be determined in that time.

The state does not publish how many days after a death copies are typically ready to order. Funeral directors reporting the facts of death are eligible for full certified copies, but the state's pages do not describe whether funeral homes order copies for families. Ask your funeral home.

Many banks, insurers, and agencies ask for their own certified copy, so it often makes sense to order several at once. In North Dakota, extra copies of the same record cost $10 each when ordered with the first $15 copy, which is cheaper than ordering again later. See our guide on how many copies to estimate your number.

The state Vital Records office corrects death records. Under the state rules:

• The next of kin or the funeral director can apply to amend a death record.
• Changes to the cause of death or other medical items must come from the attending physician or coroner.
• A request must identify the record, show the wrong and correct information, and include documentary evidence.
• Each item can be amended only once. After that, a court order is needed.
• Amended records are marked "amended."

The state also amends a death record when it receives a certified court order. The state has no death-record amendment form or fee published online. Contact Vital Records at (701) 328-2360 or vitalrec@nd.gov.

North Dakota's official ways to order are:

• The state's own secure online ordering site (vrcerts.hhs.nd.gov)
• Mail to Vital Records, 600 E. Boulevard Ave., Dept. 325, Bismarck, ND 58505-0250
• In person in Bismarck, by appointment at (701) 328-2360

Start from the state's death records page to be sure you are on the official site. Other websites may offer to place the same order for you, but they are not the state's official ordering site. County offices in North Dakota do not issue death certificates, so a site offering a "county" copy is not an official source.