North Carolina · Certified copy
North Carolina Birth Certificate: Order a Certified Copy Online
We prepare your application and file it with the North Carolina Vital Records. The office mails the certified copy to you.
- Secure payment
- Encrypted data
- Email support
- Private service — not a government agency
North Carolina at a glance
- Issuing office
- North Carolina Vital Records
- Who can order
- 12 relationships · see the list
- Standard processing
- 65–70 Business Days
- What you need
- Photo ID, names, date and place of birth, parents' names
- Expedited processing
- 55–60 Business Days
- Proof of relationship
- Required for some relationships
A certified copy is the document most agencies accept for a passport, a driver's license, school enrollment or benefits. North Carolina issues it for births recorded in the state.
North Carolina birth certificate: eligibility and the register of deeds
North Carolina gives certified birth certificates to the person named and to a spouse, sibling, parent or grandparent, child or grandchild, stepparent or stepchild, to someone who needs the record to settle personal or property rights, and to their agents or attorneys. Anyone else may receive an uncertified copy, which is stamped and useful only for information.
Who qualifies under section 130A-93
North Carolina's statute lists three groups for certified copies: the registrant and the registrant's spouse, brother or sister, direct ancestors and descendants, stepparents and stepchildren; a person seeking a legal determination of personal or property rights; and an authorized agent, attorney or legal representative of either group. Because direct ancestors and descendants are covered, grandparents and grandchildren qualify, which is not true everywhere. Records created after an adoption are more limited: certified copies go only to the adoptee, the adoptive parents, and the adoptee's children, spouse and siblings.
Certified or uncertified, and what is public
A certified copy is either a true copy or an abstract, signed by the State Registrar and carrying a raised seal; it is the version accepted for legal purposes and for apostille requests. An uncertified copy is printed on plain paper stamped as uncertified and is informational only. Under the statute, the names of the child and parents, the parents' addresses beyond county and ZIP code, and parents' Social Security numbers are not public, while other birth data is; medical information is released only to the registrant, someone the registrant authorizes, or researchers.
Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the registers of deeds
The state office holds births from October 1913; for an earlier birth, the register of deeds in the county of birth is the office to contact. Each county's register of deeds can issue copies of births in that county, often the same visit, so a birth in Charlotte can be ordered from the Mecklenburg County register of deeds as well as from the state. Some counties go further and issue certificates for births anywhere in North Carolina from 1971 onward, in person only. Records connected to an adoption come only from the state office.
Identification the state accepts
North Carolina returns requests that arrive without identification. One photo ID is enough: a current driver's license or state ID whose address matches the application, a passport or visa, a US military ID, a government agency or corrections ID, or a student ID together with a transcript. Without a photo ID, two different items from a second list will do, such as a utility bill, a vehicle registration or title, a bank statement, a pay stub, a tax return or W-2, or a recent letter from a government agency. When someone cannot meet these rules, an eligible family member who can may place the order instead.
Adoption, legitimation and paternity
After an adoption, North Carolina issues a new certificate showing the adoptive name and parents, and the original is sealed and released only by court order. When parents marry after the birth, legitimation updates the record through a notarized application. A father can be added by an affidavit of parentage signed by both parents before a notary, but only before the child turns eighteen, when no father is already listed and the mother was not married between conception and birth; otherwise a court order is required. A person with no birth record on file can apply for delayed registration after the state confirms that no record exists.
How it works when you order with BirthChek
With BirthChek you pick your relationship to the person on the certificate, enter the names, date and county of birth, and upload a photo ID that meets the state's list. You sign on screen and authorize us to file the request for you. We match your answers to what North Carolina asks for, file it with the state office and update your order page as it moves from review to filing to the mail.
Facts checked October 24, 2026 against the sources below.
Sources
- General Statutes section 130A-93: copies of records — North Carolina General Assembly
- Order a vital record — North Carolina Vital Records
- Frequently asked questions — North Carolina Vital Records
- County registers of deeds — North Carolina Vital Records
- Genealogy and research — North Carolina Vital Records
- Paternity — North Carolina Vital Records
- Where to write for vital records: North Carolina — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Where to get a North Carolina birth certificate: state and local offices
Certified copies for births recorded in North Carolina are issued by the North Carolina Vital Records.
We take orders for births anywhere in North Carolina, including Charlotte (Mecklenburg County).
Replacing a lost or damaged North Carolina birth certificate
A replacement is simply a new certified copy of the same birth record. You answer the same questions as for a first copy and nothing on the record changes. Order one when your copy is lost or damaged, or when you need more than one copy for applications running at the same time.
Who can order a North Carolina birth certificate
- You, the person named
- Father
- Mother
- Husband
- Wife
- Son
- Daughter
- Brother
- Sister
- Grandparent
- Other
- My relationship is not listed · proof needed
Relationships marked "proof needed" must send proof of the relationship with the application; we tell you what counts after you order.
If your relationship is not listed, the office may refuse the application or ask for a court order.
Reasons to request a North Carolina birth certificate
- Personal Records/Use
- Passport
- Social Security
- Legal
- Government Assistance
- Insurance
- Inheritance
- Other
What you need to order a North Carolina birth certificate
- A photo ID: driver's license, state ID, passport or military ID
- Full name on the certificate and date of birth
- City or county of birth
- Both parents' names, including the mother's maiden name
- A debit or credit card
- Proof of your relationship, for the relationships marked above
Prefer to order directly? Find the office in the CDC directory
Ready to order your North Carolina birth certificate?
About ten minutes. Have your photo ID nearby.