North Dakota · Certified copy
North Dakota Birth Certificate: Order a Certified Copy Online
We prepare your application and file it with the Division of Vital Records, North Dakota Department of Health. The office mails the certified copy to you.
- Secure payment
- Encrypted data
- Email support
- Private service — not a government agency
North Dakota at a glance
- Issuing office
- Division of Vital Records, North Dakota Department of Health
- Who can order
- 12 relationships · see the list
- Standard processing
- 7–10 Business Days
- What you need
- Photo ID, names, date and place of birth, parents' names
- Expedited processing
- 1–3 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 Dakota issues it for births recorded in the state.
North Dakota birth certificate: a short list and the Bismarck office
North Dakota keeps birth records closed for 125 years. Until then a certified copy goes to the registrant from age sixteen, a parent named on the record, a legal guardian, an authorized representative with a court order, or someone the registrant authorizes on a notarized form. Copies come from the state office in Bismarck, including for Fargo births.
One of the shortest eligibility lists
North Dakota Century Code 23-02.1-27 limits certified copies to the registrant once sixteen, a parent named on the record, an authorized representative, an agency serving homeless youth, and anyone holding a court order; a subpoena is not enough. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins are not eligible on their own. After the registrant's death, close relatives can apply: a spouse, parent or guardian, child, grandparent or grandchild, and if the death happened outside North Dakota the state asks for a certified death certificate.
Authorizing someone else on SFN 58698
Anyone who is eligible can let another person receive a copy by signing the state's Authorization to Receive a Copy, form SFN 58698, in front of a notary. That is how a husband or wife, an adult son or daughter, or a sibling of a living registrant usually orders: the registrant, or a parent named on the record, signs the authorization first.
Bismarck, Fargo and the state office
North Dakota counties do not issue birth certificates. The City of Fargo directs residents to the Division of Vital Records in Bismarck, whose office on East Boulevard Avenue sees in-person visitors by appointment. The state holds births from 1870 to the present, though records before 1920 are incomplete.
Three ways to prove identity
Form SFN 8140 asks for one of three things: an unexpired primary ID, such as a state driver's license or photo ID, a BIA tribal ID, a military ID, a U.S. passport or visa, or a permanent resident card; two different secondary documents, such as a Social Security card, a Medicare or Medicaid card, a recent utility bill or bank statement, a pay stub or W-2, a vehicle registration, a tribal enrollment record or a DD-214; or a notarized application. The form asks for the city, township or county of birth and the mother's maiden name, and copies carry a raised seal.
Adoption, paternity and amendments
An adoption creates a new birth record, and the state says the sealed original can be opened only by court order; adult adoptees can begin a mutual-consent search for identifying information, but the original certificate itself still requires a petition to the court. A sworn acknowledgment signed by both parents adds a father without marking the record amended. Amendments can be requested by a registrant eighteen or older, a parent named on the record, or a guardian or representative with a court order, and a deceased person's record cannot be amended.
How it works when you order with BirthChek
Our North Dakota form reflects the state's short list. If you are a spouse, son or daughter, or sibling of a living registrant, your order page asks for the notarized SFN 58698 authorization from the registrant or a parent before we file, and guardians and attorneys upload their court papers. BirthChek then files with North Dakota Vital Records in Bismarck.
Facts checked October 24, 2026 against the sources below.
Sources
- Birth records — North Dakota Health and Human Services – Vital Records
- Ordering a birth record by mail — North Dakota Health and Human Services – Vital Records
- Request for a certified copy of a birth record (SFN 8140) — North Dakota Health and Human Services – Vital Records
- Authorization to receive a copy (SFN 58698) — North Dakota Health and Human Services – Vital Records
- NDCC chapter 23-02.1: vital statistics — North Dakota Legislative Branch
- Changing a birth record — North Dakota Health and Human Services – Vital Records
- Where to write for vital records: North Dakota — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Where to get a North Dakota birth certificate: state and local offices
Certified copies for births recorded in North Dakota are issued by the Division of Vital Records, North Dakota Department of Health.
We take orders for births anywhere in North Dakota, including Bismarck and Fargo.
Who can order a North Dakota birth certificate
- You, the person named
- Father
- Mother
- Son · proof needed
- Daughter · proof needed
- Spouse · proof needed
- Legal Guardian · proof needed
- Attorney · proof needed
- Other · proof needed
- Grandparent (deceased registrant) · proof needed
- Grandchild (deceased registrant) · proof needed
- 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 Dakota birth certificate
- Personal Records/Use
- Passport
- Social Security
- Legal
- Government Assistance
- Insurance
- Inheritance
- Other
What you need to order a North Dakota 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
North Dakota requires the authorization form (SFN 58698) to be notarized.
Prefer to order directly? Find the office in the CDC directory
Ready to order your North Dakota birth certificate?
About ten minutes. Have your photo ID nearby.