How to Get a Death Certificate in North Dakota
From Everendium · Last reviewed October 17, 2026
This guide covers North Dakota. For the general overview, see Getting Death Certificates: How Many You'll Need and Why.
Quick answer
In North Dakota, certified death certificates are issued by the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services' Vital Records Unit in Bismarck. North Dakota charges $15 for the first certified copy and $10 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. The $15 is a search fee, and one search fee pays for one certified copy.
Getting a death certificate is one of the first practical steps after a death in North Dakota, and the details of who issues it and what it costs are specific to North Dakota.
Who issues death certificates in North Dakota?
Certified copies come from the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services’ Vital Records Unit in Bismarck. In practice, the funeral home usually files the certificate and orders an initial batch of certified copies for you.
How much does a certified copy cost in North Dakota?
North Dakota charges $15 for the first certified copy and $10 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. The $15 is a search fee, and one search fee pays for one certified copy.
Who can order a copy in North Dakota?
North Dakota offers three kinds of certified copy. A complete record, with cause of death and Social Security number, goes to a relative, an authorized representative, a funeral director reporting the facts of death, or by court order. A facts-of-death copy, with the Social Security number but no cause of death, also goes to a licensed attorney who needs it for a legal determination. A certified informational copy, with neither, can be issued to anyone.
How do I order more copies in North Dakota?
- Online with pickup: order through the state’s secure online application and choose Web Order Pickup. It is usually ready in less than two hours, and you pick it up at the office with the ID you used to order.
- By mail: with the death record request (SFN 5531), proof of identification, and a check or money order payable to “ND DHHS,” sent to the Vital Records Unit, 600 East Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 301, Bismarck, ND 58505-0200.
- Questions: (701) 328-2360 or vitalrec@nd.gov.
What else should I know before I order?
The office can issue copies only for deaths that occurred in North Dakota.
What should I do next?
Confirm with the funeral home how many copies it is ordering for you, then decide how many more you need; see how many death certificates you need in North Dakota and our general guide to death certificates.
Add this to your Final Day Plan: your Social Security number, birthplace, and parents’ full names - the death certificate application asks for these, and they’re often surprisingly hard for a family to track down under pressure.
Fees and rules change - confirm current details with the North Dakota Vital Records Unit before you send payment.
Sources
- North Dakota HHS - Death Records (three types of certified copy; $15 and $10 fees; Web Order Pickup)(Government)
- North Dakota HHS - Request for Certified Copy of a Death Record (SFN 5531; payee; identification)(Government)
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics - Where to Write for Vital Records: North Dakota ($15 and $10; records since 1893)(Government)
About this review
Everendium Editorial Team · last reviewed October 17, 2026.
Fees, eligibility rules, and ordering options were checked on October 17, 2026 against the state's own published fee information, application forms, and county government pages listed in the sources. Death certificate fees change often, and some official pages were read only as search extracts, so the current fee should be confirmed on the agency's page before paying. Recommended for periodic re-verification. This is general information, not legal advice
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