North Dakota Death Records Online

To help protect the privacy of the deceased, the state offers 3 different kinds of North Dakota death records with varying levels of information.

The full death certification includes the deceased's Social Security number (SSN) and will also provide information on the cause of death. The "facts of death" certificate has no cause of death information but does have the SSN and can be used for banking matters. An information document is intended for genealogical research, and does not have either the cause of death or the SSN.

The first two types of North Dakota death records are only issued to direct relatives of the deceased or any legal representatives. In these instances, a qualified relative would be spouse, parent, child, grandparent or grandchild. The informational record can be acquired by anyone. Along with your request forms, you will need to provide identification for yourself. This will include a photocopy of one piece of photo ID, or 2 pieces of alternative ID (acceptable IDs are listed on the forms).

You can get the proper forms to request a North Dakota death record from the Department of Health website (http://www.ndhealth.gov/vital/forms/death.pdf). Fill them out completely with the deceased's full name, date of birth, date of death and place where they died. Also provide your own contact information and copies of ID as mentioned above. You also need to indicate which type of death document you are requesting (full, facts of death, informational), the costs are the same for all three.

You must also include the search fee with your forms, which at present is $5 USD for the first copy, and an additional $2 for extra copies of the same record. They don't accept cash, but you can pay by check, money order or credit card. Checks and money orders need to be issued to the "ND Department of Health". Refunds are not issued even if the records you request are not found.

With the completed forms and fee, you can either mail the package to the Division of Vital Records, 600 E. Boulevard Ave, Dept 301, Bismark ND, 58505-0200 USA or go directly to their office for same-day service. Their physical address is Room 118 in the Judicial Wing of the State Capitol building in Bismark. Mailed in requests are processed in about a week once they get there, and in-person requests are done while you wait.

The collection of North Dakota death records held at the Vital Records office date back to 1881 right up until the present. For older records, the various archives at the State Historical Society (http://history.nd.gov/archives/index.html) may be of some use as well.

You can also do a search for death records with the Department of Health (https://secure.apps.state.nd.us/doh/certificates/deathCertSearch.htm) as long as the death took place more than 1 year ago. This is just an index but can let you know if the record you want is in their collection.

North Dakota Death Certificates