As a U.S. citizen, your birth certificate may be your most important document. It proves your identity and age. You'll need it to:
Apply for a passport or government benefits
Enroll in school
Join the military
Claim pension or insurance benefits
If you need a copy, where you were born will determine how to get it.
Birth Certificate Copies: Born in the U.S.
Contact the vital records office in the state or territory where you were born to get a copy of your birth certificate. Follow the instructions for requesting copies and paying fees. If you need a copy fast, ask about expedited service or shipping when you place your order.
Birth Certificate Copies: Americans Born Abroad
If you were born to American parents abroad, they should have registered your birth with the country's U.S. embassy or consulate. If they did, they would have received a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA). You can get a copy of this report from the U.S. Department of State. Depending on the country, a vital records office in the nation may also list the birth.
What if the State Department cannot locate your CRBA? If you were born on a military base abroad, your parents might not have registered your birth with the U.S. embassy. In that case, you may have to contact the hospital where you were born.
Birth Certificate Copies: Born Abroad and Adopted by U.S. Parents
If you were born in a foreign country and adopted by a U.S. citizen, you would not have received a U.S. birth certificate. The country in which you were born would have issued one. To get a copy, contact the nearest foreign embassy or consulate for that country. If you need an authenticated copy and it's not in English, ask the embassy for help to get it translated.
If you were adopted from another country by a U.S. citizen, you should have copies of your naturalization/citizenship papers. If you don't, submit an application for the replacement of a naturalization/citizenship document. For help, contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has forms that can assist with international adoptions. Form G-884 can be used to request original immigration documents.
All certified copies of marriage records must be issued by the county where the license was originally purchased and filed. Please click the appropriate county from the list below for information about obtaining a certified copy of a marriage record, including the appropriate fee because the fees may vary from county to county.
List of Counties
Medium
Adams
Adams
Adams County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 469
Hettinger, ND 58639
(701) 567-2460
Barnes
Barnes
Barnes County
Clerk of Court
230 4th St NW
Valley City, ND 58072
(701) 845-8512
Benson
Benson
Benson County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 213
Minnewauken, ND 58351
(701) 473-5345
Billings
Billings
Billings County
County Recorder
PO Box 138
Medora, ND 58645
(701) 623-4492
Bottineau
Bottineau
Bottineau County
Clerk of Court
314 W. 5th St.
Bottineau, ND 58318
(701) 228-3983
Bowman
Bowman
Bowman County
County Recorder
104 1st St. NW, Ste. #3
Bowman, ND 58623
(701) 523-3450
Burke
Burke
Burke County
County Recorder
Box 219
Bowbells, ND 58721
(701) 377-2818
Burleigh
Burleigh
Burleigh County
County Recorder
PO Box 5518
Bismarck, ND 58501
(701) 222-6750
Cass
Cass
Cass County
County Treasurer
PO Box 2806
Fargo, ND 58102
(701) 241-5611
Cavalier
Cavalier
Cavalier County
Clerk of Court
901 3rd St.
Langdon, ND 58249
(701) 256-2124
Dickey
Dickey
Dickey County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 336
Ellendale, ND 58436
(701) 349-3249, ext. 4
Divide
Divide
Divide County
County Recorder
300 N. Main
Crosby, ND 58730
(701) 965-6831
Dunn
Dunn
Dunn County
County Recorder
205 Owens St.
Manning, ND 58642
(701) 573-4443
Eddy
Eddy
Eddy County
County Recorder
524 Central Ave.
New Rockford, ND 58356
(701) 947-2813
Emmons
Emmons
Emmons County
County Recorder
PO Box 905
Linton, ND 58552
(701) 254-4812
Foster
Foster
Foster County
County Recorder
PO Box 76
Carrington, ND 58421
(701) 652-2491
Golden Valley
Golden Valley
Golden Valley County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 67
Beach, ND 58621
(701) 872-3713
Grand Forks
Grand Forks
Grand Forks County
Tax Equalization
PO Box 5294
Grand Forks, ND 58201
(701) 780-8251
Griggs
Griggs
Griggs County
County Recorder
PO Box 237
Cooperstown, ND 58425
(701) 797-2772
Grant
Grant
Grant County
County Recorder
106 2nd Ave. NE
Carson, ND 58529
(701) 622-3544
Hettinger
Hettinger
Hettinger County
County Recorder
336 Pacific Ave.
Mott, ND 58646-7502
(701) 824-2645
Kidder
Kidder
Kidder County
County Recorder
PO Box 66
Steele, ND 58482
(701) 475-2632
LaMoure
LaMoure
LaMoure County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 128
LaMoure, ND 58458
(701) 883-5193
Logan
Logan
Logan County
Clerk of Court
301 Broadway
Napoleon, ND 58561
(701) 754-2751
McHenry
McHenry
McHenry County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 117
Towner, ND 58348
(701) 537-5729
McIntosh
McIntosh
McIntosh County
County Recorder
112 1st Street NE
Ashley, ND 58413
(701) 288-3450
McKenzie
McKenzie
McKenzie County
County Recorder
PO Box 524
Watford City, ND 58854
(701) 842-3452
McLean
McLean
McLean County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 1108
Washburn, ND 58577
(701) 462-8541
Mercer
Mercer
Mercer County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 39
Stanton, ND 58571
(701) 745-3262
Morton
Morton
Morton County
County Recorder
210 2nd Ave.
Mandan, ND 58554
(701) 667-3305
Mountrail
Mountrail
Mountrail County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 69
Stanley, ND 58784
(701) 628-2915
Nelson
Nelson
Nelson County
County Recorder
210 B Ave. W., Ste. 203
Lakota, ND 58344
(701) 247-2433
Oliver
Oliver
Oliver County
County Recorder
PO Box 125
Center, ND 58530
(701) 794-8777
Pembina
Pembina
Pembina County
County Recorder
301 Dakota St. W., #10
Cavalier, ND 58220
(701) 265-4275
Pierce
Pierce
Pierce County
County Recorder
240 SE 2nd St., Suite 8
Rugby, ND 58368
(701) 776-6161
Ramsey
Ramsey
Ramsey County
County Recorder
524 4th Ave. #4
Devils Lake, ND 58301
(701) 662-7018
Ransom
Ransom
Ransom County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 626
Lisbon, ND 58054
(701) 683-5823
Renville
Renville
Renville County
County Recorder
PO Box 68
Mohall, ND 58761
(701) 756-6304
Richland
Richland
Richland County
County Recorder
418 2nd Ave. N.
Wahpeton, ND 58075
(701) 642-7800
Rolette
Rolette
Rolette County
County Recorder
PO Box 276
Rolla, ND 58367
(701) 477-3166
Sargent
Sargent
Sargent County
County Recorder
PO Box 176
Forman, ND 58032
(701) 724-6241
Sheridan
Sheridan
Sheridan County
County Recorder
PO Box 409
McClusky, ND 58463
(701) 363-2207
Sioux
Sioux
Sioux County
County Recorder
PO Box L
Fort Yates, ND 58538
(701) 854-3853
Slope
Slope
Slope County
Clerk of Court
206 S. Main
Amidon, ND 58620
(701) 879-6275
Stark
Stark
Stark County
County Recorder
PO Box 130
Dickinson, ND 58601
(701) 456-7645
Steele
Steele
Steele County
County Recorder
PO Box 275
Finley, ND 58230
(701) 524-2152
Stutsman
Stutsman
Stutsman County
County Recorder
511 2nd Ave. SE
Jamestown, ND 58401
(701) 252-9034
Towner
Towner
Towner County
County Recorder
PO Box 517
Cando, ND 58324
(701) 968-4340, ext. 105
Traill
Traill
Traill County
Clerk of Court
PO Box 805
Hillsboro, ND 58045
(701) 636-4454
Walsh
Walsh
Walsh County
County Recorder
600 Cooper Ave.
Grafton, ND 58237
(701) 352-2380
Ward
Ward
Ward County
Country Recorder
PO Box 5005
Minot, ND 58702
(701) 857-6410
Wells
Wells
Wells County
County Recorder
PO Box 125
Fessenden, ND 58438
(701) 547-3141
Williams
Williams
Williams County
County Auditor
PO Box 2047
Williston, ND 58802
(701) 577-4500