North Carolina Vital Records Office

Cooper Memorial Health Building 225 N. McDowell St.

City of Raleigh

County of Wake

State of North Carolina

State Office

The North Carolina Vital Records Office's Office is the central office for the state of North Carolina and it issues certified copies of Wake birth certificates, Wake death certificates and Wake marriage records for events that occurred in Wake. You may order copies of North Carolina vital records through this office or, in some cases, the office of the county clerk where the deed happened.

North Carolina Vital Records Office Map

Direction Walk-in 919-733-3000

About North Carolina Vital Records Office

North Carolina is in the Southeastern region of the U.S., bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and South Carolina to the south, and Tennessee to the west. It became a state on November 21, 1789, and has a population of 10,439,388.

The State of North Carolina is the second-largest banking center in the U.S., after New York City. It is also home to the largest research park in the country—Research Triangle Park.

Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina, and Charlotte is the state’s largest city. Other important cities are Greensboro, Durham, and Winston-Salem. The biggest counties by population are Mecklenburg County, Wake County, Guilford County, Cumberland County, and Durham County.

NC Vital Records in Raleigh has birth records dating back to October 1913, death records starting from 1930, marriage records from 1962, and divorce records from 1958.

Opening Hours

Monday8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Tuesday8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Wednesday8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Thursday8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Friday8:30 am - 5:00 pm

SaturdayClosed

SundayClosed

By appointment only

North Carolina Vital Records Office Services

Birth Certificate State Fee$24

Death Certificate State Fee$24

Marriage Certificate State Fee$24

Divorce Certificate State Fee$24

North Carolina Vital Records Office FAQs

In North Carolina, you can expect the processing time for a valid state copy of your birth certificate to last between 1 and 5 weeks.
Your application will be completed on time if you send all your application with all the required documents and submit your application at the correct location.
You can save time when applying for your North Carolina birth certificate by taking advantage of our online Vital Records office database to find the correct location to receive your document.
You must pay a processing fee for a birth certificate in North Carolina. If your application is submitted without paying the charge, then it will be automatically rejected, causing delays.
For the first copy that you order, you must pay $24.
For any additional copy of a birth certificate, the fee will be an extra $15.
Business or certified checks, as well as money orders, can be made payable to NC Vital Records.
To apply for a copy of a birth certificate in North Carolina, you will need to submit a valid photocopy of your identification.
You must submit one of the following forms of photo ID:
- State driver’s license
- State photo ID card
- Non-expired passport or Visa (with photo)
- U.S. Military identification
- Department of Correction photo identification (not older than 1 year)
- U.S. Government or State photo identification
- Student ID card and transcript
If you are unable to submit any of the previous documents, you can submit 2 of the following forms of identification that include your current address:
- Temporary driver’s license
- Up-to-date utility bill
- Bank statement or pay stub
- Income tax return
- Letter from a government agency no older than 6 months
- State-issued concealed weapon permit