NC Vital Records: Change a Record
Processing Times
Birth and Death Amendments
Birth and death amendment requests submitted to NC Vital Records or a Register of Deeds office are to be processed within 30 calendar days after the office receives the completed application with notarization, the appropriate evidence as listed on the application, and payment of any applicable fees for the amendment. The 30-day window does not begin until the completed application and required evidence are received by NC Vital Records or the Register of Deeds office and payment has been verified (i.e., fees transaction processed).
Adoptions, Paternity, and Other Amendments
We process these requests as quickly as possible, in the order received. Please see the web page referenced below and/or the number listed with the change type for assistance.
Certificate Change Types and Processes
After acceptance for registration by the State Registrar, no birth certificate can be altered or changed except by a request to the state office. The State Registrar adopts rules governing the form of these requests and the type and amount of proof required.
Availability
Requests for modification of a birth certificate by amendment, correction, court order, or legitimation may be submitted at the following locations.
- NCOVR Portal: Birth Amendments - New!
- Starting July 29, 2025, our customers may initiate electronic amendment requests for birth certificates, court orders, and legitimations through our self-service portal, in order to expedite processing for those amendment types.
- Important: If you have a court order or legitimation, please see 3. N.C. Vital Records By Mail as we will need to inspect the certified documents.
- All required documentation submissions and transactions can be handled online via the NCOVR Portal.
- NCOVR Portal: Birth Amendments
- Portal access is secure, requiring user authentication.
- Click the button link above.
- On the portal, click the "Birth Certificate Modification Application" link.
- Click the "Customer Login" button under the "Customers and New Users" panel.
- You will be prompted to login or sign up for an account. As a first-time user you will need to create an account.
- For help / assistance with account registration or access issues, please call 919-733-3000 or send us an email.
- The County Register of Deeds where the Birth Occurred
- Some county registers of deeds will provide this service for out-of-county vital events, so please check with your county Register of Deeds for the services they provide. Note: NC Vital Records is the only office through which you can request to modify or obtain a birth certificate for an adopted child.
- NC Vital Records by Mail
- Court Order: For certificate modifications that are requested pursuant to a court-ordered name change:
- Mail us the completed Birth Certificate Modification Application Form in order to provide information necessary to locate the original birth certificate.
- Be sure to write in the reason for the modification under Part II.
- You must include a certified copy of the name change court order along with your request.
- There is a nonrefundable fee of $39 to perform the record search and process the application to modify the birth certificate. This fee includes a copy of the amended certificate if the application is approved.
- Please complete the application, have your signature notarized and supply all required identity documents and evidence prior to submission of the application. Search and processing fees are nonrefundable.
- After the modified birth certificate containing the name change has been processed, you may order additional copies of the certificate. Information for how to order may be found on the Order a Certificate page.
- Note that we cannot modify a field on a birth certificate if that field has been previously modified without a court order. If you are unsure whether the field you are requesting to modify has been previously modified, you may first submit a "Request to Amend a Record" form to our office. However, we encourage you to thoughtfully consider whether submission of this form could be required for your birth certificate, as additional processing time will apply.
- If you determine that a Request to Amend inquiry is necessary, mail us the completed Request to Amend a Record Form with a $24 search fee (nonrefundable). Note: This form is used only to make a request and does not authorize any changes to the record. Additional processing times will apply.
- After we receive your form with the requested change and the fee, we will evaluate your request and respond in writing with further instructions.
- Legitimation: For certificate modifications that are requested pursuant to a legitimation:
- A legitimation is a legal process for biological fathers to acknowledge their children when they marry the mother after the birth of the child. A new birth certificate may be issued reflecting the father's name, and the child's name can be changed to the father's last name if the parents agree and request the change. In some cases, a court order may be required.
- Request a "Legitimation Affidavit for New Birth Certificate" at the county Register of Deeds where the birth occurred or by sending us an email.
- Mail us the completed Birth Certificate Modification Application Form, including the completed legitimation affidavit and required identity documents indicated on pages 2-3 of the application.
- Be sure to write in the reason for the modification under Part II.
- There is a nonrefundable fee of $39 to perform the record search and process the application to modify the birth certificate. This fee includes a copy of the amended certificate if the application is approved.
- After the modified birth certificate containing the name change has been processed, you may order additional copies of the certificate. Information for how to order additional copies may be found on the Order a Certificate page.
- Note that we cannot modify a field on a birth certificate if that field has been previously modified without a court order. If you are unsure whether the field you are requesting to modify has been previously modified, you may first submit a "Request to Amend a Record" form to our office. However, we encourage you to thoughtfully consider whether submission of this form could be required for your birth certificate, as additional processing time will apply.
- Mail us the completed Request to Amend a Record Form with a $24 search fee (nonrefundable). Note: This form is used only to make a request and does not authorize any changes to the record. Additional processing times will apply.
- After we receive your form with the requested change and the fee, we will evaluate your request and respond in writing with further instructions.
- See below for details for certificate modifications that are requested pursuant to a paternity acknowledgment or paternity judgment.
- Court Order: For certificate modifications that are requested pursuant to a court-ordered name change:
Phone
984-236-7203
- Please note that we are experiencing higher than normal call volumes. You may experience longer than normal wait times or be given a callback option.
- Alternatively, you may contact us at NC Vital Records Inquiry. Please allow 3-5 business day response time.
This content is available on the Paternity Establishment page, which includes Affidavits of Parentage (AOPs), Court Orders for Paternity, and Disestablishment of Paternity.
After acceptance for registration by the State Registrar, no death certificate can be altered or changed except by a request. The State Registrar adopts rules governing the form of these requests and the type and amount of proof required.
Processing Locations in NC
This service is available at the following locations.
- The county Register of Deeds where the death occurred.
- NC Vital Records by mail.
Request Process and Fees through NC Vital Records
If you want to request a change to a death certificate through our office:
- Mail us the completed Death Certificate Amendment Application with a $24 search fee (nonrefundable) + $15 amendments processing fee = Total $39.
- Please refer to Identity Verification, Entitlement, and Required Amendment Proof to comply with ID requirements, ensure legal entitlement to modify, and to amend each field on the death certificate.
- Be sure to note on the form what type of change is needed.
- After we receive your form with the requested change and the fee, we will evaluate your request and respond in writing with further instructions.
Phone
984-236-7203
- Please note that we are experiencing higher than normal call volumes. You may experience longer than normal wait times or be given a callback option.
- Alternatively, you may contact us at NC Vital Records Inquiry. Please allow 3-5 business day response time.
Our office does not handle changes to divorce certificates. For divorce certificate changes, contact the county Clerk of Court where the divorce was filed.
After acceptance for registration by the State Registrar, no fetal death report can be altered or changed except by a request. The State Registrar adopts rules governing the form of these requests and the type and amount of proof required.
Availability
This service is available through NC Vital Records by mail.
How To Request a Change to a Fetal Death Report
If you want to request a change to a death certificate through our office:
- Mail us the completed Request to Amend a Record Form with a $24 search fee (nonrefundable). This form is used only to make a request and does not authorize any changes to the record.
- Be sure to note on the form what type of change is needed.
- After we receive your form with the requested change and the fee, we will evaluate your request and respond in writing with further instructions.
Phone
984-236-7203
- Please note that we are experiencing higher than normal call volumes. You may experience longer than normal wait times or be given a callback option.
- Alternatively, you may contact us at NC Vital Records Inquiry. Please allow 3-5 business day response time.
Our office does not handle changes to marriage certificates. For marriage certificate changes, contact the county Register of Deeds where the marriage license was issued.
If you need to make a change to a birth or death certificate not listed above, please contact us at 984-236-7203 or mail in a completed Birth Certificate Modification Application Form.
- Please note that we are experiencing higher than normal call volumes. You may experience longer than normal wait times or be given a callback option.
- Alternatively, you may contact us at NC Vital Records Inquiry. Please allow 3-5 business day response time.
Certificate Modifications Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- If you have received notice of final order from the court, you are required to complete our Birth Certificate Modification Application Form and pay the associated fee of $39. These steps are required before the birth certificate can be amended.
- If you have not received notice of final order from the court, please follow-up with the court for status of the order.
Please contact the vital records office in the jurisdiction where you were born. The North Carolina Office of Vital Records does not administer your birth record.
Please contact the vital records office in the jurisdiction where the child was born. The North Carolina Office of Vital Records does not administer the birth record.
- If you have verified that the medical facility, local vital records office or health department have submitted the affidavit to us, you are now required to complete our Birth Certificate Modification Application Form and pay the associated fee of $39. These steps are required before the birth certificate can be amended.
- If you have not verified, please follow-up with the facility or health department for status.
A possible reason for this omission is that when a mother is legally married at the time of either conception or birth, NC law requires a court order to add the biological father’s name on the child’s birth record. The order must also find that husband is not the father of the child. Other reasons could include that there was a father on the record prior to submission of the Affidavit of Parentage.
6. How do I remove a parent listed on a birth certificate?
NC law requires a court order to remove a parent from a birth certificate. A DNA Parentage Test Report is not sufficient documentation to provide to this office to remove a parent from a child’s certificate of birth.
7. I completed a Legitimation Affidavit for New Birth Certificate. What should I do next?
- If you have completed a legitimation affidavit, you are now required to complete our Birth Certificate Modification Application Form and pay the associated fee of $39. These steps are required before the birth certificate can be amended.
- If you have not completed the affidavit, please complete it prior to submitting an application to amend. If you need an affidavit, request one at the county Register of Deeds where the birth occurred or by emailing us at [email protected].
- Note: A legitimation is a legal process for biological fathers to acknowledge their children when they marry the mother after the birth of the child. A new birth certificate may be issued reflecting the father's name, and the child's name can be changed to the father's last name if the parents agree and request the change. In some cases, a court order may be required.
8. I applied to amend a North Carolina birth certificate. What happens next?
Birth and death amendment requests submitted to NC Vital Records or a Register of Deeds office are to be processed within 30 calendar days after the office receives the completed application with notarization, the appropriate evidence as listed on the application, and payment of any applicable fees for the amendment. The 30-day window does not begin until the completed application and required evidence are received by NC Vital Records or the Register of Deeds office and payment has been verified (i.e., fees transaction processed).
9. I applied to amend a North Carolina death certificate. What happens next?
Birth and death amendment requests submitted to NC Vital Records or a Register of Deeds office are to be processed within 30 calendar days after the office receives the completed application with notarization, the appropriate evidence as listed on the application, and payment of any applicable fees for the amendment. The 30-day window does not begin until the completed application and required evidence are received by NC Vital Records or the Register of Deeds office and payment has been verified (i.e., fees transaction processed).
After we receive your form with the requested change and the fee, we will evaluate your request and respond in writing with further instructions.
Last Modified: April 3, 2026