  Relativistic, kinematically complete phenomenological expressions for the
dilepton decay rates of nucleon resonances with arbitrary spin and parity are
derived in terms of the magnetic, electric, and Coulomb transition form
factors. The dilepton decay rates of the nucleon resonances with masses below 2
GeV are estimated using the extended vector meson dominance model for the
transition form factors. The model provides a unified description of the photo-
and electroproduction data, the vector meson decays, and the dilepton decays of
the nucleon resonances. The constraints on the transition form factors from the
quark counting rules are taken into account. The parameters of the model are
fixed by fitting the available photo- and electroproduction data and using
results of the multichannel partial-wave analysis of the $\pi N$ scattering.
Where experimental data are not available, predictions of the non-relativistic
quark models are used as an input. The vector meson coupling constants of the
magnetic, electric, and Coulomb types are determined. The dilepton widths and
the dilepton spectra from decays of nucleon resonances with masses below 2 GeV
are calculated.
