Main contributor: Gena Philibert-Ortega
A Certificate of Witness to Marriage, issued by the U.S. Department of State prior to 1989.
A Certificate of Witness to Marriage, issued by the U.S. Department of State prior to 1989.

Civil registration is the term that refers to a government recording of vital record events such as birth, marriage, and death. Depending on the country, these records may be known by a different term, such as civil registry or vital records.

Civil registration records provide official documentation of an event and the names of those involved. Later in the 20th century, these records were essential for several activities, including attending school, collecting death benefits, joining the military, and proving citizenship.

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Birth, marriage and death

A Certified Copy of an Entry in a Register of Births, issued by the Isle of Man.
A Certified Copy of an Entry in a Register of Births, issued by the Isle of Man.

Civil registration records vary from place to place and time period. They are one of the first sets of records sought by family historians because they verify the name of an ancestor and their connection to their parents.

Civil registration records can include the following:

Birth

  • Name of child
  • Name of parents (including mother's maiden name)
  • Place of birth
  • Date of birth
  • Parents’ occupations
  • Parents’ marital status
  • Name of doctor or midwife

Marriage

  • Name of bride and groom
  • Residential addresses for bride and groom
  • Name of bride and groom's parents
  • Occupations of bride and groom
  • Number of marriages for bride and groom
  • Date and place of wedding
  • Marriage officiant name
  • Witness names

Death

  • Name of deceased
  • Age of deceased
  • Residential address of deceased
  • Parents names
  • Occupation
  • Marital status
  • Place, date, and time of death
  • Causes of death
  • Informant’s name
  • Attending physician
  • Burial place

Finding civil registration records

MH Birth, Marriage, Death
MH Birth, Marriage, Death

Before searching for records, learn more about where your ancestor was born, married, or died. You can do this by reading a book focusing on genealogy in that location. Remember that the phrase "civil registration" is not used for all countries.

Consult genealogy websites for possible indexes, transcriptions, and original civil registration records. Make sure to search for the type of records you are interested in. You can narrow your search by location. In the MyHeritage Collection Catalog, start your search in the Birth, Marriage, & Death collection.

Books, including genealogy books, indexes, and histories, may include civil registration transcriptions and indexes. Seek these books out at a library, genealogy society, and online digitized book websites, including Google Books, Internet Archive, Hathi Trust, and FamilySearch Digital Library. If you find an index entry for the person you are researching, follow up by seeking the original record from which the indexed information was taken.

Sometimes, a government entity will have a portion of its civil registration records digitized or indexed online as well as an option to order copies. Depending on the age of the record, it may be housed in an archive and must be ordered.

Remember that, in some cases, you can find duplicate civil registration records in more than one online repository. Multiple databases can be useful if you cannot find what you are looking for because they may be indexed or transcribed differently. An index can be an essential finding aid, but always use the information found in an index to locate the original record whenever possible. Indexes do not include all the information on the record and are prone to transcription errors.

Problems in finding civil registration records

Civil registration records may be difficult to find depending on how the documents are organized. For example, English General Records Office (GRO) records are filed by the date they were registered and not the event date.

In addition, errors such as misspelling and mis-indexing can make searching by a name difficult. Microfilmed records may not be in date order or may have some missing records.

When searching a database or a website for a civil record registration, read FAQ articles (Frequently Asked Questions) for search tips and record omissions. This can help you avoid frustration.

Alternatives to civil registration records

Recording of deaths and burials from the Church of England.
Recording of deaths and burials from the Church of England.

Because civil registration records may have begun after your ancestor's death or may not be extant, you may want to consider other types of records that provide similar information. These alternatives may not be perfect and may not provide all the information you need, but they can be a start to finding more information.

Possible alternatives include:

Explore more about civil registrations

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Contributors

Main contributor: Gena Philibert-Ortega
Additional contributor: Cynthia Gardner