Vila Real, Vila Real, Portugal Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the municipality of Vila Real.

History

 * Vila Real, is a municipality and the capital and largest city of Vila Real District in Portugal.
 * Traces of the paleolithic era are evidence in the area, as is a Roman presence.
 * Vila Real was founded in 1289 by King Denis of Portugal. Vila Real means Royal Town.
 * Many members of the royal family were house here in the Middle Ages than any other settlement in Portugal except for Lisbon.
 * The city status was gained in 1925 under the Portuguese Republic.
 * Vila Real is divided into 20 civil parishes.
 * The population of Vila Real, is roughly 51,900 people.

Online Records
After 100 years, all civil registration records are sent to the municipality's district office.

To view online civil registration records, visit Vila Real Civil Registration.

Contact a Civil Registration Office
The following is a list of civil registration offices within the municipality.

Conservatória do Registo Civil de Vila Real R. Mar. Teixeira Rebelo Lt. 8 5000-525 Vila Real PORTUGAL Phone: 259321003 Email: [mailto:crc.vilareal@dgrn.mj.pt crc.vilareal@dgrn.mj.pt]

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Online Records
In 1910, the Portuguese government transferred all birth, marriage, and death records from all the country's parishes to the district offices. These records are now in either District or National archives. Many of these records have been digitized and can be viewed at the District Archive's website or on FamilySearch.

To view online records, visit Vila Real Church Records.

Contact a Parish
If you are seeking church records created more recently than 1910, it is possible to obtain them by writing to the parish where the record was created. Writing to a parish is not always a reliable way to obtain information, because officials may or may not respond.

Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa lists websites for the 20 Dioceses of Portugal. Once on the Diocesan website, use the listing of parishes (paróquias) to locate contact information for the parish in question.

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Cemeteries
Cemeteries did not become popular in Portugal until the late nineteenth century. Prior to this, individuals were buried in their parish church cemetery, and their bones were later removed to an unmarked burial place.

FamilySearch Centers
Braga Portugal Family History Center Rua Luís António Correia 120 BRAGA 4715-310 PORTUGAL Email: [mailto:PT_Braga@familyhistorymail.org PT_Braga@familyhistorymail.org] Website: Braga Portugal Family History Center