Philippines Civil Registration (National) - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection includes civil marriage and death records for 1902 to 1980.

National copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates. This set is comprised of national copies which were submitted to the National Census and Statistics Office. The records begin in 1945 and is an ongoing active collection. Records are not available for all localities and the coverage varies by locality. Additional records will be added to this collection. Marriage and Death records are handwritten in English for the most part. A few of the earlier marriage records are in Spanish. Spanish is also used in sections of later records.

In 1901, the Philippines passed a law that established local civil registry offices. These offices were to record the events of birth, marriage, and death. This collection contains marriage records and death records from several cities in the Philippines. In 1945, changes in the law required more information to be recorded. The records are in English and Spanish.

The recording of birth, marriage or death provides important information in a person's life, which become necessary for legal authorities and personal purposes.

The recording of civil events in a person's life, such as birth, marriage and death, require valid evidence, therefore making these records very reliable.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in this collection may include the following information:

Marriage Contracts


 * Husband’s name
 * Wife’s name
 * Date and place of the marriage
 * Names of the husband’s parents
 * Names of the wife’s parents
 * Names of the witnesses
 * Names of the persons who gave consent
 * Name of the person who solemnized the marriage
 * Beginning in 1945, birthplace of the husband and wife
 * Date of the marriage license
 * Date of the certificate (marriage contract)

Death Record


 * Name of the deceased
 * Name of the surviving spouse
 * Date and place of death
 * The date and place of burial (cremation or removal)
 * Name of the informant
 * Name of the attending physician
 * Name of the undertaker
 * On death certificates after 1958, names of the father and mother
 * On death certificates after 1958, the birth date and birthplace of the deceased
 * Date of the certificate or the date the certificate was filed by the local civil registrar
 * Date of burial or transit permit

How to Use the Record
These registrations are the best source for locating the date and place of an ancestor’s marriage or death.

Beginning Your Search
To search this collection, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Ancestor's name
 * Approximate year of event
 * Place of event
 * Names of parents

Searching the Images
To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Province" category ⇒Select the "Record Type" category ⇒Select the "Years" category ⇒Select the "Municipality/City or Municipality Range" category which will take you to the images

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Using the Information

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * When you have located your ancestor’s marriage record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given.

Keep in mind:


 * The information in marriage records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1900.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one marriage record to another record.
 * The marriage records may also include information about the ancestor’s parents.

Unable to Find the Information?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search for the marriage record of the marriage partner if known.
 * Check for a different index; there are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Known Issues for this Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Wiki Articles

 * Philippines
 * Philippines Civil Registration- Vital Records
 * Philippines History
 * Philippines, Manila Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Philippines, Civil Registration, 1945-1980" database and digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 29 September 2011), Metropolitan Manilla &gt; Births &gt; 1954 &gt; Manilla &gt; image 8 of 169, certificate of Death for Luz Nolasco, 7 January 1954; citing National Stataistics Office, Manilla Philippines.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.