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Civil Registers (Registros Civis)
In 1832, the Portuguese government passed legislation requiring that the births, marriages, and deaths of all residents be recorded. Before this legislation, only churches recorded such information. Before the Portuguese government began civil registration, only churches recorded birth, marriage, and death information in Portugal. Civil registration was instituted in 1832 as a way for non-Catholic individuals to register their births, marriages, and deaths. Over the next forty years, this legislation was revised and clarified. In 1878, it was decreed that Catholic parish records would function as civil registration records for all members of the Catholic Church, while non-members would use the municipal registers to record vital events. With the formation of the First Portuguese Republic in 1910, Civil Registration changed drastically. From 1911 onwards, all residents were required to have their vital events recorded by the civil registrar. Many Catholic individuals still registered their births, marriages, and deaths at their Catholic parish as well as the civil register. It may be useful to consult both documents, as they may contain different information. Civil birth, marriage, and death records are initially stored at the Civil Registry (‘’Conservatória do Registro Civil’’).
 * After 100 years, birth records are sent to district archives.
 * After 50 years, marriage records are sent to district archives.
 * After 30 years, death records are sent to district archives.

For a list of Civil Registration Offices, visit Civil Registration Offices For a list of District Archives, visit Archives and Libraries

Civil Registration Offices in Portugal
List of the district offices of civil registration

Birth records (Nascimentos)
usually contain:
 * given name of the child
 * gender
 * legitimacy or otherwise
 * date of birth
 * date of christening
 * if this is the first child in that family to be given that name
 * names of the father and mother
 * birthplace of each parent
 * names and birthplaces of the paternal and maternal grandparents
 * names of godparents
 * names of witnesses
 * name of the priest that performed the christening

Marriage records (Casamentos)
usually contain:
 * names of the bride and groom
 * marital status of the bride and groom
 * if previously married the name or names of the previous spouses
 * birthplaces of the bride and groom
 * ages of the bride and groom
 * names of the parents of the bride and groom
 * birthplace of each parent
 * names of the witnesses
 * name of the priest performing the wedding ceremony

Death records (Óbitos)
usually contain:

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * Portugal Deaths (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Portugal Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)