Bosnia and Herzegovina Civil Registration

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Research use: Uniquely identifies individuals and the links between generations.

Record type: Civil records of birth, marriage, and death. General: Ottoman population registers (see para 4.5) functioned in the role of civil registration until 1878 when Bosnia came under the control of Austro-Hungary. There was no civil registration until the communist takeover in 1946.

Time period: 1946-present.

Contents: Birth, marriage, and death records have the exact date of the event, including time of day for births; name of principal and parents; occupation and religious preference of parents; name of informant for births and names of witnesses for marriages; place of residence for parents of new born, of the groom and bride for marriages, and of the deceased for deaths; age at death, cause of death, and place of burial in death records.

Location: Civil registration offices.

Population coverage: 90-95% coverage of the population.