North Macedonia Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia/FYROM), go to the Religious Records page.

Introduction
Parish registers are records of baptisms, marriages, and burials kept by parish priests. The term may also be used to refer to records of denominations that had jurisdictions other than parishes. Virtually all of the Christian population is Macedonian Orthodox. Based on the pattern in Serbia, parish registers in Macedonia are likely located in churches and in various archives (national, historical, and community). Church records started in the 1800s and exist to the present.

Parish registers usually include information such as: names, family members (such as parents or spouse), residence, relationships, and dates and places (of birth and baptism, marriage, death and burial). Age is included in entries for marriage and death. Baptisms include name of the godparents. Entries sometimes identify residence for those not in the parish.

Church records can be used to uniquely identify individuals, prove relationships, and connect generations.

How to Find the Records
Location: Based on the pattern in Serbia, it is assumed the records are located in churches and in various archives--national, historical, and community.
 * National Archives of Macedonia Index of Holdings.
 * Department of Bitola has birth registers, weddings and deaths from 1801/1962
 * Department of Ohrid has records of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Islamic Religious Community.
 * Department of Prilep has records the religious institutions of the Orthodox Church from the church municipalities and churches (1872-1945)
 * Department of Strumica has Methodist church records back to 1882.
 * Department of Tetovo has records from the Orthodox Church (1887-1937) - bishop's offices, church communities, churches and monasteries, and the Islamic Religious Community (1930-1944) - Waqa's attorneys and imams.
 * Department of Stip has records from the Orthodox Church (1918-1948) - bishop's offices, parishes, churches and monasteries and from the Islamic Religious Community (1921-1946) - Muftis in Stip, Kocani and Radovish.


 * List of Churches in the Republic of Macedonia Macedonian is the official language and requests for records should be in that language.