Nicaragua Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registro Civil del Departamento de Managua, Nicaragua

Record Description
These civil records include birth, marriages, and death from the Department of Managua, Nicaragua. The text of the records is in Spanish.

Before the government instituted civil registration in Nicaragua, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths events of the population. The first civil registration law was created on January 30, 1879 with the name of “Reglamento para el Registro del Estado Civil de las Personas” (Regulation for the Registration of the Civil Status of the People), which stated the general procedures of the institution. A civil registration office was established in each city, town, and villa of the country. The Mayor was assigned as the responsible party for the civil registration within his jurisdiction. He could name a custodian officer, who would be responsible in creating separate registers of births, marriages, deaths, and reasons for the civil status only within their jurisdiction. In 1899, this law was modified to include other civil registration events such as: the recognition of illegitimate children, emancipation and age majority declarations, divorces, annulments, absentee declarations, and others. The registers of the Catholic Church created before this law were transferred to the municipality for control.

These civil records of the Department of Managua have been preserved relatively well. Some of the older registers may have some physical damage; however, in general they are still in good condition to extract genealogical information.

Civil registration is mandatory in Nicaragua; therefore most of the population has been registered. This collection only includes the civil registration records of the Department of Managua, which includes the municipalities (municipios) of San Francisco Libre, Ciudad Sandino, El Crucero, Tipitapa, Managua, San Rafael del Sur, Villa Carlos Fonseca, Mateare, and Ticuantepe.

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

This collection of civil records from Managua, Nicaragua, includes the years 1879 to 1994.

The civil registration in Nicaragua was created to record the events of birth, marriage, death, and other civil events, which would determine and prove the civil status, existence, and condition of the population.

The civil registration records are the most reliable source for doing genealogical research in Nicaragua.

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

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Baptismal records usually contain the following information: 


 * Date and place of registration
 * Name of declarant of death
 * Name of deceased
 * Date, place and time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Legitimacy of deceased
 * Civil status and occupation of deceased
 * Name of spouse, if married
 * Parents' names
 * Parents' civil status and residence
 * Names of witnesses
 * Sometimes, burial information

How to Use the Records
Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

To search the collection image by image, you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "Department" category ⇒ Select the "City or Municipality" category ⇒ Select the "Parish or district" category ⇒ Select the "Record Type and Years" category which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one 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.

The civil registration records in Nicaragua are an excellent source for genealogical research after 1879. Before this year, it is suggested to research in the Catholic Church parish records.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles: Spanish Genealogical Word List

Related Web Sites
Cyndi's List - Central South America

Related Wiki Articles

 * Nicaragua

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Nicaragua, Civil Registration, 1809-2011

When you copy information from a record, you should also 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.

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