Portugal, District of Lisboa, Municipal Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
These miscellaneous records from the district archive and municipal archives for the years 1850-1945 that are housed at the Arquivo Distrital de Lisboa, Portugal. This collection includes civil registration records of birth, marriage, and death. Additionally you may find military, electoral censuses, lists of foreigners and other records for the region of Lisboa, Portugal. Images will be published as they become available.

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. Portuguese Data Privacy rules prohibit making certain records publicly available for viewing. The District Archives of Lisboa, Portugal collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The images are also available to all viewers at Arquivo distrital de Lisboa.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Portuguese. For help reading these records see the following guides:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List


 * Portuguese Letter-writing Guide

Learning Center Resources:







Collection Content
Baptism records may contain the following information:


 * Date and place of baptism


 * Child's name and gender


 * Child's date and place of birth


 * Father name, occupation and origin


 * Mother's maiden name and origin


 * Names of paternal grandparents


 * Names of maternal grandparents


 * Names of godparents, their civil status and occupation


 * Sometimes, a spouse's name appears in the margin


 * Sometimes, a death date appears in the margin

Marriage records may contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage


 * Names of the bride and groom


 * Groom's age, civil status, occupation and origin


 * Names of groom's parents


 * Bride's age, civil status and origin


 * Names of bride's parents


 * Names of witnesses

Death records may contain the following information:


 * Date and place of death


 * Name, age and gender of deceased


 * Marital status, occupation and origin of deceased


 * Parents' names and their origin if deceased is a minor child


 * Name of spouse, if married


 * Sometimes, a note if there is a testament (will)


 * Burial information

Military records may contain the following information:


 * Name


 * Age and physical description


 * Place of origin


 * Current residence


 * Enlistment date

Electoral Census records may contain the following information:


 * Name of principal


 * Age


 * Place of origin


 * Current residence


 * Party affiliation

How Do I Search This Collection?
When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Municipality
 * 2) Select Record Type and Year to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section Citing this Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Compile information for every person who has the same surname as your ancestor; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names
 * Portugal’s emigration rate is one of the highest in the world. Check Portugal Emigration and Immigration for more information
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. In addition, local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military unties, counties, parishes, etc.)
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * For records after 1911, it is suggested that you research both the civil registry and the church records to verify information

New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and see if your ancestor’s records have been added. You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections and notice the asterisk for recently added or updated records.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Portugal.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Citing this Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information (often called citing your sources). This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.