Puerto Rico Civil Registration

Online Resources

 * 1805-2001: at FamilySearch, index and images - How to Use this Collection
 * 1885-2001: Puerto Rico, Civil Registrations, 1885-2001 at Ancestry ($), index and images
 * 1938-1947: at FamilySearch, index - How to Use this Collection

Offices to Contact
If your municipality or needed time period are not found online, you can order records through the mail or by visiting the office in person:
 * Puerto Rico Birth, Death, Marriage Certificates

Reading the Records

 * Reading Aids for Civil Registration Records
 * Deciphering Spanish Handwriting
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Spanish Records Extraction Manual. Practice reading documents
 * BYU Spanish Documents Script Tutorial
 * Spanish Letter Writing Guide

Historical Background

 * The civil registration in Puerto Rico began in early 1885. The whole population of Puerto Rico living since 1885 is registered in these records. Most municipalities have births, marriages, and deaths from 1885, but some have records from earlier years.
 * The Demographic Registry Office of Puerto Rico (Registro Demográfico de Puerto Rico) has the responsibility to preserve all the vital data of the citizens of Puerto Rico, such as the registration of births, marriages, and deaths.
 * Before 1885, the vital information of a person was registered in the Catholic Church parish records.

Coverage and Compliance
Civil registration considered comprehensive of the whole population after 1885.

Information Recorded in the Records
The following information is usually found in these records:

Extract Forms
The following extract forms were created by Dr. George Ryskamp, JD, AG®. These particular forms are designed to be used for Spanish research; however, they can help in other research areas, such as Italy, France, Portugal, etc. Click on the type of record form you would like to use and print it for your own files.
 * [[Media:Baptism_template.pdf|Birth/Baptism Extract Form]]
 * [[Media:Marriage_Template.pdf|Marriage Extract Form]]
 * [[Media:Death_Template.pdf|Death/Burial Extract Form]]

These forms are designed to help you quickly analyze and organize your documents. They can become a personal index for your family records.