Guatemala Civil Registration

Definition
Civil registration is the records of births, marriages, and deaths that are kept by the government, rather than by a church.

Time Coverage
Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths began in 1877.

Information Recorded in Civil Registers
The following information is usually found in these records:

Online Records

 * FamilySearch, index and browsable images, incomplete.
 * Civil Registration by state, FamilySearch, browsable images.
 * Guatemala, Civil Registration, 1877-1980, Ancestry.com, ($), index and browsable images.
 * Guatemala Civil Registration, 1877-2008, MyHeritage, ($), index, incomplete.
 * British Nationals Born Overseas 1818-2005, index and images.
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, index and images, ($)
 * British Nationals Married Overseas 1818-2005, index and images,
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages,, index and images, ($)
 * British Nationals Died Overseas 1818-2005, index and images.
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

FamilySearch Library

 * a. Click on this link to see a list of "Places within Guatemala" and a list of provinces will open.
 * b. Click on "Places within...." for the department list.
 * c. Click on the department you want.
 * d. Click on the town or city you wish to search.
 * e. Click on "Civil registration" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * f. Choose the correct event and time period for your ancestor. "Nascimentos" are births. Matrimônios and "Casamentos" are marriages.  "Óbitos" are deaths.  "Índice" is the index.
 * g. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the microfilm listed for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the microfilm is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the microfilm.

Reading the Records

 * You do not have to be fluent in Spanish to read your documents. Genealogical records usually contain a limited vocabulary. Use this Spanish Genealogical Word List to translate the important points in the document. Handwriting skills are taught in BYU Spanish Script Tutorial.


 * Online interactive slideshow lessons are available to help you learn to read these records:


 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3


 * Detailed instructions for reading Spanish records, examples of common documents, and practice exercises for developing skills in translating them can be found in the Spanish Records Extraction Manual.
 * The Spanish Documents Script Tutorial also provides lessons and examples.

Search Strategies
To effectively use civil records, follow these steps:


 * 1) Search for the relative or ancestor you have selected. When you find the person’s birth record, search for the births of his or her brothers and sisters.
 * 2) Search for the marriage of his or her parents. The marriage record will often give you information that leads to the parents’ birth record.
 * 3) Estimate the parents’ age and search for their birth records.
 * 4) Repeat the process for both the father and mother.
 * 5) If earlier generations are not in the record, search neighboring municipios.
 * 6) Search the death records for all family members.