Cyprus Civil Registration

Europe Cyprus

Civil Registration
Research use: Excellent for family relationship linkage. They identify names of parents, prove other relationships, and are very useful for linking generations.

Record type: Records of births, marriages, and deaths maintained by civil authorities. Civil registration was introduced under British rule. It was conducted at civil registry offices in larger cities. Prior to British occupation there was no distinction between records created by the church and those created by the state. Thus church records fill the civil registration niche prior to British civil registration.

Time period: Varies: Nikosia - 1883 to present; Famagusta - 1914 to present; Larnaka - 1895 to present; Limassol - 1896 to present; Pafos - 1870 to present; Kyrenia - 1915 to present.

Contents: Births – name; sex; day, month, year, and hour of birth; birthplace; status of legitimacy, father's name and residence, age, occupation, sometimes name of father’s father; mother's name and age, sometimes her birthplace and her father's name; witnesses' names. Marriages – name of bride and groom, date and place of marriage; age, place of birth, residence, previous marital status, occupation; names of parents, names of witnesses. Death – name of deceased, date and place of death, cause of death, residence, age, occupation, marital status, name of spouse, sometimes names of parents.

Location: Birth and death records are available at district offices; marriage records are at the Ministry of Interior registration office in Nikosia. This facility likely also houses the material pertaining to Northern Cyprus.

Population coverage: 90 to 95%.