El Salvador Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

El Salvador

What is in the Collection?
This collection includes records from 1704 to 1990. For a complete list of all the cities contained in this collection, see the Cities of El Salvador - Civil Registration coverage table.

The civil registration was not instituted until about 1859; however, some church records were used as civil records prior to this time. The birth records were issued in municipal offices of the civil registration and a copy of the registers was sent to be archived in the Central Archives. This collection also includes the individual indexes. Copies of the registers were archived in the Central Archive in San Salvador.

The civil registration was necessary in order to keep an official record of the civil events and acts related to the civil state of the citizens. These records are a great source for genealogical research. Some of the records appear to have some damage, which have caused some loss of information. The text is in Spanish in a narrative style.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish; also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
Birth records usually contain the following information:


 * Name and surname of child
 * Date and place of birth
 * Gender of child
 * Parents' names

Marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name, age, marital status and occupation
 * Bride's name, age and marital status
 * Groom's parents' names
 * Bride's parents' names

Death records usually contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Date and place of death
 * Age and gender of deceased
 * Parents' names of deceased

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year
 * Family relationships

Search the Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page.
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have.
 * 2) Click Search to show possible matches.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Department
 * 2) Select City or Municipality
 * 3) Select Record Type and Years to view the images.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

For Help Reading These Records
For help reading these Spanish records, see the following resources:


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3

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.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * If possible, look at the actual image of the record to verify the information found in the online description.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate other church and land records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * 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.
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.

I Can’t Find The Person I’m Looking for, What Now?

 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name.
 * Civil registration records are also a good source of genealogical information. You should obtain copies of both church records and civil registration, when possible, since they do not necessarily provide the same information. For example, baptismal registers sometimes provide the names of the fathers of illegitimate children when the civil registration does not.
 * There may be more than one person with the same name.
 * You ancestor may be using a nickname or alias.
 * Even though this is an index there may still be inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring area. Search the records and indexes of neighboring cities, provinces, and regions.
 * Your ancestor may have immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby countries or immigration/emigration records.

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: Top of Page

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to support@familysearch.org. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.