Luxembourg Civil Registration

Civil registration and indexes (enregistrement civil, état civil)
Research use:  This type of record is the most important single source from 1797 to the present.

Record type:  Births, marriages, divorces, and deaths.

Time period: 1797-present. Official civil registration was introduced in the Grand Duchy by a French decree in 1797. At that time the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was a part of France under the name of "Departement des Forêts."

Contents:
 * Birth records:
 * name of child
 * date of birth
 * names and ages of parents.


 * Marriage records:
 * date and place of marriage
 * birth dates or ages and birthplaces of bride and groom
 * names of parents.
 * Death records:
 * place of death
 * date of death
 * age
 * birthplace
 * parents' names.


 * Index: Every 10 years tables décennales (decennial tables) are made, in which births, marriages, and deaths are arranged in alphabetical order by date.

Accessing the records:
 * Local municipal offices: Documents are written twice in the original.  One copy remains in the municipality; there are 126 municipal offices in Luxembourg. The second is sent to the appropriate tribunal in Luxembourg City or in Diekirch.  The indexes are preserved in the Public Records Office of Luxembourg and run from 1797 to 1952 inclusive.
 * Family History Library: 90% microfilmed.

How to Obtain Copies of the Records
Online Records
 * 1662-1941 at FamilySearch — index and images

FamilySearch Historical Collection

 * 1662-1941 -, free, browseable images. Records have their own indexes.
 * 1796-1941 - index and images

Ancestry.com

 * 1793-1941 - Luxembourg, Civil Registration, 1793-1941, browseable images, ($).

Local “Commune” (City Hall)
Civil registration offices of the municipality where the birth, marriage, or death took place keep one copy of the record. This is important for records more recent than 1941. Address the envelope to:


 * Monsieur l'officier de l'état-civil
 * Mairie de (Town)
 * (Postal code) (Town)
 * Luxembourg

Requests should be written in French. You can successfully write in French using this French Letter Writing Guide.

Administration Communale

 * Administration Communale
 * Hôtel de Ville – Ville de Luxembourg
 * État-Civil
 * 42 Place Guillaume
 * II L-2090 Luxembourg
 * Tel.: (011) (352) 47 96-1
 * Hours: Monday to Friday 08:00am to 5:00pm (M-F)

The Bierger Center

 * Bierger-Center
 * 26a, bd Royal L-2449
 * Luxembourg
 * L-2090 Luxembourg
 * E-mail: bierger-center@vdl.lu
 * Tel: +(352) 4796 2200
 * Fax: +(352) 26 2709 99
 * Hours: 8:00am to 5:00pm (M-F)

Archives of Luxembourg (Archives de Nationales Luxembourg)
Genealogical Research FAQ]