Guatemala Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Guatemala

Title in the Language of the Records
Guatemala, registro civil

What is in the Collection?
This collection of civil registration records from Guatemala covers the years 1877 to 2008 and includes birth, marriage, and death records.

For a list of collections available for each department, see the section "FamilySearch Historical Records Collections" below.

The first records were handwritten in narrative style. Later ones were created in formatted records. The text of all these records is written in Spanish; for translation help, see the section "For Help Reading These Records" below.

Most of the records are in relatively good preservation. However, some of the older registers may have some physical damage, but in general they are in good condition for the extraction of genealogical information. Additional images will be published as they become available.

Guatemala established the civil registry on September 9, 1877, and set the regulations of the institution. With the civil code of 1933, the same regulations were kept with a few modifications. With the civil code of 1964 and decree number 106, a few amendments were made which set the civil registration as it currently exists. The entire population must be registered at birth; there is a registration office in each municipality.

The civil registry registers all the principal events in the life of the people of Guatemala, from their birth to their death. A unique code is assigned to each citizen at the time of the birth registration. This code includes the department and municipality codes of the place where the person was born. These codes are determined by the board of directors of the National Registry of the People (RENAP – Registro Nacional de las Personas). RENAP is an institution under the Judicial Department, with the seat in Guatemala City.

The link to the Guatemala, Civil Registration, 1877-2008 collection covers all of Guatemala, but is not a complete collection. For a list of all the departments and cities contained in this collection, see the Provinces of Guatemala - Civil Registration coverage table.

These records are written in Spanish.

If you're looking for an ancestor in Guatemala prior to 1877, try searching the collection Guatemala Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

FamilySearch Historical Records Collections
Click on the name of the department in the list or the department itself (map) to see what civil records are available for that area.

How Do I Search the Collection?
When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, an estimated event year, and one or both of the parents' names.

'Search by Name by visiting the Collection Page: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Province" category ⇒Select the "City or Municipality" category ⇒Select the "Record type and year range" category which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the 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

The civil registration records of Guatemala are an excellent source for genealogical research after 1877. Important genealogical data can be found in these records, which may also include data about other generations of ancestors.

What Do I Do Next?

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have served in the same unit or a nearby unit.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, Now What?
If looking for an ancestor in Guatemala prior to 1877, try searching the collection Guatemala Catholic Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).

It is suggested to search the indexes, whenever possible, for the surnames of ancestors.

Check for variant spellings of the names.

It's possible that some images/records may be missing; check the section "Known Issues" below by clicking on the text in the right-hand box for ways to view missing images.

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:

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection, please read the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, feel free to report them at [mailto:support@familysearch.org 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.