Viana do Castelo, Viana do Castelo, Portugal Genealogy

This is a historical and genealogical guide to the municipality of Viana do Castelo.

History

 * Viana do Castelo is a municipality and seat of the district of Viana do Castelo in the Norte Region of Portugal.
 * The settlement of humans in the region of Viana began during the Mesoliithic era.
 * During the reign of King Afonso III of Portugal, Viana do Castelo was known as Viana da Foz do Lima and was issued a foral on 18 JUly 1258.
 * On 20 January 1848, Queen Maria II of Portugal, rewarded the citizens of the city for their loyalty, the status of a city.
 * Viana do Castelo is divided into 27 civil parishes.
 * The population of Viana do Castelo is roughly 88,800 people.

Online Records
After 100 years, all civil registration records are sent to the municipality's district office.

To view online civil registration records, visit Viana do Castelo Civil Registration.

Contact a Civil Registration Office
The following is a list of civil registration offices within the municipality.

Conservatória do Registo Civil de Viana do Castelo R. João A Cerqueira Viana Castelo 4900-321 Viana do Castelo PORTUGAL Phone: 258800660 Email: [mailto:reg-civil.vcastelo@dgrn.mj.pt reg-civil.vcastelo@dgrn.mj.pt]

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Online Records
In 1910, the Portuguese government transferred all birth, marriage, and death records from all the country's parishes to the district offices. These records are now in either District or National archives. Many of these records have been digitized and can be viewed at the District Archive's website or on FamilySearch.

To view online records, visit Viana do Castelo Church Records.

Contact a Parish
If you are seeking church records created more recently than 1910, it is possible to obtain them by writing to the parish where the record was created. Writing to a parish is not always a reliable way to obtain information, because officials may or may not respond.

Conferência Episcopal Portuguesa lists websites for the 20 Dioceses of Portugal. Once on the Diocesan website, use the listing of parishes (paróquias) to locate contact information for the parish in question.

Communicate your request in Portuguese whenever possible. For writing a letter or email in Portuguese, use the translated questions and phrases in this Portuguese Letter-writing Guide.

Cemeteries
Cemeteries did not become popular in Portugal until the late nineteenth century. Prior to this, individuals were buried in their parish church cemetery, and their bones were later removed to an unmarked burial place.

Family History Centers
Vigo Spain Family History Center Av Garcia Barbon, 95 Bajo VIGO PONTEVEDRA 36201 PORTUGAL Phone: 34 986-264-931 Email: [mailto:ES_Vigo@ldsmail.net ES_Vigo@ldsmail.net] Website: Vigo Spain Family History Center

Povoa do Varzim Portugal Family History Center Rua Bocal da Gândara 700 POVOA DE VARZIM 4490-557 PORTUGAL Phone: +351 351-252626072 Email: [mailto:PT_PovoaDoVarzim@ldsmail.net PT_PovoaDoVarzim@ldsmail.net] Website: Povoa do Varzim Portugal Family History Center