Belgium Civil Registration

Historical Background
In 1795-1796 what is now Belgium was conquered by the Napoleonic regime, who introduced a system of civil registration throughout their territories. The first records were written in French and use the French Revolutionary Calendar. In 1815, Belgium was merged with what is now the Netherlands, creating the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Netherlands had also been conquered by Napoleon and from 1811 had a Civil Registration system. Both countries continued with this system. In 1830 Belgium became independent, but continued to keep civil registration records in a manner very similar to the Dutch system.

Contents of the records
The records will be either in Dutch, French, or German, depending on the language locally spoken and the political situation.

Many smaller towns put births, marriages and deaths all together in chronological order, while later records and those from larger towns and cities usually divide the records into births, marriages and deaths separately.

Births
A typical Belgium birth record contains:
 * The child's name
 * The birth place and date
 * The names of the parents, their residence, occupations, sometimes ages
 * The name of the informant, their occupation and sometimes age and relationship to the child

Marriages
A typical Belgium marriage record contains: Marriage Supplements may contain Marriage proclamations may contain:
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Place and Date of the marriage
 * Their ages, residences, occupations and birthplaces.
 * The names of their parents, their occupations and sometimes ages or whether still alive
 * Any former spouses
 * Witnesses, and their occupations, and who performed the ceremony
 * Copies of birth or baptism records of the bride and groom
 * Copies of the deaths of the parents of the bride and groom
 * Deaths of or divorces from former spouses
 * Consent from the parents
 * Names of prospective marriage partners
 * Their residence, age, occupation
 * Their intended date of marriage
 * Their parents

Deaths
A typical Belgium death record contains;
 * Name of deceased,
 * Their death date and place
 * Their age, birthplace, occupation
 * Their current and former spouses
 * Names of their parents, if known
 * Name of the informant and their residence

Divorces
The divorce will be noted on the original marriage record. There is no separate "Divorce Record'

Tables
Indexes covering a period of years(most commonly one and ten) were drawn up in alphabetical order. These list all the events that occurred in that place over the time period. Use the information given to find the original, such as date, page number or act number.

Online Digital Records at the State Archives
Civil registration digital images are also online from the State (National) Archives (Rijksarchief in België), for records at least 100 years old. You will need to complete a free registration here: Register. This address leads to the Zoekrobotten--Search Robot (or Search Engine) which leads to several search options:
 * Zoeken naar personen searches by individual name. English instructions are provided.
 * Zoeken naar archieven searches by location. English instructions are provided.

Only records more than 100 years old are public, and only those in 1915 or before may be online. Civil Registration records were traditionally accessed from the archives in person, but now most(but not all) can be found on FamilySearch/Zoekakten, or online at the website of the Rijksarchief in België/Les Archives de l'Etat en Belgique.(The National Archives of Belgium) Note that free registration is required for the Rijksarchief's website. A few records have been indexed by the Rijksarchief.

FamilySearch Historical Records
FamilySearch Historical Records has digitized records for every province, partially indexed.

Geneaknowhow
Geneaknowhow is a site that provides links to various local genealogical sites for Belgium and the Netherlands, including many containing civil registration records.

Records after 1915
Records less than 100 years old are not open to the general public, and those after 1915 are not online. These records can only be viewed by special permission after writing to the municipal authorities of the municipality where the event occurred. A fee may be charged.

Write to:

Gemeentebestuur

De Ambtenaar van de BURGERLIJKE STAND

Gemeentehuis

BE - (postal code) (name of municipality)

Belgium
 * This list of municipalities will give you the postal codes.

What to send:
Send the following:
 * A request for them to tell you the fees and how they should be paid.
 * Full name and the sex of the person sought.
 * Names of the parents, if known.
 * Approximate date and place of the event.
 * Your exact relationship to the person.
 * Reason for the request (family history or medical).
 * Request for a complete extract of the record

Writing the letter
This Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy will help you with composing your letter