Portugal Genealogy

Europe Portugal

Guide to Portugal ancestry, family history, and genealogy: birth records, marriage records, death records, census records, and military records.

Country Information
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country in southwestern Europe, on the Iberian Peninsula. Being the westernmost country of mainland Europe, Portugal is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east. The Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira are also part of Portugal. The land within the borders of today's Portuguese Republic has been constantly settled since prehistoric times. Some of the earliest civilizations include Celtic societies, followed by incorporation into the Roman Republic dominions in the 2nd century BC, and subsequently into Germanic Kingdoms, such as the Suebi and the Visigoths, from the 5th to the 8th century. The Moors occupied most of the Iberian Peninsula from the early 8th century when they first arrived and conquered the Christian Kingdoms of Germanic background. After the Reconquista started in the early 1100s, Portugal appeared as a kingdom independent of its Christian neighbors, Castile and Leon. In little over a century Portugal had nearly established its modern-day borders by conquering territory from the Muslim Moors.

Jurisdictions
Portugal has 18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma).

More Portugal Research Strategies
Research strategies give guidance on how to research or what records to search for first. Below are additional research strategy Wiki articles for Portugal.

More Portugal Research Tools
Research tools can include resources that assist in locating correct records to search and determining the correct locality to search in. Below are links and Wiki articles to research tools in Portugal.
 * BYU Research Guide for Portugal
 * genealogylinks.net - Portugal Genealogy links
 * Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo - Portugal National Archives in Portuguese
 * Regional Archives of Madeira, ARM - includes Marriage indexes, parish records, and passports for Madeira, in Portuguese
 * Portuguese Parish Records - online images, in Portuguese
 * Centro de Conhecimento Dos Acores - Azores Parish records and passports
 * Directory of Royal Genealogical Data

FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in resourcing your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
 * Historical Records
 * Family History Center locator map