Peru Civil Registration

Online Collections

 * 1935-1999 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1888-2005 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1860-1976 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1903-1999 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1938-1996 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1874-1996 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1889-1997 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1889-1997 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1881-2005 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1873-1998 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1903-1998 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1874-1996 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1850-1996 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1890-2005 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1850-1999 - at FamilySearch — index and images
 * 1850-1998 - at FamilySearch — index and images

Offices to Contact
The Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Superior de Justicia) in Lima, Peru has duplicates of civil registration records. If your request to the municipality is unsuccessful, write for records sent to the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic (Corte Superior de Justicia de la República).

Archivo de la Corte Suprema de la República Palacio de Justicia Jirón Manuel Cuadros s/n Cercado de Lima Lima 1, PERÚ Telephone: 51-14-28-3690

Historical Background
In most of the municipalities of Peru, civil authorities began registering births in 1886, marriages in 1886, and deaths in 1857. Civil registration covers the entire population. Due to political situations, civil registration for some municipalities may have begun after 1886.

From 1936 to the present, personal civil registers include naturalization, adoption, legitimization of children, declaration of mental competence, declarations of deaths not otherwise registered, marriage annulments, and divorces.

In the Lima municipal archives, there are death registers for 1857–1867, and birth, marriage, and death registers of Peruvians born abroad for 1886–1911. There are also registers of captives for 1905–1926. These are registers of births to Peruvian families in the department of Tacna and the province of Tarapaca (Chile), which were under the jurisdiction of the Chilean government.

For birth, death, and marriage records before 1886, see Peru Church Records.

Coverage
The 1892 Peruvian Civil Law made civil registration mandatory. By 1895, the archives included almost all individuals who lived in Peru. Records of naturalization, adoption, and legitimacy and recognition of children are included in the early birth records.

Today, Peru’s borders include areas that were not part of Peru in 1886. For these areas, the beginning of civil registration varies. For example, the department of Tacna, which was part of Chile from 1880 to 1929, began registration in 1884 for births and 1885 for marriages and deaths.

Information Recorded in the Records
Births (Nacimientos)

Birth registers give:
 * Document number
 * Registration date
 * Name
 * Gender
 * Date and place of birth

Early birth records also include naturalization papers, adoptions, legitimizations of children, and acknowledgments of paternity. Separate books were kept for naturalization from 1912–1936.

Birth records may include the following about parents:
 * Ages
 * Birthplaces
 * Residences
 * Nationalities
 * Marital status
 * Professions
 * Number of other children born to the mother

The records may also give similar information about the informant, who may be a relative, and the grandparents.

Corrections to a birth record were usually added as a marginal note.

Marriages (Casamientos)

Peruvian law requires marriages to be recorded in civil records prior to a church marriage. Marriage registers give the marriage date and the couple’s names, ages, places of residence, and, sometimes, places of birth. These records also include the names of the parents and witnesses and information about the witnesses. Marriage information (Información matrimonial) in Peru from 1900 to the present includes certificates of birth, baptism, good conduct, marriageability, and a medical certificate and residence.

Early civil marriage records may give more information than church records. Early entries usually included the names and ages of the bride and groom and the marriage date and place. Later entries include the couple’s occupations, civil status, residences, and birthplaces. Some records also have the names of the parents and grandparents.

Most couples were also married in a church wedding. If possible, search both the civil registration and church records of marriage. If you believe a marriage took place but cannot find a civil record of the marriage, search the church marriage information records or banns.

Deaths (Defunciones)

Death records are especially helpful because in addition to death and burial information, they provide important information about a person’s birth, spouse, and parents. Civil death records often exist for individuals for whom there are no birth or marriage records. Death records were usually registered within a few days of the death, in the town or city where the person died.

Early death records give the name, date, and place of death. Later death registers usually include the deceased’s age or date of birth (and sometimes the birthplace), residence or street address, occupation, cause of death, and burial information. These records also include the name of the informant (who is often a relative), spouse, and parents. The information in death records about the deceased’s birth and parents may be inaccurate since the informant may not have had complete information.

Extract Forms
The following extract forms were created by Dr. George Ryskamp, JD, AG. These particular forms are designed to be used for Spanish research; however, they can help in other research areas, such as Italy, France, Portugal, etc. Click on the type of record form you would like to use and print it for your own files.

[[Media:Baptism_template.pdf|Birth/Baptism Extract Form]]

[[Media:Marriage_Template.pdf|Marriage Extract Form]]

[[Media:Death_Template.pdf|Death/Burial Extract Form]]

These forms are designed to help you quickly analyze and organize your documents.

Writing to a Municipality for Records
Civil registration records are kept at the local civil registration office (Oficina del Registro Civil) in each municipality. You must determine the town where your ancestor lived before you can find the records. A civil registration district may include several towns or a small section of a large city. You may need to use gazetteers and other geographic references to identify the place your ancestor lived and the civil registration office that served it (see Peru Gazetteers). In addition to the town, you need to know an approximate year in which the birth, marriage, divorce, or death occurred.'This method is not always reliable. Officials might or might not respond.' Write a brief request in Spanish to the proper office using this address as a guide replacing the information in parentheses:


 * Oficino del Registro Civil
 * (street name, number)
 * (city), (region)
 * (postal code)
 * Peru


 * Find the Peru postal code here.

Send the following when requesting information:


 * Money for the search fee, usually $10.00
 * Full name and the sex of the ancestor sought
 * Names of the ancestor’s parents, if known
 * Approximate date and place of the event
 * Your relationship to the ancestor
 * Reason for the request (family history, medical, and so on)
 * Request for a photocopy of the complete original record

'''Write your request in Spanish whenever possible. Use the translated questions and phrases in this Spanish Letter-writing Guide to assist you in writing your letter in Spanish. '''