Dominican Republic Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Dominican Republic

What is in This Collection?
One set of this collection are of births from from 1801 to 2006, and the second are of general civil registration records including birth, marriage, and death certificates from various localities in the Dominican Republic and may include approximately 370,000 names.

The records are written both in narrative style and in formatted records. Some records appear damaged; however, genealogical information may still be extracted.

This is an ongoing active collection. Additional records will be added to this collection. Check the browse headers for the collection to determine current coverage. For a complete list of all the provinces contained in this collection, see the Provinces of the Dominican Republic - Civil Registration coverage table. This coverage table was last updated 8 August, 2017.

Reading These Records
These records are written in Spanish; see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information is usually found in these records:

Birth Records
 * Name and gender of child
 * Date, place, and time of birth
 * Child’s legitimacy
 * Parents’ names and ages
 * Parents’ occupation and residence
 * Grandparents’ names
 * Date, place and time of registration
 * Registrant’s occupation and residence

Marriage Records
 * Names and ages of bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Marital status of bride and groom
 * Bride and groom’s residence
 * Parents’ names and ages
 * Date of betrothal promise
 * Witnesses’ name, age, marital status and occupation
 * Name of civil official and/or marriage officiator

Death Records
 * Name and age of deceased (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Marital status/spouse’s name of deceased
 * Date, place and time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Parents’ of deceased
 * Parents’ origin and residence
 * Witnesses’ names
 * Informant’s name and age, occupation.

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year

Search The Index
Search the index of Dominican Republic Civil Registration, 1801-2010 by name by visiting the Collection Page.
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have
 * 2) Click Search to show possible matches

View The Images
View images for Dominican Republic Civil Registration, 1801-2010 collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Province
 * 2) Select Locality
 * 3) Select Record Type and Years to view the images

View The Images
View images for Dominican Republic Births, 1801-2006 collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select Province
 * 2) Select Locality
 * 3) Select Volume and Year Range to view the images

For Help Reading These Records
If you need help reading these Spanish records, the following resources may be useful:
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

How Do I Analyze The Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
To learn more about using the information in civil records, view this lesson for free:
 * Documentos esenciales para buscar a sus antepasados - Spanish
 * Registros Civiles y Parroquiales – Spanish

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Check the image that the index was taken from to see if there is additional information
 * Make sure to fully transcribe and cite the record entry for future reference; see the section Citing this Collection for assistance. Save or print a copy of the image
 * Use the information to find more. For instance, use the age listed in the record to estimate a year of birth, if that is yet undetermined
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each spouse to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * Church records are also a good substitute when civil records of births, marriages, and deaths cannot be found or are unavailable
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names. Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record; also, it was not uncommon for an individual be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name. Click here for a list of Spanish name abbreviations
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring province. A map of the Dominican Republic can show you all the nearby provinces

New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and see if your ancestor’s records have been added. You can see if the area you’ve been looking in has been recently updated by going to Historical Records Collections and notice the asterisk for recently added or updated records.

If you get stuck and can’t read a document or you’re not sure where to go next in your research, you can ask for help through Hispanic Genealogy Research community on Facebook is a page sponsored by FamilySearch and here you may also post a question or upload an image of a document for further assistance. The Hispanic Genealogy Research page is designed especially for those who have Hispanic ancestry but may not be fluent in Spanish. Be sure to click like on the page on your first visit so you can receive information and updates from the page in your news feed.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

"Dominican Republic, Civil Registration, 1801-2010." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2018. Archivo General de la Nación, Santo Domingo [General Archive of the Nation, Santo Domingo]. "Dominican Republic, Civil Registration, 1801-2006, Birth." Database with Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2018. Archivo General de la Nación, Santo Domingo [General Archive of the Nation, Santo Domingo].
 * Collection Citation:

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