Hungary Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Magyar Polgári Anyakönyvek, 1895-1980

Record Description
This collection includes the years 1895-1980

The records are bound volumes of preprinted forms with event information recorded by hand. From 1895 through 1906, the forms are one page per event; beginning with 1907 each event occupies one row in a printed table, so there are multiple events recorded per page.

The registration has two formats:


 * The pre-1907 format can be located by clicking on the Hungary Civil Registration link below.
 * The post-1907 format is located on this page.

Both formats have valuable English translation guides to the records. An extract of these records has also been created and is being moved into the wiki article: Hungary Civil Registration, Birth and Marriage Extracts (Family Search Historical Records)

Civil Registration began in Hungary on October 1, 1895. The original records are maintained by each individual civil registration office (anyakönyvi hivatal); copies are made and submitted to the Municipal Archives in Budapest (Budapest Főváros Levéltára). The copies in the Municipal Archives were microfilmed and subsequently digitized into the images in this collection. For a list of records by date or locality currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Civil registration was instituted so that the government might have a record of vital events useful in compiling statistics about the people in Hungary.

Civil records are the primary source for research after 1894. They are generally correct as the event was registered by those who were eyewitnesses of the event.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in a birth record:


 * Date of birth
 * Name, gender, and religion
 * Parents’ names, occupation, and residence
 * Parents’ religion
 * Parents’ age
 * Place of birth
 * Signatures of informant and registrar.

Key genealogical facts found in a marriage record:


 * Date and place of the marriage
 * Groom’s name, occupation, religion, date and place of birth, and residence
 * Groom’s parents’ names
 * Bride's name, occupation, religion, date and place of birth, and residence
 * Bride’s parents’ names
 * Signature of witnesses, groom, bride and registrar (Witnesses may be family members.)

Key genealogical facts found in a death record:


 * Day and hour of death
 * Deceased’s name, occupation, and residence
 * Deceased’s religion
 * Deceased’s age
 * Spouse’s name
 * Parents’ names
 * Place of death
 * Signatures of informant and registrar

How to Use the Records
To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the County ⇒ Select the Town or Registration District ⇒ Select the Record Type and Date Range which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.


 * Use civil birth records to verify date and place of birth as well as to provide names of parents and their respective places of birth and approximate year of birth. Only birth records 90 years old or older are made available by the Hungarian government.
 * Use civil marriage records to verify date and place of marriage and name of spouse as well as provide parents names for both the bride and groom. Only marriage records 60 years old or older are made available by the Hungarian government.
 * Use civil death records to verify date and place of death as well as provide approximate year of birth, place of birth, names of parents and spouse. Only death records 30 years old or older are made available by the Hungarian government.

Research guides are available by clicking on the Hungary link below. It will also include "How to begin research", "Research Tools (incl. Common Hungarian Words)", and a history of Hungary.

Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Issues Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Hungary Civil Registration

Related Wiki Articles

 * Hungary
 * Hungary Beginning Research
 * Hungary Civil registration

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
“Hungary Civil Registration, 1895-1920,” images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org: accessed 25 May 2012), Nógrád &gt; Balassa-Gyarmat &gt; Births (Születtek) 1909-1914 &gt; Image 49 of 325, Árpád Selmeczy, born 30 December 1909; citing Registry Office (Anyakönyvi Hivatal), Hungary Civil Registration, Csongrád Megyei Levéltárban, Szeged, Hungary.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.