Egypt Civil Registration

Online Collections

 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Egypt at FindMyPast; index & images ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Egypt at FindMyPast; index & images ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, Egypt at FindMyPast; index & images ($)
 * British Civil Service Evidence Of Age, Egypt at FindMyPast; index & images ($)

Offices to Contact
"Organisation of the civil registration system 2. The civil registration system in Egypt is centralized. In Egypt there are 27 governorates, among which 4 are urban and 23 are rural. These governorates are further divided into centers/towns and villages. There are 4417 local health units in the country registering births, deaths and foetal deaths. Registration of marriages and divorces is the responsibility of Family Affairs Courts (a total of 231) and Real Estate Publicity Department (2 of them, located in Cairo and Alexandria). All the information collected at the local registration office is eventually sent to Department of Civil Status (under the Ministry of Interior) through the provincial level civil registration offices and centers (27 in total)."

Historical Background
Civil registration began in 1839, though only births and deaths. In 1907, the Ottoman Empire made a decree that expanded record keeping by penalizing those who did not comply. As a result, there is a greater microdata coverage after 1907, and sparse coverage prior to 1907.

Census Records
1848 Census: Includes the following key fields:
 * Name
 * Relationship to head of household
 * Gender
 * Age
 * Legal Status (free, slave, or emancipated slave)
 * Nationality
 * Ethnicity
 * Religion
 * Place of Origin
 * Occupation
 * School enrollment for male children
 * Infirmities
 * Physical Description (in rural provinces)

Microdata for most census through 19th and early 20th century did not survive, and were destroyed by choice or by chance.

Nationwide censuses from 1986-present day have survived.