Peru, Lima, Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Registro Civil de Lima, Peru.

Record Description
Civil registration in Peru started on June 21, 1852.

This collection includes records from 1874-1997. The text of the records is in Spanish.

The earlier records are all handwritten in a narrative format. The later records are also handwritten but on a printed format. Some of their text may also vary slightly.

Additional information about these records can be found in the wiki article Peru Civil Registration.

Before the government instituted civil registration in Peru, the Catholic Church was the only institution tracking the births, marriages, and deaths of the population. In 1852, during the Republican Era, the government instituted civil registration. This was first done by political authorities, such as prefecture, subprefecture, and state. In 1856, this responsibility was given to municipalities. Currently, civil registration is in the hands of RENIEC, which delegates the registration process to municipal registrars.

In 1876, Peru’s census counted a population of 2.6 million residents, with just over 100,000 of those living in Lima. By 1900, Peru’s population numbered 3.8 million, with 223,807 in Lima. The Family History Library’s collection includes civil registers from the following municipalities:


 * Lima o Cercado de lima
 * Ancón
 * Barranco
 * Chorrillos
 * Lurigancho
 * Magdalena del Mar
 * Magdalena Vieja
 * Miraflores
 * San Miguel (previously known as San Miguel del Mar)
 * Santiago de Surco (previously known as San José de Surco)

Civil registration in Peru identifies all its residents and issues certificates regarding their identity. The registration of births, marriages, and deaths documents the civil status of the residents.

The information in civil records may be the most accurate available for finding an ancestor who lived in Peru. Parish records would be next best since they were created much earlier than the civil records.

For a list of records by localities and dates currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

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

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Important information found in birth records include:


 * Date and place of the registration
 * Child's name and gender
 * Child's date and place of birth
 * Legitimacy
 * Parents’ names, their age and residence
 * Names of witnesses

Important information found in marriage records include:


 * Date and place of the registration
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's full name and age
 * Groom's marital status, occupation, nationality and residence
 * Names of groom's parents and their residence
 * Bride’s full name and age
 * Bride's marital status, occupation, nationality and residence
 * Names of bride's parents and their residence
 * Couple's statement of religious affiliation
 * Names of witnesses

Important information found in death records include:


 * Time, date, and place of registration
 * Name, age and gender of deceased
 * Date, place, and time of death
 * Cause of death
 * Parents' names of deceased
 * Sometimes, name of spouse
 * Names of witnesses their age(s) and residence
 * Name of person registering death and their relationship to the deceased

How to Use the Record
To search the collection using the index:

Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line video at FamilySearch Search Tips.

To search the collection image by image ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Department or Region" ⇒Select the appropriate "Province" ⇒Select the appropriate "District or Municipality" ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" 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.

For genealogical research, the birth, marriage, and death records contain important information for at least two and sometimes three generations of ancestors in one document.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:

Spanish Genealogical Word List

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached 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

 * National Library of Peru

Related Wiki Articles

 * Peru
 * Peru Civil Registration
 * Peru History

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Peru, Lima, Civil Registration, 1874-1996

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.

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