Macau Genealogy

Asia Macau

Guide to Macau ancestry, family history and genealogy parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Country Information
Macau is one of two Special Administrative Regions of China,together with Hong Kong. Macau lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta across from Hong Kong, and it is also bordered by Guangdong Province to the north and the South China Sea to the east and south. Macau is a former colony of Portugal, and was administered by Portugal from the mid-16th century until late 1999, when it was the last remaining European colony in Asia.

Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 1550s. In 1557, Macau was rented to Portugal by the Ming Dynasty as a trading port. The Portuguese administered the city under Chinese authority and sovereignty until 1887, when Macau became a colony of the Portuguese Empire. As a former Portuguese enclave, it is uniquely Portuguese in character, with a legal system, architecture, and administration all reflective of that European country.

Sovereignty over Macau was transferred back to China on 20 December 1999, following the same reversion to China of Hong Kong. The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operate with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer. Portuguese is still one of the official languages, but is slowly being replaced by the native Cantonese, and the official Mandarin dialects of China.

Macau Clickable Map
Genealogy records are kept on the local level in Macau. Click on a place below to go to the corresponding Wiki article listing more information.

Jurisdictions
Genealogy records are kept on the local level in Macau. Click on a place below to go to the corresponding Wiki article listing more information.

FamilySearch Resources
Below are FamilySearch resources that can assist you in resourcing your family.
 * Facebook Communities - Facebook groups discussing genealogy research
 * Learning Center - Online genealogy courses
 * Historical Records
 * Family History Center locator map