Philippines Civil Registration (National) - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Filipinas, El Registro Civil, Nacional

Record Description
This collection includes civil records for 1945-1984. The records include marriage and death certificates from various localities in the Philippines. Original records are located in the National Census and Statistics Office, Manila, Philippines.

Records are not available for all localities and the content and time period vary by area. This is an active, ongoing collection and additional records may be added.

Additional records for Manila can be found in the Philippines, Manila Civil Registration, 1899-1994 collection.

Some records may be in Spanish; see the section For Help Reading these Records below.

Record Content
The information found in each record varies by year. The recording of civil events in a person's life, such as marriage and death, require valid evidence making these records very reliable.

Marriage records usually contain the following:


 * Names and ages of groom and bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Names and ages of the groom’s parents
 * Names and ages of the bride’s parents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Names of persons who gave consent
 * Name of person who solemnized the marriage
 * Beginning in 1945, birthplace of the husband and wife was recorded
 * Date of marriage license
 * Date the certificate was created/filed (marriage contract)

Death records usually contain the following information:


 * Deceased’s name and age (keep in mind that death records for women may be filed under their married name)
 * Date and place of death
 * Marital status/Name of spouse
 * Date and place of burial (cremation or removal)
 * Name of informant
 * Name of attending physician
 * Name of undertaker
 * On death certificates after 1958, names of parents
 * On death certificates after 1958, the birth date and place of deceased
 * Date the certificate was filed/created by the local civil registrar
 * Date of burial or transit permit

How to Use the Record
This section includes tips and information about how to search this collection.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name, surname, residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Some record sets have indexes. These indexes were created at the end of the year. Copy errors could have been made in the index, so you want to find the actual record to verify the information is correct. Using the index is a helpful way to find the actual record.

Search the Collection
To search by image: To browse the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒Select the appropriate "Province" ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type" ⇒Select the appropriate "Year Range" category ⇒Select the appropriate "Municipality" which will take you to the images.

Look at the image and compare the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For Help Reading these Records
Some records may be in Spanish. For help reading the records see the following guides:


 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * Reading Spanish handwritten records
 * Script tutorial for Spanish

Using the Information

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * The name of a marriage officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * 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.
 * Use the marital status/marriage number (how many times a person was married) to identify previous marriages.
 * Witnesses often were relatives of the parents.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * For death records, the information in records is usually reliable, but depends upon the knowledge of the informant.
 * For marriage and death records, your ancestors may have used shortened names or nicknames, so pay attention to other relationships (parents, spouse, siblings, children, etc.) that can confirm whether you have the right person/record.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Continue to search the indexes and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived in the same area or a nearby area.

Unable to Find your Ancestor?
A boundary change could have occurred and the record of you ancestor is now in a neighboring province, or your ancestor immigrated to another country. Search the records of nearby areas or immigration/emigration records Philippines Emigration and Immigration.

Until 1889 there was no central civil administration to collect, interpret, and preserve the civil registration records. Most vital records from before 1889 are in Catholic parish and diocesan archives. Church records are also a good substitute when birth, marriage, and death records can’t be found or are unavailable.


 * Philippines Church Records
 * Philippines Births and Baptisms, Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records)

General Information about These Records
In 1889, the Spanish government created the Central Office of Statistics. This office required each parish priest to periodically give the government a list of the births, marriages, and deaths in his area. The Catholic clergy had previously maintained records about births, marriages and deaths, and sent copies to the government. After 1889, clergy were required to regularly submit detailed reports. This system continued until the end of the Spanish administration in 1898.

After the Philippine Revolution of 1898, the church and state became separate. Within the first few years, officials responsible for civil registration were appointed in each municipality. In 1930, civil registration became mandatory.

In 1932 the Bureau of Census and Statistics was created to oversee civil registration. Many civil records were destroyed during World War II.

Divorce is not legal in the Philippines, but some records of annulment and legal separation are kept in the National Census and Statistics Office and in the local Domestic Relations Court of First Instance.

Known Issues for 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 Archives of the Philippines Brief History
 * Philippine Statistics Authority
 * Philippine Research
 * Catalog of Filipino Names
 * Parish Registers – Family History before 1837
 * Philippine Islands Death Records
 * Municipality of Itogon – Registry Office

Related Wiki Articles

 * Philippines Civil Registration- Vital Records
 * Philippines, Civil Registration (Archives Division) (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines, Civil Registration, Local (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines, Civil Registration, Spanish Period (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines Births and Baptisms (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines Marriages (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines Deaths and Burials (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines, Court Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Philippines Church Records
 * Philippines

Citations for this Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection citation:

Image citation: