Hungary Civil Registration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
Magyar Polgári Anyakönyvek

Record Description
This collection includes the years 1801-1980.

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 records are in Hungarian.

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.

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.

Coverage Table
For a list of the localities, record types, and date ranges included in this collection, refer to Hungary Civil Registration (FamilySearch Historical Records) Coverage Table.

Record Content
Birth records may contain the following information:


 * Registration date and number
 * Date and place of birth
 * Name of child
 * Child's gender and religion
 * Parents’ names and mother's age
 * Parents’ religion
 * Signature of informant
 * Additional remarks

Marriage records generally contain the following information:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom’s name
 * Groom's date and place of birth
 * Groom's religion and occupation
 * Groom’s parents’ names
 * Bride's name
 * Bride's date and place of birth
 * Bride's religion and occupation
 * Bride’s parents’ names
 * Witnesses' names and their residence
 * Additional remarks

Death records generally contain the following information:


 * Registration date and number
 * Date and time of death
 * Place of death
 * Name and age of deceased
 * Deceased’s residence and occupation
 * Deceased's religion
 * Spouse’s name
 * Parents’ names
 * Cause of death
 * Signatures of informant and registrar
 * Additional remarks

How to Use the Records
As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname and some other identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships.

Search the Collection
To search by 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.

To browse by image: To search the collection, you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "County" category ⇒Select the "Town or Registration District" category ⇒Select the "Record Type and Date Range" category, which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image, 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. 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.

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


 * Hungary Genealogical Word List
 * Hungary Language and Languages

Using the Information

 * 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 to 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 to 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
 * Researching Your Hungarian Ancestors
 * Hungary Exchange

Related Wiki Articles

 * Hungary
 * Hungary Beginning Research
 * Hungary Civil registration

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:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: