East Timor Civil Registration

Historical Background
The Timorese people inhabited the island before Portugal colonized it in the 16th century. On the 28 November 1975, East Timor became independent from Portugal, but nine days later was invaded and taken over by Indonesia. After decades of violence, East Timor became free. The main religion is Catholicism.

Records
At present all Birth, Marriage, and Death records in East Timor are almost non-existent. What records that did exist during the Portuguese occupation have either been destroyed or lost.

DILI, East Timor, 22 February 2011 – Children in East Timor get a further boost in claiming their rights with the launch of the National Birth Registration Campaign. East Timor, one of the youngest nations in the world, launched the campaign which runs from 21 to 25 February 2011. It aims to cover over 200,000 children under the age of five who have not yet been registered.