Peru Civil Registration: Difference between revisions

Civil registration refers to the vital records made by the government. These include birth, marriage, and death records. Civil registration records (Actas del Registro Civil) are an excellent source for accurate information on names, and dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths.  

In most of the municipalities of Peru, civil authorities began registering births in 1886, marriages in 1886, and deaths in 1857.<ref name="rys">Ryskamp, George. ''Finding Your Hispanic Roots.'' Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997.</ref> The 1892 Peruvian Civil Law made civil registration mandatory. In the Lima municipal archives, there are death registers for 1857–1867, and birth, marriage, and death registers of Peruvians born abroad for 1886–1911. By 1895, the archives included almost all individuals who lived in Peru. Records of naturalization, adoption, and legitimacy and recognition of children are included in the early birth records. From 1936, these records are included as part of the Personal Register. Because civil registration covers the entire population and generally provides more information than church records, civil registration records are one of the most important sources for genealogical research in Peru. Due to political situations, civil registration for some municipalities may have begun after 1886. Civil registration records may also be the only source of information about non-Catholic people.  

=== General Historical Background  ===

In 1857 the government of Peru passed a law that required civil registration, but it was soon discontinued, except for the requirement to keep death records. In 1892, the government again recognized the need for accurate vital records. Civil registration required the people to report all births, marriages, and deaths to a civil registrar in each municipality. Civil registration began in 1886 in almost all of Peru. Today, Peru’s borders include areas that were not part of Peru in 1886. For these areas, the beginning of civil registration varies. For example, the department of Tacna, which was part of Chile from 1880 to 1929, began registration in 1884 for births and 1885 for marriages and deaths. Duplicates of municipal vital records are at the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic (Corte Superior de Justicia de la República) in Lima. Information Recorded in Civil Registers The most important civil records for genealogical research are birth, marriage, and death registers. There are also registers of captives for 1905–1926. These are registers of births to Peruvian families in the department of Tacna and the province of Tarapaca (Chile), which were under the jurisdiction of the Chilean government. From 1936 to the present, personal civil registers include naturalization, adoption, legitimization of children, declaration of mental competence, declarations of deaths not otherwise registered, marriage annulments, and divorces. Births, marriages, and deaths were written in the civil registration records as they occurred and thus are arranged chronologically. Some records are indexed to help you find your ancestor.