Jordan Civil Registration

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Jordan

Civil Registration

How to Find the Records

Online Collections

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms at Findmypast; index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages at Findmypast; index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials at Findmypast; index & images ($)

Offices to Contact

National Archives in Amman and local government offices

Department of the National Library
Number 9 Haroun Al Rasheed St 9
P.O.Box: 6070 Amman 11118
Amman, Jordan

Telephone: +962 6 566 2845 Telephone: 06-5662791
See Telephone: 065662871-065662854-065662845
Fax: 065662867
Email : nl@nl.gov.jo
Email of the Public Relations Department PR@NL.GOV.JO
Director of Documents and Documentation Directorate:
Nawal Al Jabour
Email: nawal.aljboor@nl.gov.jo
Ext: 2106

National Library in Amman

Location of marriage contracts: At Islamic law court [sharia] archives in various cities.

Historical Background

Time period: 1921-present. Early years only included Europeans. Registration of the general populous became compulsory in 1957.

Marriage contracts: These records are the only source prior to civil registration of specific marriage information and provide a marriage date. They also provide relationships.

Legal contracts of marriage are the closest thing in Islamic society to marriage records. In Islamic tradition marriage is considered a legal contract between two families and is not considered a religious sacrament. Islamic law courts [sharia] handled the majority of litigation, particularly in the domain of personal and family status including marriage and divorce.

Time period of marriage contracts: 1400-present.

Coverage and Compliance

Population coverage: Before 1957, 5%; after 1957, as high as 80%.

Population coverage for marriage contracts: As high as 75%; these records pertain to Muslim marriages only.

Information Recorded in the Records

Birth Records

• Child’s name
• Birth date and place
• Parents’ names, residence, and occupation
• Witnesses’ ages, relationships, residences

Marriage Records

• Names of Bride and groom
• Ages
• Residences
• Occupations
• Marriage date and place
• Sometimes ages and/or birth dates and places
• Parents' names, residences, occupations
• Witnesses

Marriage contracts

• Names of marriage candidates
• Date of contract and
• Date of marriage
• Parents (at least the father) of marital partners
• Details concerning dowry

Death Records

• Name of deceased
• Age
• Death date and place
• Occupation
• Name of surviving spouse
• Informant’s name and residence
• Cause of death
• Sometimes birth date and place
• Parents’ names
• Children’s names

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