Newfoundland and Labrador Civil Registration

Introduction

Newfoundland, including the area of Labrador, became a province of Canada in 1949. Official registration of births, marriages, and deaths began in 1891.

Until 1948, most vital records were copies of church records. Clergy were required to register the baptisms, marriages, and burials they performed with the civil authorities. By 1948, official death certificates were being prepared by physicians and other medical personnel for the civil authorities.

Substitutes for vital records for the years before 1891 are at the Family History Library or at the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Most official vital records of birth, marriage, and death for Newfoundland and Labrador from 1891 to the present must be requested on forms available from the Vital Statistics Division.

For additional information about vital records, including search strategies, see Canada Vital Records.

Availability

Some records of birth, marriage, and death after 1891 have been microfilmed. They are at the Family History Library and at the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador.

For indexes of Newfoundland vital records at FamilySearch RecordSearch, see Newfoundland Registers of Vital Statistics.

Always check the internet for indexes and images of records that may be available.