Panama Civil Registration

Panama Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Research Strategies Record Finder Online Learning
Record Types
Cemeteries Census Church Records Civil Registration Colonial Records Directories Emigration & Immigration Compiled Genealogies	Jewish Records Land and Property Military Records Newspapers Notarial Records Online Records Periodicals Religious Records
Panama Background
Biography Church History Cultural Groups Gazetteers History	Languages Maps Naming Customs Social Life & Customs Spanish Word List
Local Research Resources
Archives and Libraries Societies FamilySearch Centers
Moderator
The FamilySearch moderator for Panama is Anelson

Panama

Civil Registration

How to Find the Records

Online Collections

• 1800-1950: Panama Marriages, 1800-1950 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only; Also at Ancestry ($); Also at MyHeritage ($)
• 1840-1930: Panama Deaths, 1840-1930 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only; Also at Ancestry ($); Also at MyHeritage ($)
• 1906-1991: United States, Panama Canal Zone, Index to the Gorgas Hospital Mortuary Registers, 1906-1991 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index only; Also at NARA (free)
• 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 ($)

Ordering Certificates from Panama

Birth, marriage, and death certificates can be requested from overseas by sending a written request and payment ($9) to cover postage and handling.

Send request to:

Tribunal Electoral de Panama, Registro Civil

Apartado 0816-01504

Panama, Republica de Panama

Telephone: (507) 504-6253

The following information should be included (as much as possible):

• Birth record - Complete name, date of birth, place of birth, name of parents and national ID (cedula)
• Marriage record - Complete name of the bride and groom, date of marriage, place, and the national IDs of the bride and groom
• Death record - Complete name of the deceased, place of death and general information about the person's birth

U.S. Department of State

Birth and death records from the Panama Canal Zone issued between 1904 and 1979

U.S. Department of State
Passports Vital Records Section
44132 Mercure Cir.
PO Box 1213
Sterling, VA 20166-1213

To check the status of your Panama Canal Zone document request, call 202-485-8300.

Historical Background

Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths began in 1914. Civil registration in Panama officially began on April 15, 1914. At that time, the mayors of districts and villages recorded daily the births, marriages, and deaths occurring within their jurisdiction. In 1974, the Direccion Nacional del Registro Civil (National Civil Registry) was created under the Tribunal Electoral and was charged to record all births, marriages, deaths, naturalizations and other judicial acts related to a person's civil state. As a result, Civil Registry offices were created within each provincial capital.

Information Recorded in the Records

Marriage Records

• Names of bride and groom
• Names of parents of bride and goom
• Date of Marriage
• Place of Marriage

Death Records

• Name of deceased
• Date of death
• Place of death
• Name of spouse, if applicable
• For a child, names of parents

Mortuary Records

• Name of deceased
• Age of deceased
• Gender of deceased
• Date and place of death
• Burial place
• Estimated birth year of deceased