Vanuatu Civil Registration

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Vanuatu

Civil Registration

How to Find the Records

Online Collections

• 1900-2001 Vanuatu, Vital Records, 1900-2001 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection
• 1898-1915: French Overseas New Hebrides Civil Registration and Parish Registers, Vanuatu at Archivesnationales; index & images
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms at FindMyPast; index & images ($)

Offices to Contact

Records can be found at local and national civil registry offices (some copies in France for New Caledonia and Vanuatu).

Historical Background

Civil registration began late in Melanesia as compared to other areas of the world, but for genealogical purposes, it is the most complete source.

Information Recorded in the Records

Birth Records

Concerning the child:

• Name of child
• Date and place of birth

Concerning the parents:

• Names
• Usual residence
• Occupation
• Age or birth date
• Place of birth
• Names of their parents
• Marital status

Other information:

• Date and place of registration
• Names of witnesses with their birth dates

Marriage Records

• Names of bride and groom
• Birth dates and places
• Occupations
• Names of parents
• Date of marriage
• Place of marriage
• Names and residences of witnesses

Death Records

• Birth, marriage, and death records have the exact date of the event, including time of day for births
• Name of principal and parents
• Occupation and religious preference of parents
• Name of informant for births and names of witnesses for marriages
• Place of residence for parents of new born, of the groom and bride for marriages, and of the deceased for deaths
• Age at death, cause of death, and place of burial in death records.