Belgium Archives and Libraries
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- Archives collect and preserve original documents of organizations such as churches or governments. Libraries generally collect published sources such as books, maps, and microfilm.
- If you plan to visit a repository, contact them and ask for information about their collection, hours, services, and fees. Ask if they require you to have a reader’s ticket (a paper indicating you are a responsible researcher) to view the records, and ask how to obtain one.
- Although the records you need may be in an archive or library, the FamilySearch Library may have microfilmed and/or digitized copies of them.
Archives
National Archives
State (National) Archives of Belgium
Rue de Ruysbroeck 2
1000 Brussels, Belgium
Telephone: 02 513 76 80
Fax: 02 513 76 81
Online contact form
Website
To use the archives, you must create an account: Registration
Information for the Genealogist
Genealogical sources
Reading Rooms
Genealogy sources
Online contact form for genealogy help
FamilySearch Digitized Records
The civil registration records of the Belgium National Archives have been microfilmed, digitized, and indexed by FamilySearch.
- 1588-1913 : Belgium, Antwerp, Civil Registration, 1588-1913, index and images
- 1582-1914 : Belgium, Brabant, Civil Registration, 1582-1914, index and images
- 1541-1950 : Belgium, East Flanders, Civil Registration, 1541-1950, index and images
- 1600-1913 : Belgium, Hainaut, Civil Registration, 1600-1913, index and images
- 1798-1906 : Belgium, Limburg, Civil Registration, 1798-1906, index and images
- 1621-1914 : Belgium, Liège, Civil Registration, 1621-1914, index and images
- 1580-1920 : Belgium, Luxembourg, Civil Registration, 1580-1920, images only
- 1800-1912 : Belgium, Namur, Civil Registration, 1800-1912, index and images
- 1582-1910 : Belgium, West Flanders, Civil Registration, 1582-1910, index and images
State Archives
Archives Portal Europe provides access to information on Belgium archives. See also list below:
In each State Archives branch office you can consult the following documents:
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Libraries
Libraries of the National Archives
Website
Search catalogue
Union Catalogue of Belgian Libraries
The works from the libraries of the State Archives can only be consulted on site. The catalogue search will list the location/which library where the source is held. The libraries of the State Archives repositories hold a total of roughly 500,000 volumes, bearing on the following main topics:
- History of Belgium and earlier state entities
- publications about former colony Congo and the mandated territory Rwanda-Urundi
- regional and local history
- archival sciences
- publications about the First World War
- administrative and juridical specialist literature
- collection of precious Works
- publications of the State Archives (inventories, guides, exhibition catalogues,…)
- inventories of other Belgian and foreign archives institutio
Museums
Belgium Museum of Art and History
Parc du Cinquantenaire 10
1000 Brussels, Belgium
T: + 32 (0)2 741 73 31
The Art & History Museum is a public museum of antiquities and ethnographic and decorative arts located at the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark in Brussels, Belgium. The museum is one of the constituent parts of the Royal Museums of Art and History and is one of the largest art museums in Europe. A very detailed article on all the specific collections is available at Wikipedia: Art & History Museum
Record Offices
Records newer than 100 years cannot be found online at the State Archives. You will need to contact the municipality where the event took place. If needed, you may need to write to an ancestor's town. Below is how to address a letter:
Gemeentebestuur = Municipal administration
De Ambtenaar van de Burgerlijke Stand = Civil State Officer
Gemeentehuis = City Hall
BE - (postal code) (name of municipality)
Belgium