Philippines Civil Registration (National), 1945-1996
Collection of vital records from various localities in the Philippines. Additional records for Manila can be found in the Philippines, Manila Civil Registration, 1899-1994 collection. Records are not available for all localities and the content and time period vary by locality. Additional records may be added to this collection. Check the wiki or browse the collection to determine current coverage.
Start your search
Philippines Civil Registration (National)
What Is In This Collection?
This collection consists of vital records from across the Philippines for the years 1945-1987. The original records are located in the National Census and Statistics Office, Manila, Philippines. Records are not available for all localities and the content and time period vary by area. This is an active, ongoing collection and additional records may be added.
In 1889, the Spanish government created the Central Office of Statistics. This office required each parish priest to periodically give the government a list of the births, marriages, and deaths in his area. The Catholic clergy had previously maintained records about births, marriages and deaths, and sent copies to the government. After 1889, clergy were required to regularly submit detailed reports. This system continued until the end of the Spanish administration in 1898.
After the Philippine Revolution of 1898, the church and state became separate. Within the first few years, officials responsible for civil registration were appointed in each municipality. In 1930, civil registration became mandatory. In 1932 the Bureau of Census and Statistics was created to oversee civil registration. Many civil records were destroyed during World War II. Divorce is not legal in the Philippines, but some records of annulment and legal separation are kept in the National Census and Statistics Office and in the local Domestic Relations Court of First Instance.
Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.
Computer Aided Indexing (CAI)
Some or all of the indexed records for this collection were created using Computer Aided Indexing (CAI) from records digitized by FamilySearch or its partners. For more information on CAI see FamilySearch Computer Aided Indexing.
Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish and English. For help reading them see:
To Browse This Collection
| You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for Philippines Civil Registration (National), 1945-1984. |
What Can These Records Tell Me?
The records may include the following information:
|
Birth
|
Marriage
|
Death
|
Collection Details
Language
Spanish, English
Location of Original Records
National Statistics Office of the Philippines
"Philippines Civil Registration (National), 1945-1996." Database with images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 8 August 2026. Citing Civil Registrar. National Census and Statistics Office, Manila.
