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Write to the archives in their language
Fill in what you know. The letter is written in French, Italian, German, Polish, Swedish, Norwegian, Spanish or Portuguese for the right office, with an English translation so you know exactly what you are asking.
Italy. Write to the Ufficio di Stato Civile of the comune. Ask for an estratto (extract with the parents' names): the full copy (copia integrale) is issued only to the person concerned. Many comuni issue it free, but practice varies. Records over 100 years old may already be online free on Portale Antenati: check there first. Read the Italy guide
France. Asking a mairie for a birth, marriage or death record is free: ignore websites that charge for it. Registers over about 100 years old are usually already online on the website of the département's archives: check there first. As a descendant you may get a full copy (copie intégrale) at any time. Small communes (under 2,000 inhabitants) must deposit registers over 120 years old with the departmental archives, so the mairie may send you there. Read the France guide
Germany. The Standesamt keeps births for 110 years, marriages for 80 and deaths for 30. Older registers are usually in the town or state archive, which issues copies for a fee. Many offices merged in the 1970s: check which one covers the village today. Read the Germany guide
Ireland. Births to 1925, marriages to 1950 and deaths to 1975 are free on irishgenealogy.ie: check there first. Copies from the GRO Research Room in Dublin cost €5; certified copies come from GRO Roscommon. Read the Ireland guide
Poland. The registry office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego) keeps births for 100 years and marriages and deaths for 80; older books are at the State Archives, where many are already free online on szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl. A full copy (odpis zupełny) costs 33 PLN in stamp duty; descendants may ask for one. Read the Poland guide
Sweden. Church books are free to view online at the National Archives: check there first. The archive has order forms in English; copies start at SEK 5 a page, and staff research costs SEK 1,000 for up to one hour. Name the parish to keep the cost down. Read the Sweden guide
Norway. Parish registers are free to view on Digitalarkivet: check there first. Registers are closed until they are 60 years old (sometimes 80 or 100). The National Archives can send a transcript; for books not yet deposited, ask the local parish office. Read the Norway guide
Mexico. Civil registration is run by each state. A birth certificate already in the national database can be printed at gob.mx/ActaNacimiento; for older entries, write to the civil registry office of the municipio. Mexico City, for example, lists MXN 98 for a certified copy. Read the Mexico guide
Spain. Registro Civil certificates are free. For family history, ask for a certificación literal, a word-for-word copy of the entry. The quickest route is the Ministry of Justice's online form: without a Spanish login the certificate is sent to you by post. As a third party, give your relationship and explain the reason, the need and who the certificate is for, or the request is refused. Parish books more than 100 years old are usually in the diocesan archive, not the parish. Read the Spain guide
Portugal. Records under 100 years old are at the Conservatória do Registo Civil of the concelho; older parish and civil registers are generally at the district archive, and many can be read free on Digitarq: check there first. Anyone may ask for a certificate: ask for a certidão de cópia integral, the full copy with its marginal notes. A paper birth certificate costs 20 €, an online one 10 € through Civil Online. Archives take requests through their online counter, CRAV. Read the Portugal guide
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