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Country guides
Which registers exist, from which year, where to read them for free, and who to write to. Every guide is checked against the archives' own websites and lists its sources.
Italy
Civil records by comune, free online images, parish books from the 1500s.
- 1866 Civil registration continuous in all of Italy
- 140 million+ Free record images on Portale Antenati
- 26 million Departures from Italy from 1876
Ireland
Free civil records online, Catholic parish registers to 1880, GRO copies for €5.
- 1864 Civil registration of all births, marriages, deaths
- Free Births 1864 to 1925 online, no sign-up
- 1880 End date of most Catholic registers online
Germany
Civil registers from 1798 to 1876 by region, church books from the 1500s.
- 1876 Civil registration across the German Empire
- 110 years Before a birth register moves to an archive
- 2 million Emigrants between 1850 and 1870
England and Wales
Civil records from 1837 with free indexes, parish registers from 1538, census 1841 to 1921.
- 1 July 1837 Start of civil registration in England and Wales
- 1841 to 1921 Census returns open to the public
- £12.50 GRO certificate ordered online with an index reference
Scotland
Civil registers from 1855, parish registers from 1553, all on ScotlandsPeople with free indexes.
- 1 January 1855 Start of compulsory civil registration in Scotland
- 1553 Oldest surviving parish register (Errol, Perthshire)
- £1.50 To view one record image on ScotlandsPeople (6 credits)
Poland
Three record systems by partition, 89 million archive scans online, USC copies from 22 PLN.
- 1808 Civil registration begins in the Duchy of Warsaw
- 89 million Scans on the State Archives portal, Search the Archives
- 3.5 million People who left the Polish lands, 1870 to 1914
Sweden
Parish registration from 1686, free church books online, emigrant lists from 1869.
- 1686 Church law making parish registration compulsory
- Free Church book images at the National Archives
- 1.4 million Emigrants from Sweden, 1860 to 1930
Norway
Free parish registers and censuses online, police emigrant lists from 1866.
- 1623 Oldest surviving parish register, from Andebu
- 700,000 Entries in the police emigrant lists, to 1930
- 754,561 Overseas emigrants from Norway, 1836 to 1915
Mexico
Border crossing cards from 1903, civil registers from 1859, parish books free online.
- 1859 Civil registration law, 28 July 1859
- 1903 to 1955 Border crossing cards at U.S. land ports
- 498,945 Mexicans admitted to U.S. permanent residence, 1920 to 1929
United States arrivals
Naturalization papers, ship lists, draft cards: the U.S. records that name the hometown, and from which year.
- 27 Sept 1906 Naturalization forms start asking the place of birth
- 1907 Ship lists add the nearest relative back home
- 1.93 million Arrivals from Italy in the 1900s alone
More countries are being added.