How to access international birth, marriage and death records

As any keen family historian will know, civil registration records (birth, marriage and death certificates) are the cornerstone of genealogy research. From cradle to grave, they capture key moments in the lives of your ancestors. While parish records (baptisms, marriages and burials) stretch back as far as the 16th century, civil records began in the 19th century in Britain and Ireland. This date differs depending on the country.  

Global birth, marriage and death records can help you to: 

• Confirm family connections across borders 
• Pinpoint dates and places of key life events 
• Discover new branches of your tree that settled abroad 

If your ancestor was born, married or died outside Britain, chances are their record will appear in the archives of that country. Though it varies between countries, many of these records are now available through online databases. 

The British Empire spanned the globe for around 400 years, leaving no continent untouched by the impact of colonialism. Findmypast holds extensive British Empire and Commonwealth record collections. 

If your ancestor lived in current or former British territories, try searching for them within the following record sets: 

• British Armed Forces and Overseas BMDs, covering events registered by the armed services or consulates. 
• India Office Births and Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths, which document families connected with the East India Company and British India between the 1600s and 1940s. 
• Overseas Consular BMDs, capturing births, marriages and deaths of British citizens abroad, often registered through embassies or consulates. 

These records may also prove particularly valuable if your ancestor travelled for work, trade, or military service. 

North America was a key destination for British emigrants. While civil registration in the US and Canada varies by state or province, you’ll find many collections digitised. On Findmypast, for instance, you can search: 

• US birth, marriage and death indexes, covering millions of records from the 19th and 20th centuries. 
• Canadian census and vital records, which help to track British emigrant families as they settled. 

Pairing these with passenger lists can give you a fuller picture of your ancestor's migration story. 

From Catholic parish registers to civil BMDs, you can trace Irish ancestors back through centuries, despite the challenges posed by gaps in census records. Findmypast has digitised several Irish BMD collections, and made them available to search easily online. 

For ancestors who travelled even further afield – to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or the Caribbean – you’ll also find Commonwealth BMD collections online. Many of these are searchable by name and date. 

• Start with what you know. If your family tree has British branches too, you may wish to gather information from UK records first. A marriage certificate in England might note an overseas birthplace, which you can then follow up with global records. 
• Check alternative spellings. Names were often anglicised or mis-transcribed, so try variants when searching. 
• Search widely. Don’t limit yourself to one country - emigrants often moved around, and you might find an ancestor living in a place that you don't expect. 
• Build your family tree. If your roots span continents, it's particularly important to keep track of your discoveries. Charting your findings in a tree is the simplest way to do this. 

By exploring BMDs in international archives, you can follow your ancestors’ footsteps across continents, uncovering the pivotal events that shaped their lives and gaining a poignant understanding of their experiences.