Population Registration (1850-1920) 

From 1850 to 1920 the townships kept population registrations. These registers are usually in order of street and house numbers and provide the names of the persons living at each address mentioned. When people moved, their information was scratched through and the new occupants were listed right under the previous ones.

Besides the date of registration the population registers contain the names of all the members of a family and individuals, their sex, date of birth, place of birth, religion, marital status and occupation. Even when people emigrated, it is mentioned in the population registration. From 1920 to c. 1938 the population registers were replaced by so called family cards, often giving the same information. From 1938 to the present a personal card is made for every person living in Holland, regardless of his or her nationality. These personal cards contain a wealth of genealogical information, such as the names, the dates and places of birth, marriage and death of the person concerned and his partner in marriage, his children, addresses, names an usually dates and places of birth of the parents etc.

At the end of every year the personal cards of deceased persons go to the Central Bureau for Genealogy. Copies of the personal cards are available for a fee (records from 1938 onward are only available when the person in question is deceased, in order to protect privacy). When somebody moves abroad his card is filed at the Rijksinspectie Bevolkingsregistratie (State Inspection Population Registration) in The Hague.

To request a record from the Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie:

Photocopies and printouts are issued at NLG 5.65 per copy or printout. To order photocopies or printouts please sent a signed and dated request to the Centraal Bureau voor Genealogie, Postbus (P.O. Box) 11755, NL-2502 AT DEN HAAG, The Netherlands, which lists as accurate as possible the surname, Christian name, birth place and date, place and date of death of the person your are looking for. Requests by e-mail will not be answered. 

Next page > Church Records > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6