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Genealogy

The Archives of Brussels City hold a number of documents that are useful for carrying out genealogical research.

 

External siteMAKE AN APPOINTMENT IN THE READING ROOM

 

1 – GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

These documents relate exclusively to people who were born, married, died and/or resided at some point in their lives within the territory of the City of Brussels, namely:

  • the municipality of the City of Brussels (1000)
  • the former municipality of Laeken (1020)
  • the former municipality of Haren (1130)
  • the former municipality of Neder-Over-Heembeek (1120)

! For records relating to other municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region, please contact the relevant municipality: Anderlecht / Auderghem / Berchem-Sainte-Agathe / Etterbeek / Evere / Forest / Ganshoren / Ixelles / Jette / Koekelberg / Molenbeek-Saint-Jean / Saint-Gilles / Saint-Josse-ten-Noode / Schaerbeek / Uccle / Watermael-Boitsfort / Woluwe-Saint-Lambert / Woluwe-Saint-Pierre

 

2 – AVAILABLE INFORMATION

The documents available at the Brussels City Archives for genealogical research are: 

  1. parish registers
  2. public civil records, namely: 
    • birth certificates and supplementary birth certificates over 100 years old
    • marriage certificates and death certificates over 75 years old

! Non-public civil records are therefore not available for consultation at the City of Brussels Archives. To access these, you must submit your request by email to the City of Brussels’ Civil Registry Office (etatcivil@brucity.be)

! Civil records for Belgians living abroad are subject to a special procedure. To access these, you must submit your request by email to the City of Brussels Archives (archives@brucity.be)

! The City of Brussels’ Archives Department does not provide any extracts or certified copies. To obtain these, you must send your request by email to the City of Brussels’ Civil Registry Department (etatcivil@brucity.be)

  1. population census registers dating back more than 120 years
    • ! To consult population census registers less than 120 years old, you must first obtain authorization from the City Archivist: to do so, please attend your appointment with the authorization request form, completed, dated and signed.

! the 120-year restriction period is calculated from the year in which the register was closed. Example: the population register opened in 1910 continued to be updated by the municipal administration until 1919, after which a new register (for 1920 onwards) was started. Consequently, access to the 1910-1919 population register, which contains personal data less than 120 years old, is subject to specific conditions (authorisation from the City Archivist – see above). The register will only become freely accessible in 2039 (1919 + 120 years = 2039).

 

3 – TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ACCESS

If you wish to view these documents in the reading room, please familiarize yourself with the terms and conditions of access to genealogical archives (see the tab below, ‘Terms and Conditions of Access’ ↓).

 

4 – CONDITIONS FOR REPRODUCTION

Any request to reproduce material or to use a reproduction (whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes), whether for private or professional use, must follow a specific procedure. If you wish to submit a request for digitization or to use an image, we therefore ask that you:

  • carry out your research in the reading room beforehand;
  • select yourself the documents to be digitized in the reading room;
  • and to familiarize yourself with the reproduction conditions relating to genealogical archives (see the tab below ‘Conditions of access’);

Only once these three conditions have been met will you be able to submit your digitization request.


5 – BOOKING AN APPOINTMENT

Appointments can only be booked via our External siteExternal siteonline booking system (under the ‘Genealogical Research’ slot)

  • Not entirely comfortable with digital technology? You can still book an appointment by telephone on 02/279.53.20
  • Do you live abroad and are unable to visit the reading room? Please contact us by email at archives@brucity.be

We ask that you arrive on time for your appointment and remember to cancel it if you are unable to attend (either online or by telephone on 02/279.53.20)..

 

IMPORTANT ! 

  • Appointments must be booked at least 3 days in advance
  • Appointments are personalized and individual – it is therefore not possible to:
    • book an appointment for another person using your reader account
    • attend the reading room if you have not booked your own slot via your personal ‘reader’ account
    • à ! This also applies to ‘accompanying persons’, who must therefore create their own ‘reader’ account and book a slot in their own name
  • For each consultation slot (3 hours), you must specify the archive references you wish to consult. Please format your references as follows: “Municipality, Record Type, Year(s)”.
    • Example : Brussels, Civil Status Records, Births, 1816; Laeken, Civil Status Records, Deaths, 1937; Haren, Population Register, 1829-1834; Brussels, Population Register, 1910-1919 (with authorization); Neder-Over-Heembeek, Civil Status Records, Marriage, 1899, etc.