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In depth
The Registro Civil is the civil registry in Spain and Latin American countries that maintains records of births, marriages, deaths, and other vital events. Each country has its own Registro Civil system, typically organized by municipality or province.
For CBD cases, the Registro Civil of the ancestor's birthplace is the primary source of vital records. In Spain, the Registro Civil is centralized in Madrid (for births after 1950) and maintained locally (for births before 1950).
Latin American Registros Civiles vary in organization and accessibility. Some (Mexico, Argentina, Brazil) are well-digitized; others (Cuba, Venezuela) are difficult to access. Ancestra coordinates with local counsel and archivists in each country.
Related terms
The Ley de Memoria Democrática (Democratic Memory Law, 2022) is the Spanish law that opened citizenship to descendants of Civil War and Franco-era exiles.
The Ley de Memoria Histórica (Historical Memory Law, 2007) was the predecessor Spanish law granting citizenship to descendants of Civil War exiles, replaced by the 2022 Democratic Memory Law.
The Ministerio de Justicia (Ministry of Justice) is the Spanish government ministry that processes citizenship applications under the Memory Law.
Sephardic citizenship is the Portuguese (and formerly Spanish) path to citizenship for descendants of Sephardic Jews expelled during the Inquisition.
The Inquisição (Portuguese Inquisition, 1536-1821) was the persecution that expelled Sephardic Jews from Portugal, whose descendants are eligible for Portuguese citizenship.
The Comunidade Israelita (Jewish Community) of Lisbon or Porto issues the certificates of Sephardic ancestry required for Portuguese citizenship applications.