Parish Registers and Population Censuses are digitized through scanning microfiches and microfilms. The digitization project continues, and not all Parish Registers Censuses are presently available.
Other possible reasons for inaccessibility are 1) the information is less than 20 years old, 2) the material contains confidential or sensitive information, or 3) the information is purely private (information about race, religion, health etc.).
It is possible to apply for access to the inaccessible sources.
You do not need to register or pay to search the open records.
The most used records are the following:
Parish Registers
All Danish Parish Registers older than 1892, i.e. from 1645, have been digitalised, and uploading to the database of registers completed prior to 1925-1930 has begun. The Parish Registers may provide information on birth/baptism, confirmation (after 1737), marriage and death as well as on when people moved to or from a parish.
Population Censuses
The first population census providing genealogical information was conducted in 1787. Other accessible censuses were taken in the years 1801, 1834, 1840 and 1845. Data from later censuses may appear scattered. In the census list you can find information on age, gender, marital status, profession/occupation, family relationships, domicile and place of birth (from 1845).
Emigration lists
The Copenhagen Police Records of Emigrants provide the following type of information: full name, occupation, place of birth and last place of residence, age, destination, contract number, date of listing in the Copenhagen police records of emigrants and name of the ship. Only persons who emigrated after 1868 can be found in the records. Not all emigrants are listed in the records as some of them travelled independently.
More on Genealogy
- The Danish State Archives
- Sogneportalen
- How to find information
- What basic information is needed
- Good to know
