This is the page most people actually need. Sacramental records — baptism, confirmation, marriage — are kept in the parish register of the church where the sacrament took place, not centrally in Rome. The Vatican does not hold them and cannot produce them.
Quick facts
If the parish has closed or merged — common across the United States and Europe in recent decades — its registers usually pass to the diocesan archive. The diocese can tell you where a given parish’s books ended up.
Fees breakdown
| Service | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Baptismal certificate | Usually a small offering | From the parish |
| Marriage record | Usually a small offering | From the parish |
| Search of a diocesan archive | Varies by diocese | Where the parish closed |
| Civil certificate | $15–$50 | An entirely separate system |
| Apostille for civil use | $3–$25 | On the civil document |
Keep the two systems separate in your mind. A church marriage record is not a civil marriage certificate, and most authorities asking for proof of marriage want the civil one, issued by the state where it took place.
How to request a record
- Establish the parish and the approximate date.
- Write or telephone that parish directly.
- Give the name as it would have been recorded at the time.
- Add the parents’ names for older entries.
- If the parish has closed, ask the diocese where its registers are held.
- Offer the customary stipend and enclose return postage.
Information to provide
- Full name at the time of the sacrament.
- Date, or the year if that is all you have.
- Parish and town.
- Parents’ names and, for a baptism, the godparents if known.
- Your relationship to the person, for a third-party request.
- Return postage or a prepaid envelope.
Where to enquire
With the parish or the diocesan archive. The Apostolic Nunciature does not hold records.
No offices currently listed.
Additional notes
Annotations on a baptismal record
Marriages, ordinations and declarations of nullity are noted on the original baptismal entry, which is why that one document often answers several questions at once.
Emigrant families
For records in Europe, the parish in the town of origin is the place to write, and diocesan archives there are often willing to help with genealogy.
Church and state
Two separate record systems. Be clear which one the person asking actually needs.
Allow time
Parishes are small offices with other work. A polite letter and patience achieve more than chasing.