How to request a literal civil copy in Puerto Rico

The Demographic Registry defines it very precisely: a literal civil copy is a faithful and exact copy of the book at the moment the person was registered. That definition is the key to what it is for. An ordinary birth, marriage or death certification is a document the Registry issues today with current data; the literal copy reproduces the entry exactly as it was written when the event was registered. That is why it is used when you need to see the original content — names, annotations, margins, corrections — and the summarized, updated version is not enough.

The Registry asks you to accompany the request with a copy of valid photo identification on both sides, belonging to the applicant. As with the other vital-event certifications, eligibility is governed by the interested-party definition in Act No. 24 of April 22, 1931. There is also an archive limit that applies to the whole search: the Registry’s archives run from 1885 to the present, and if your request falls outside those years, the agency suggests requesting the baptism record from the parish or church where your relative was baptized.

• Mailing the request to the Demographic Registry’s Central Office: P.O. Box 11854, Fernández Juncos Station, San Juan, PR 00910.Verified against the official source
• Accompanying the request with a copy of valid photo identification on both sides, belonging to the applicant.Verified against the official source
• If you reside outside Puerto Rico, sending a money order payable to the Secretary of the Treasury. If you reside in Puerto Rico, sending internal revenue stamps or a money order.Verified against the official source
• That the event fall within the archive: the Registry states its archives run from 1885 to the present.Verified against the official source

• The literal civil copy request, with the details of the event you are looking for.
• A copy of your valid photo identification on both sides.
• Payment: a money order payable to the Secretary of the Treasury if you reside outside Puerto Rico, or internal revenue stamps or a money order if you live on the Island.

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   Step 1: Confirm you need the literal copy and not the ordinary certification

   The difference is real and determines what you request. The ordinary certification is the document the Registry issues today with current data, and it costs less. The literal civil copy is a faithful and exact copy of the book at the moment of registration. If whoever asked specified “literal”, request the literal one; if they only said “birth certificate”, the ordinary one is most likely enough and cheaper.

2. 2

   Step 2: Verify the event falls between 1885 and the present

   The Demographic Registry’s archives run from 1885. If the event you are looking for predates that, the Registry directs you to the parish or church where your relative was baptized to request the baptism record. This check matters more here than in other procedures, because if the event is not found you lose the payment.

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   Step 3: Prepare a copy of your ID on both sides

   The Registry asks for it expressly: a copy of valid photo identification on both sides, belonging to the applicant. It is the same criterion that applies to mailed certification requests, and omitting it is grounds for the request not being processed.

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   Step 4: Arrange payment according to where you live

   If you reside outside Puerto Rico, the Registry asks for a money order payable to the Secretary of the Treasury for $15.00 for the first copy and $10.00 for additional ones. If you reside in Puerto Rico, it says to send internal revenue stamps or a money order. Before deciding how many copies to request, keep in mind that if the event is not found in the archives, the stamp or money order is cancelled for the search.

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   Step 5: Mail everything to the Central Office PO box

   The address the Registry publishes for this process is specific and different from that of other mail requests: P.O. Box 11854, Fernández Juncos Station, San Juan, PR 00910. Use that one, not the ordinary certifications address.

By mail, to the Demographic Registry’s Central Office: P.O. Box 11854, Fernández Juncos Station, San Juan, PR 00910. That is the address the Registry publishes specifically for literal civil copy requests.

• Requesting the literal copy when whoever asked only needs the ordinary certification, which costs less.
• Mailing the request to the ordinary certifications address rather than P.O. Box 11854, Fernández Juncos Station, which is what the Registry publishes for literal copies.
• Sending a copy of the ID on one side only, when the Registry asks for both sides.
• Requesting an event from before 1885, when the Registry’s archives begin that year, and losing the payment on the search.
• Sending approximate event details without confirming them, when if the entry is not found the stamp or money order is cancelled for the search.
• Residing outside Puerto Rico and sending internal revenue stamps instead of a money order payable to the Secretary of the Treasury.

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

• Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico

  Salud

  www.salud.pr.gov

• Demographic Registry — vital event certifications

  Departamento de Salud

  www.salud.pr.gov