ALGERIA

All of the civil registers prior to 1962 remain in place, however the marginal notes have not been kept up to date. Only some 3,600,000 records out of a total of about 5 million, therefore approximately two-thirds, have been able to be microfilmed.

 Civil records more recent than 100 years 

Civil registrations less than 100 years old for French citizens born in a state previously under the authority or the sovereignty of France are kept in Nantes, at the Service Central de l'état civil, BP 44941, 44035 - Nantes, Cedex 01. This is the case for the Jews born in Algeria before 1962.

For events (births, marriages,deaths) that occurred in Algeria less than 100 years ago, it is there that one must write (there is no public access) giving as best as possible the date, but the place is required. If it is possible first use the Minitel, 3615 *SCEC. In this case, if the date is not known, do not leave the space blank, but enter "00". 

As for all civil registration documents in France less than 100 years old, a copy of a death certificate, or an extract of a birth or marriage record without any filiation, will be sent on request. But, a complete copy of a record of birth or marriage, including the names of the parents (copy with filiation) will only be sent to one who is qualified (the person themself, or a spouse, or a descendant), with the additional condition that that person furnish the full name (first and last)of the parents of the person whose record is being requested, in addition to giving his/her qualifications to receive the information.

Civil records older than 100 years

Civil records more than 100 years old are sent back to the Centre des Archives d'Outremer, 29 Chemin du Moulin de Testa, 13090 - Aix en Provence. This office does not responds to written requests. It is necessary to consult the microfilms at the Centre. or to request their loan, one reel at a time and for a limited period, through the Departmental Archives (in Paris at the CARAN, 11, rue des Quatre-Fils, 75003 - Paris; Tel.(+33)40 27 64 19 or via the Web at:
<www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/chan/index.html>
Click on Presentation on the left, and then on Centre d'Accueil. As indicated above not all of the registers have been filmed.

The list of available microfilms has been published in issue #58 of the Revue du CGJ. A team of our members, led by Roland GOZLAN and Fernand DERAY, has undertaken the task of recording a number of the documents (see the Revue, issues 57,60,61,64). 

The CAOM recently announced that it will be progressively possible to consult civil record data older than 100 years, including data from small towns, which were missing because they were attached to more recent acts. To be more accurate, it will be possible to know whether the person you are looking for is included in an act which has been digitized by the CAOM. But the act itself may only be consulted on the premises of the CAOM (this has been decided by the French "Commission Informatique et Liberté". This is nevertheless a drastic breakthrough and everything (i.e. 1,400,000 acts) is supposed to be completed by the end of 2004. At present almost all acts have been indexed. For details, have a look on http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/caom/fr/index.htm
To find whether an act exists, it is convenient to use the following address http://caom.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/sdx/ecfa/
If you are a member of CGJ, there are good news for you: we can obtain the acts for you. Please click here.

If you have not found the microfilm you are seeking, you can write politely, without a guaranty of success, to the Algerian Mairie (renamed" Assemblée Communale Populaire"), which in principal owns the original registers (assuming that these were not destroyed during the events of 1954 to 1962). You must indicate the the precise place, the date as precisely as possible, and include two International Reply Coupons. Be aware, in the address, of a possible change of name of the locality. We are able to provide you with a list of the new names.