Genealogy archives online in Belgium, by province (2026)
· 12 min read · The Memory Palace Team
Building a family tree in Belgium means searching a country with three languages, ten provinces plus Brussels, and archives spread over cities, provinces and the State Archives. This overview shows, province by province, where the records are online, what is free and whether you can search by name.
Last checked: 3 October 2026, on each archive's own website. Where an archive does not state something, the table says "not stated". We make The Memory Palace, a small app made by one person, Bram, in Leuven, Belgium.
Where to start
Start with AGATHA, run by the State Archives: it has the scans of the parish registers and civil records of all of Belgium, free with an account, and you can search more than 42 million names there without an account. If your ancestors lived in a city with its own portal, such as Antwerp, Mechelen, Hasselt, Ghent, Aalst or Bruges, look there too, which sometimes has more, such as population registers. Population registers, notarial and court records are otherwise mostly consulted in the reading room.
Which records are public
| Record | Public after |
|---|---|
| Birth record | 100 years |
| Marriage record | 75 years |
| Death record | 75 years (50 years until 31 December 2024) |
Since 1 January 2025, death records are only public after 75 years, for records drawn up before 31 March 2019. The State Archives therefore took death records between 50 and 75 years old off AGATHA. You request a record that is not yet public from the civil registration office of the municipality.
How to read the tables
- Account: whether you need to sign in to view the scans.
- Search: "by name" means there is a name index; "browse scans" means you page through the registers yourself, by municipality and year.
- Site language: the language of the website, not of the documents. Those stay in their original language, often Latin, French or Dutch.
Archives by province
National portals
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGATHA (State Archives / Rijksarchief / Archives de l'État) | Parish registers, civil records, name index across archives Free account to view scans, up to 100 pages a day. Name search in the record abstracts (more than 42 million names) without an account. | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Only for scans | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| FamilySearch, Belgian collections | Civil records, parish registers Some provinces indexed by name, others images only. Antwerp's FelixArchief refers to it for several years of civil records. | 1582 to 1920, varies by province | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Not stated |
| Geneanet | Name index across archives, civil records, family trees Volunteer indexes are free; partner indexes (Geneanet states more than 25 million Belgian vital records) need Premium. | Not stated | Free, some paid | Not stated | By name | Not stated |
| Familiekunde Vlaanderen (Octopus) | Memorial cards, name index across archives Octopus searches the memorial cards and death notices of all regional branches at once. Free for members; non-members can take a separate Octopus subscription. | Not stated | Members | Yes | By name | Dutch |
| BelgicaPress (KBR, Royal Library) | Newspapers Belgian newspapers, full text, useful for death notices. Free for everyone up to 1918; the later years to 1950 need a MyKBR account for research or teaching. | 1831 to 1918 | Free | No | By name and browse | French, Dutch, English, German |
| SCGD, marriage databases (Brussels and Wallonia) | Parish registers, name index across archives Index of about 1.5 million marriages (date, place, spouses), no scans. Members 50 euros a year with 50 searches; non-members 20 euros for 10 searches. | Not stated | Members | Yes | By name | French, Dutch |
| OGHB, Mariages à Bruxelles et en Wallonie | Parish registers, name index across archives Online: names, year and province only; the exact date and parish are given at the office in Brussels. | Before 1796 | Not stated | Not stated | By name | French |
| Karakol | Memorial cards, name index across archives Search engine of the Familiekunde Vlaanderen branches of Ostend, Ghent and Bruges, for memorial cards and death notices. Searching is free; scans are ordered (Ostend and Ghent: 5 euros per order plus 1 euro per scan). | Not stated | Free, some paid | No | By name | Dutch |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
Antwerp
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rijksarchief Antwerpen | Parish registers, civil records Also a depot in Beveren. | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| FelixArchief (city archives of Antwerp) | Parish registers, population registers, civil records All public population registers and all parish registers it holds are digital and free to consult on its website. Some years of civil records are on FamilySearch instead. | Parish registers 1504 to 1796; population registers older than 120 years | Free | Not stated | Browse scans | Dutch |
| Genealogische Bronnen Rivierenland (Mechelen, Lier, Willebroek, Duffel) | Population registers, civil records, parish registers, notarial records, memorial cards City archives of Mechelen and neighbouring towns. Lier: population registers 1840 to 1900. An account is only needed for a personal file. | Mechelen: parish registers 1303 to 1796, population registers 1796 to 1900 | Free | No | By name and browse | Dutch |
| Genealogie Turnhout (Stadsarchief Turnhout) | Civil records, population registers, parish registers, notarial records | Births 1796 to 1925, marriages and deaths to 1950; population registers 1821 to 1900 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
Limburg
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rijksarchief Hasselt | Parish registers, civil records | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| Genealogie Hasselt (Stadsarchief Hasselt) | Population registers, civil records Population registers and civil records of Hasselt and its former municipalities, free after registering. | Not stated | Free | Yes, free | Not stated | Dutch |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
East Flanders
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rijksarchief Gent | Parish registers, civil records | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| Stad Gent, open data: civil records | Civil records Births 1901 to 1926, marriages 1901 to 1951, deaths of Ghent 1901 to 1910 and of the former municipalities up to 1951. Kept by Archief Gent. | 1901 to 1951 | Free | Not stated | Browse scans | Dutch |
| Made in Aalst, genealogie (Stadsarchief Aalst) | Civil records, population registers, military records About 245,000 searchable records; not all years 1911 to 1970 are online yet. | Civil records 1796 to 1970; population registers 1796 to 1881; militia 1845 to 1918 | Not stated | Not stated | By name and browse | Dutch |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
West Flanders
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rijksarchief Brugge | Parish registers, civil records | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| Rijksarchief Kortrijk | Parish registers, civil records | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| Archiefbank Brugge (city archives of Bruges) | Civil records, population registers, parish registers, court records Name search in civil records (births to 1920, marriages to 1945, deaths to 1970) and the Bruges population registers; parish registers can be browsed. An account is only needed to keep a personal file. | Civil records 1795 to 1970; population registers 1790 to 1880 | Free | No | By name and browse | Dutch, French, English |
| Beeldbank Kortrijk (Stadsarchief Kortrijk) | Civil records, population registers, memorial cards About half of the 400,000 records can be searched by name. Most population registers are in the reading room. | Civil records from 1796 | Not stated | No | By name and browse | Dutch |
| Archief stad Oostende | Civil records | Births 1796 to 1925, marriages and deaths to 1939 | Free | Not stated | By name and browse | Dutch |
| Vrijwilligersrab, akten West-Vlaanderen | Parish registers, civil records, estate records, notarial records, name index across archives Volunteer indexes linked to the State Archives; the scans themselves are on AGATHA. Archief Ieper says it covers West Flemish records up to 1918. | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated | By name | Dutch, French, English, German, Spanish |
| Probat, Provinciaal Archief West-Vlaanderen | Military records Militia registers as PDF scans per municipality. There is no name index: you need the date and place of birth, or the place of residence at age 19 or 20. | 1813 to 1922 | Not stated | Not stated | Browse scans | Dutch |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
Flemish Brabant
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rijksarchief Leuven | Parish registers, civil records | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| Archiefbank Diest (Stadsarchief Diest) | Civil records, population registers All public civil records and population registers older than 120 years, fully digitised and free. | Not stated | Free | Yes, free | Not stated | Dutch |
| Itinera Nova, Stadsarchief Leuven | Court records Aldermen's court registers and city accounts, scanned and transcribed by volunteers, searchable as full text. | 14th to 18th century | Not stated | Not stated | By name | Dutch |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
Brussels-Capital Region
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rijksarchief Brussel / Archives de l'État à Bruxelles | Parish registers, civil records Reading room in Forest. | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| Archief van de Stad Brussel / Archives de la Ville de Bruxelles | Parish registers Parish registers only online through the State Archives. Civil records and population registers (1846 to 1947) in the reading room. Covers the City of Brussels, Laeken, Haren and Neder-Over-Heembeek; the other 18 municipalities keep their own archives. | Not stated | Free | Yes, free | Browse scans | Dutch, French, English |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
Walloon Brabant
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archives de l'État à Louvain-la-Neuve | Parish registers, civil records | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
Hainaut
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archives de l'État à Mons | Parish registers, civil records | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| Archives de l'État à Tournai | Parish registers, civil records | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| Ville de Mons, open data: index des actes d'état civil | Civil records, name index across archives Name index only, no scans: 62,763 records of births, marriages and deaths in Mons and its former municipalities. | Not stated | Free | No | By name | French |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
Liège, including the German-speaking Community
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archives de l'État à Liège | Parish registers, civil records | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
| Staatsarchiv in Eupen | Parish registers, civil records For the German-speaking Community. | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
Luxembourg (Belgian province)
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archives de l'État à Arlon | Parish registers, civil records Also holds the collections of the former Saint-Hubert branch, closed in 2019. | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
Namur
The State Archives branch for this province keeps the originals. The scans of its parish and civil registers are on AGATHA (see the national table); population registers, notarial and court records are mostly consulted in the reading room.
| Source | What is online | Period | Cost | Account | Search | Site language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archives de l'État à Namur | Parish registers, civil records | 16th century to at least 1910 | Free | Yes, free | By name and browse | Dutch, French, German, English |
Last checked: 3 October 2026.
Help with your search
Familiekunde Vlaanderen, the Flemish genealogical society, has regional branches with reading rooms and volunteers; at the FelixArchief in Antwerp its volunteers are available without booking on the first and third Friday of the month, from 9 am to 2 pm. The website familiegeschiedenis.be explains, source by source, where to find them (in Dutch).
For a step-by-step guide, read starting a family tree in Belgium. If you are also searching across the border, see the overview of Dutch archives by province.
If your tree is already in a GEDCOM file, The Memory Palace's free viewer shows you in your browser how many generations it holds and where the gaps are, so you know which archive to search next.
Sources
- AGATHA (State Archives / Rijksarchief / Archives de l'État): arch.be/index.php?l=nl&m=genealoog&r=archief-te-raadplegen
- AGATHA (State Archives / Rijksarchief / Archives de l'État): agatha.arch.be/help/?lang=nl
- FamilySearch, Belgian collections: familysearch.org/en/wiki/Belgium_Civil_Registration_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records
- Geneanet: en.geneanet.org/genealogyblog/post/2025/07/searching-your-belgian-ancestors
- Familiekunde Vlaanderen (Octopus): familiekunde-vlaanderen.be/octopus
- Familiekunde Vlaanderen (Octopus): familiekunde-vlaanderen.be/indices
- BelgicaPress (KBR, Royal Library): kbr.be/en/digitised-newspapers-and-newspapers-on-microfilm
- SCGD, marriage databases (Brussels and Wallonia): scgd.be
- SCGD, marriage databases (Brussels and Wallonia): scgd.be/htm/accesnonmembres.php
- OGHB, Mariages à Bruxelles et en Wallonie: oghb.be/mariages-walbru
- Karakol: karakol.be/uitleg
- Karakol: familiegeschiedenis.be/nl/bronnen/bidprentje
- FelixArchief (city archives of Antwerp): felixarchief.antwerpen.be/zoekwijzers?zoekwijzer=zoekwijzer-genealogie&pagina=zoekwijzer-genealogie-primaire-bronnen&subpagina=zoekwijzer-genealogie-primaire-bronnen-bevolking
- Genealogische Bronnen Rivierenland (Mechelen, Lier, Willebroek, Duffel): genealogischebronnenrivierenland.be/Onderzoek
- Genealogische Bronnen Rivierenland (Mechelen, Lier, Willebroek, Duffel): stadsarchief.mechelen.be/mechelse-bevolkingsregisters-tot-1890-online
- Genealogie Turnhout (Stadsarchief Turnhout): genealogie.turnhout.be
- Genealogie Turnhout (Stadsarchief Turnhout): turnhout.be/nl/documenten-en-attesten/identiteit/stamboomonderzoek
- Genealogie Hasselt (Stadsarchief Hasselt): genealogie.hasselt.be/Onderzoek
- Stad Gent, open data: civil records: data.stad.gent/explore/dataset/geboorteakten
- Made in Aalst, genealogie (Stadsarchief Aalst): madeinaalst.be/collecties/genealogie
- Archiefbank Brugge (city archives of Bruges): archiefbankbrugge.be/ons-verhaal
- Beeldbank Kortrijk (Stadsarchief Kortrijk): kortrijk.be/stadsarchief/familiegeschiedenis
- Archief stad Oostende: archief.oostende.be/product.aspx?id=9262
- Vrijwilligersrab, akten West-Vlaanderen: vrijwilligersrab.be
- Vrijwilligersrab, akten West-Vlaanderen: archief.ieper.be/stamboomonderzoek
- Probat, Provinciaal Archief West-Vlaanderen: probat.west-vlaanderen.be/militieregisters-online-raadpleegbaar
- Probat, Provinciaal Archief West-Vlaanderen: probat.west-vlaanderen.be/archief/reeks/1361/registratie-van-militieaangelegenheden
- Probat, Provinciaal Archief West-Vlaanderen: west-vlaanderen.be/over-west-vlaanderen/archief/bronnen-en-publicaties-voor-onderzoek
- Archiefbank Diest (Stadsarchief Diest): diest.be/burger-en-overheid/over-diest/stadsarchief/stamboomonderzoek
- Itinera Nova, Stadsarchief Leuven: leuven.be/itineranova
- Archief van de Stad Brussel / Archives de la Ville de Bruxelles: archief.brussel.be/genealogie
- Archief van de Stad Brussel / Archives de la Ville de Bruxelles: archief.brussel.be/online-archieven
- Ville de Mons, open data: index des actes d'état civil: opendata.mons.be/explore/dataset/archives-test-inventaires-personnes
- Rijksarchief, raadplegingsvoorwaarden overlijdensakten (8 januari 2025): arch.be/index.php?l=nl&m=nieuws&r=alle-nieuwsberichten&a=2025-01-08-raadplegingsvoorwaarden-van-overlijdensakten-aangepast
- Archief van Brussel, burgerlijke stand: archief.brussel.be/burgerlijke-stand
- Rijksarchief, genealogie: waar beginnen: arch.be/index.php?l=nl&m=genealoog&r=genealogie-waar-beginnen
- FelixArchief, zoekwijzer genealogie: burgerlijke stand: felixarchief.antwerpen.be/zoekwijzers?zoekwijzer=zoekwijzer-genealogie&pagina=zoekwijzer-genealogie-primaire-bronnen&subpagina=zoekwijzer-genealogie-primaire-bronnen-burgerlijke-stand
- FelixArchief, zoekwijzer genealogie: parochieregisters: felixarchief.antwerpen.be/zoekwijzers?zoekwijzer=zoekwijzer-genealogie&pagina=zoekwijzer-genealogie-primaire-bronnen&subpagina=zoekwijzer-genealogie-primaire-bronnen-parochieregisters
Questions people ask
Where can I find old Belgian civil records online?
On AGATHA (agatha.arch.be), the search site of the State Archives of Belgium. It has the scans of parish registers and of civil registers from 1796, for every province. To view the scans you create a free account. FamilySearch also has Belgian collections, free with an account.
Can I search Belgian records by name?
Yes, in the State Archives' record abstracts: more than 42 million names entered by volunteers, without an account. Not every register has been processed yet. In Bruges you can search by name in Archiefbank Brugge. Elsewhere you browse the scans, fastest with the ten-year indexes.
Which records are public in Belgium?
Birth records after 100 years and marriage records after 75 years. Since 1 January 2025, death records are only public after 75 years instead of 50, for records drawn up before 31 March 2019. The State Archives therefore took death records between 50 and 75 years old offline.
Is genealogy research in Belgian archives free?
Mostly. AGATHA, the FelixArchief population registers and Archiefbank Brugge are free. FamilySearch is free with an account. On Geneanet the volunteer indexes are free, but partner indexes need a Premium subscription. Familiekunde Vlaanderen's Octopus search is free for members.
Where can I find Belgian population registers online?
Population registers are usually consulted in the reading room of the city archives or the State Archives. Online you can find, among others, the public population registers of Antwerp (FelixArchief, older than 120 years), Bruges (Archiefbank Brugge, 1790 to 1880), Mechelen, Turnhout, Hasselt, Aalst and Diest. In Brussels they are only in the reading room.
What language are Belgian archives in?
The State Archives' websites are in Dutch, French, German and English, but the documents stay in their original language. Parish registers are mostly in Latin, with formulas that repeat. The branch in Eupen serves the German-speaking Community.
Are Belgian militia registers online?
For West Flanders, you can view the militia registers from 1813 to 1922 from home through Probat, the province's archive network. There is no name index: you need the date and place of birth, or the place of residence at age 19 or 20.
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