You may not need to fly to Central Europe to get a record. Czech parish registers are mostly online, Slovak registers are widely available through FamilySearch, registry offices issue certificates to eligible applicants, and your embassy can help with Czech documents if you are working toward citizenship. This guide explains who to write to, what to say, what to expect and what the archives will not do. We checked these details in October 2026, and archive hours, rules and entry requirements change, so confirm them before you travel.
Check online first
Czech regional archives have digitized almost all parish registers, and they are available online for free, according to the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International. For Slovakia, the regional archives do not maintain separate websites as the Czech archives do, and the government contracted with FamilySearch to provide access to the registers, according to CGSI. Search the portals, FamilySearch and the collections described in our websites comparison before you write.
Who to write to
| Office | What it can provide |
|---|---|
| A Czech regional archive | Parish registers for its region, mostly online. Some will not research for individuals |
| A Czech district archive | Censuses, emigration permissions, land records, marriage contracts, school records and court proceedings, which mostly require a visit or a professional researcher |
| A Slovak state archive | Church registers for the parish, and tax records, deeds and charters, with registers mostly reached through FamilySearch |
| The registry office (matriční úřad) | Recent birth, marriage and death records, with proof of kinship |
| Your embassy or consulate | Czech documents for ancestors, if you know the place of birth or last residence before 1953, according to the Czech Embassy in Ottawa |
What the archives say about research for individuals
- Brno. The Moravian Land Archive in Brno will no longer conduct research for individuals, according to CGSI. If you visit, you can search the records there, and if you do not know exactly what you want, you should contact the archive well in advance by email.
- Professional researchers. Most district archive records require an onsite visit or can be searched through a professional researcher, according to CGSI. The British Czech and Slovak Association lists translators, and CGSI has pages for researchers and translators.
- Slovakia. A recent research-rules document from a Slovak state archive says researchers may study documents in the reading room or through the Interior Ministry’s electronic services. Ask your archive which electronic services exist for your records.
What to include in your request
- The full name of the person, with every spelling and the feminine or masculine form.
- The village, the parish and the district, in the Czech, Slovak, German and Hungarian forms of the name if you know them.
- The approximate date of the event and the denomination.
- The names of the parents or spouse, if known.
- Your own name, address and relationship to the person.
- The kind of record you want, and whether a copy or an extract will do.
- A question about fees and how to pay from abroad.
A sample request
Illustrative composite (not a real family): English: “Dear Sir or Madam, I am researching my great-grandfather, Jan Novák, born about 1880 in the village of [village], parish of [parish]. I would be grateful to know whether the baptism register for 1875 to 1885 is available online or can be consulted, and which archive holds it. I am his great-granddaughter. Please tell me whether a copy can be provided and what it costs. Thank you.” Czech: “Vážená paní, vážený pane, zkoumám svého praděda Jana Nováka, narozeného kolem roku 1880 v obci [obec], farnost [farnost]. Rád(a) bych věděl(a), zda je křestní matrika z let 1875 až 1885 dostupná online nebo ke studiu a který archiv ji uchovává. Jsem jeho pravnučka. Prosím o informaci, zda lze poskytnout kopii a jaká je cena. Děkuji.” Slovak: “Vážená pani, vážený pán, skúmam svojho pradeda Jána Nováka, narodeného okolo roku 1880 v obci [obec], farnosť [farnosť]. Rád(a) by som vedel(a), či je krstná matrika z rokov 1875 až 1885 dostupná online alebo na štúdium a ktorý archív ju uchováva. Som jeho pravnučka. Prosím o informáciu, či je možné poskytnúť kópiu a aká je cena. Ďakujem.” Have a Czech or Slovak speaker check the translations before you send them.
Fees
Research in a Czech state archive’s reading room is free of charge, and fees are charged only for certain services such as copying and research, according to the visitor page of the Archive of the Office of the President of the Republic in Prague, a specialized archive that applies the same national rules, which also says researchers can copy records free of charge with their own camera or scanner. A recent Slovak archive document says the archive makes copies of archival documents for a payment of costs. Ask each office for its price list and how to pay from abroad.
Using your embassy
If you are working toward Czech citizenship, the Czech Embassy in Ottawa says you can apply at the embassy for Czech documents about your ancestors if you know their place of birth or last residence in Czechoslovakia before 1953, and that if you do not, you should start with genealogical research in the Czech Republic. See our citizenship guide and document checklist.
Following up
- Keep a log of every request: the office, the date, what you asked, the reply and the next step.
- Send a polite reminder after several weeks, and thank the staff after you receive a reply.
- Photograph or scan what you receive, transcribe it and then translate it. See our reading guide.
- If a record cannot be found, try the other denominations, the neighboring parishes and the other forms of the village name.
Common mistakes
- Writing to an archive that does not research for individuals. Ask first, or hire a researcher.
- Asking vaguely. Give names, dates, the parish and your relationship.
- Skipping the online portals. The record may already be online.
- Searching one spelling. Include the feminine form and the variants.
- Forgetting the parish. The village may not have had its own church.
Continue with our archives visit guide and visiting your ancestral village, and browse Heritage Travel. Sources include the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International’s guide to using archives, CGSI’s page on the Brno archive, CGSI’s page on western Slovak archives, the research rules of the state archive in Nitra, the visitor page of the Archive of the Office of the President of the Republic and a British Czech and Slovak Association research page.
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