Letter generator
Request your ancestor’s records in the right language
Registry clerks answer faster when the request is in their language and cites the right record. Fill in what you know; the letter updates as you type. The example below is filled in so you can see the result.
What the letter says in English
Everything is generated in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Which office holds your ancestor's record
Citizenship files are built on civil records from the country of origin: the ancestor's birth certificate, and often their marriage and death records too. Each country keeps them in a different place, which is why the letter changes with the tab you choose.
- Italy: the comune (town hall) where the event was registered keeps the civil record, through its civil status office (Ufficio di Stato Civile). Civil registration began across Italy in 1866, and earlier in much of the South. Births before that are in parish books or the provincial State Archive.
- Poland: the civil registry office (Urząd Stanu Cywilnego, USC) keeps births for 100 years and marriages and deaths for 80 years. Older books go to the regional State Archive, which is where most emigrant-era records now sit.
- Ireland: the General Register Office holds civil births from 1864. For the Foreign Births Register, the grandparent's full birth certificate is the key document.
How to get a faster answer
- Give the clerk what they search by: the full name at birth, an exact or approximate date, and both parents' names. A spelling from US records, such as Joseph for Giuseppe, often fails, so use the original form.
- Ask for the right copy. Consulates usually want a full copy (in Italy, a copia integrale), not a short extract. A copy that leaves out the parents' names cannot link generations.
- Explain why you need it. The letters say the record is for a citizenship application and include how you are related, which helps when an office only releases records to descendants.
- Follow up after four to six weeks. Small comuni and archives can be slow. A short, polite reminder that quotes your first request usually works better than a new letter.
After the record arrives
Check that every name and date matches what you entered in the lineage worksheet. A record issued by the country you are applying to does not need an apostille for its own consulate, but your US records will need apostilles, and for Italy and Poland sworn translations too. Log each one in the document tracker so nothing expires before your appointment.