Foreign Returns: Scots Born, Married or Died Abroad

Trace Scottish ancestors who were born, married or died abroad, and who were registered in the records of Civil Registration in Scotland

​What do I need to know before I start?  

Try to find out:

  • name (s)

  • year(s) of birth, marriage or death

  • where the event took place

​What records can I find in The Mitchell: Registrars?

The returns of Scots who were born, married or died abroad, have been digitally imaged. Copies of these images, together with a full index, are one of the many resources available as part of the ScotlandsPeople network, which you access in the Registrars within the Mitchell on payment of a daily fee. 

 

The records include:

  • Air registers of births or deaths on UK registered aircraft anywhere in the world (1948 to present)

  • Foreign returns of births, marriages and deaths abroad (1855 to 1965)

  • Consular returns of births, marriages and deaths abroad (1914 to present)

  • High Commission returns of births, marriages and deaths from certain Commonwealth countries  (1964 to present)

  • Marriages solemnised by army chaplains (1892 to present)

​What records can I see online?

Images of the foreign returns for births (to 1913), marriages (to 1938) and deaths (to 1963) can be purchased on the ScotlandsPeople website.  Discounted vouchers for this website can be purchased in person at Special Collections.