Registers of the present population, prepared for computer use, are maintained by the Central Bureau of Statistics, but they are not accessible to genealogical researchers. These migration lists, however, are often very incomplete, and the individual entries are sometimes made many years after the actual migration occurred. Some parish registers date from the 1600s, but most begin after 1700. Parish registers did not take on a standardized form until about 1800. The parish registers are transferred to the regional archives 80 years after the last entry.
More recent registers are in the care of the parish ministers.
They were sent to the regional archives on completion. Registers less than 60 years old, however, are usually not accessible to genealogical researchers. Abstracts of the parish registers since 1866 are held by the Central Bureau of Statistics. Most of the abstracts for the years prior to 1921 have been deposited in the National Archives. Registers with details of church proceedings are also kept by the leaders of recognized nonconformist churches.