Birth, death and marriage registration became compulsory in Scotland from 1855, so statutory records are held from this period. Prior to this, parish records were kept by the established Church of Scotland.
However, the majority of Scots were members of the Church of Scotland and so their baptisms, (not births) and proclamation of banns of marriage are usually recorded in the church registers. These records are known as old parish records or OPRs and date from 1553 to 1854.
Digital images of these records for the whole of Scotland including census records from 1841 can be viewed at any of our six registration offices for a fee. Details of the local registration office can be found here|.