Puerto Rico Public Records

In Puerto Rico, background checks are governed by the Puerto Rico Public Records Law (Act 5 of 1955, as amended) and the Puerto Rico Constitution, Article II, Section 8 (right to privacy). Background checks may include criminal history, court filings, sex offender status, arrest records, and vital statistics maintained by the Puerto Rico Department of Justice at justice.pr.gov. The Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB) at policia.pr.gov manages criminal history records. Employers and licensing agencies request background checks through the Puerto Rico Department of Justice Criminal Justice Information Office. The FBI also maintains federal criminal records accessible through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Puerto Rico residents may request their own criminal history record from the Puerto Rico Superior Court or the PRPB at Ave. FD Roosevelt, Hato Rey, San Juan, PR 00918. Phone: (787) 781-2020.

Police reports in Puerto Rico are public records under Act 5 of 1955 (Puerto Rico Public Records Law) and may be requested from the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB). The PRPB has 13 police areas across the island. Who may request: Any person - no specific residency requirement. Submit requests to the PRPB station that handled the incident. PRPB Headquarters: Ave. FD Roosevelt, Hato Rey, San Juan, PR 00918. Phone: (787) 781-2020. Website: policia.pr.gov. For traffic incidents, the Accident Records Division is located at PRPB Headquarters, Hato Rey. Municipal police departments in larger cities like San Juan, Bayamon, Ponce, and Carolina also maintain incident reports. If access is denied, you may appeal to the Puerto Rico Ombudsman (Procurador del Ciudadano) at prcidadano.pr.gov. Phone: (787) 724-7373.

Vital records (birth, death, marriage, divorce) in Puerto Rico are maintained by the Puerto Rico Demographic Registry (Registro Demografico) under the Puerto Rico Department of Health. Birth certificates: $11 per certified copy. Death certificates: $11 per certified copy. Marriage certificates: $11 per certified copy. Divorce records: filed with the Puerto Rico Court of First Instance at the Court of First Instance nearest to where the divorce was granted. The Demographic Registry main office is at 171 Ave. Carlos Chardon, Hato Rey, San Juan, PR 00917. Phone: (787) 767-9120. Website: salud.pr.gov. Regional offices are available in Bayamon, Ponce, Mayaguez, Arecibo, and other municipalities. You may also order Puerto Rico vital records through VitalChek at vitalchek.com. Fee waivers may be available for documented low-income individuals. Records less than 110 years old (birth) or 25 years old (death/marriage) require proof of eligibility.

Puerto Rico's public schools are administered by the Puerto Rico Department of Education (PRDE) at de.pr.gov. The territory uses the Pruebas Puerto Rico (PPR) assessment. School performance data is published through PRDE annual reports. Puerto Rico has approximately 840 public schools across 78 municipalities. The NCES at nces.ed.gov provides supplemental school data for Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico crime statistics are compiled by the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB) and published at policia.pr.gov. FBI UCR data also includes Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has experienced elevated violent crime rates, particularly in the San Juan metropolitan area. The Puerto Rico Statistical Institute (PRSI) at estadisticas.pr also publishes public safety data. Local police commands in San Juan, Bayamon, Carolina, and Ponce publish municipality-specific reports.

If arrested in Puerto Rico, you would be taken to the nearest Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB) station for processing and booking. Depending on the charge, you may be held at the closest regional detention center. Major detention facilities include: Bayamon Correctional Complex (largest), Bayamon, PR 00961 (Administration of Correction: (787) 273-6464); Ponce Correctional Complex, Ponce, PR 00731; Metropolitan Detention Center (federal), 2ND Floor Edificio MDC, Guaynabo, PR 00965, Phone: (787) 749-4480. Court appearances are scheduled in the Puerto Rico Court of First Instance (Tribunal de Primera Instancia) in the judicial region where the arrest occurred. The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico oversees the court system at ramajudicial.pr.gov. For felonies, arraignment typically occurs within 48 hours. The Puerto Rico Public Defender (Administracion de Tribunales) provides legal representation for those who cannot afford counsel. Phone: (787) 641-7600.

Yes. Puerto Rico public libraries provide access to public records, legal databases, and government documents. The Puerto Rico Public Library System (Sistema de Bibliotecas Publicas) operates libraries across all 78 municipalities, with branch locations at ciudad.pr.gov/bibliotecas and through the Puerto Rico Institute of Culture. The main Puerto Rico State Library (Biblioteca del Estado) is a division of the Puerto Rico Department of State at estado.pr.gov. Libraries offer free access to court records through the Rama Judicial portal at ramajudicial.pr.gov, government databases, historical archives, and genealogical records. The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Law Library at the Rio Piedras campus provides public access to legal records and Puerto Rico statutes at law.uprrp.edu. Phone: (787) 764-0000. The Puerto Rico Public Records Law (Act 5 of 1955) guarantees citizen access to all non-exempt government records upon request to the holding agency.

The Puerto Rico State Archives is located at 500 Ave Dr Pedro Albizu Campos, Puerta de Tierra, San Juan, PR 00901. Phone: (787) 724-0700. The Puerto Rico Department of State Library is at Ave Ponce de Leon 2, San Juan, PR 00940. Phone: (787) 722-2121. Both hold Puerto Rico government records, genealogical collections, and historical documents. Online resources including digitized records are at estado.pr.gov.

Puerto Rico fingerprinting services for background checks are provided by the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), Forensic Science Bureau, at PR-177, Bayamon, PR. Phone: (787) 793-1234. IdentoGO (MorphoTrust) operates fingerprinting services in San Juan and other municipalities - schedule at identogo.com or call 1-888-483-4632. Many PRPB precinct offices across Puerto Rico's 13 police areas also provide fingerprinting for employment and licensing.