Finding international public records online poses a multitude of barriers to getting information. Many countries don't keep public records online, some places only have websites in the native tongue which unless you are fluent in a that language can be impossible to navigate, and in some places records are so poorly kept that there is no way they could even begin to make it online.

At www.freeprf.com there is a link to World Records, which has all the countries listed. Not all the links are the same types of public records as in the United States but it is a good launching point for a search.

• The Canadian links have a variety of available websites for searches for our neighbor to the North including the database for Prince Edward Islands Public records, Alberta real estate license information, as well as a host of other sites.
• Links to other countries like Mexico, Asia, Middle East and South America have few links, other than yellow or white pages.
• For Bermuda, there is a link to the Supreme Court, which is searchable after purchasing credits.
• Europe has links to a mix of information including a link to the National Archives of the United Kingdom which is a database of over a 1,000 years of UK history.

Another place to try for public records in foreign countries is Ancestry.com. For a subscription fee that can be either monthly or yearly, they provide access to hundreds of records from across the globe. The majority of records come from United Kingdom but there are also records from Canada, Australia, Europe and Ireland.

Cyndi's List also has links to thousands of websites from all over the world. Some of the countries do not have searchable databases but she does provide links to reference material for other countries. Her site also provides cultural information on almost all countries, which can assist in understanding the ins and outs of places that have a very different idea of public records.

There is also a free WorldGenWeb Project with volunteers from a across the world upload links to websites worldwide to provide access to genealogical, historical and research information worldwide. Searches begin at the regional level and then go to country websites. Other GenWeb Projects include Africa, Asia, British Isles, Caribbean, Central Europe, East Europe, Middle East, Mediterranean, North America, Pacific and South America. It is a large site and one that takes a lot of time to search through.

Rootsweb.com is a free website with a variety of search engines. There is the "metasearch" which does a name search for a specific person across the internet. In addition, there is a search engine for Social Security Death Index, which allows users to search through millions of deaths all by date, name, place, social security number.

International public records searches can be a challenge and at times information is just not going to be available to the public. As much information as there is on the web, it is still a good idea to visit the particular country where the search is taking place, the next best thing would be to hire an expert to do the research for you.