How to Find Someone in Scotland

By: Corinna Underwood

If you are looking for a long-lost friend or relative in Scotland, there are a number of resources available to help you locate them. These services are free and can be used over the Internet to save you time and money.

Step 1

Search Scotsmart. Scotsmart is a one-stop online resource that's a great place to start if you're looking for a lost relative or friend in Scotland. The website has links to a number of free Internet services, including the largest database of telephone numbers in the United Kingdom, a database for reuniting old friends from schools and colleges throughout the UK, British maps and street searches, and links to genealogy databases.

Step 2

Contact the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS). This is a valuable resource if you are having difficulty finding someone in Scotland. As a part of the Scottish Administration, GROS hold records of births, marriage, divorce, deaths, civil unions and adoptions. They also run, document and archive the Scottish Census. This organization is the main source of individual and family history records in Scotland.

Step 3

Search at Scotland's People. Through this website you can gain free access to Scottish birth records from 1855 to 2006. In the archive of statutory registers, their parish records go as far back as 1538. They also have complete Scottish census records dating back to 1841. Other records that may be of help in your search include coats of arms and wills and testaments.