Immigration & Naturalization Records

Immigration records refer to records that document the act of immigration itself, such as passenger lists and border crossings. Naturalization records are those that are created during the act, or attempt, of becoming a citizen. Together these records, along with additional sources, can tell you when your ancestors came to America, how they traveled, where they came from, and who they came with. They can also show relationships like spouses and children, and offer birth dates, marriage dates, physical descriptions (sometimes with pictures!), occupations, and residences.

Types of Immigration & Naturalization Records

  • A-Files, or individual alien case files, for records created since April 1, 1944 or naturalized after April 1, 1956. Case files may include an immigrant visa, alien registration, petitions, change of address cards, applications for naturalization. (A-files prior to 1951 can be requested from USCIS)

  • Alien Registration Forms (AR-2), for aliens over age 14 who entered or lived in the US from Aug 1, 1940 to March 31, 1944 (copies can be requested from USCIS)

  • Border Crossings, Card Manifests

  • Census Records (may tell year of immigration, parent’s birth places)

  • C-Files, or Certificate Files (copies of records from 1906 - 1956 can be requested from USCIS)

  • Military Records especially Draft Cards (can offer info on Citizen status and country of origin)

  • Naturalization Papers: Declaration of Intention (or “First Papers”), Petition, Certificate of Arrival, Certificate of Naturalization

  • Obituary Records (may tell immigration date and country of origin)

  • Passenger Lists, Manifest, Passenger Arrival Records, Customs List, Immigration List

  • Passport Applications, Passports

  • Report and Registry, arrival of immigrant recorded with a court appearance (1798 - 1828), after 1906 was Certificate of Arrival

  • Registry Files, also called Certificate of Registry, created when immigrants arrived prior to 1924 but no record was found, can be requested from USCIS

  • Visas and Visa Applications, (required as of 1924 through 1944, first to show names of immigrants parents, can be requested from USCIS)

For more information on the types of records available and how to request them, visit:

Border Crossings

Border crossing records may be included in some passenger record collections and grouped with passport files. While early border crossing records may have used “ship passenger manifests” and lists of arrivals, they later used individual cards, or card manifests, for each traveler that crossed the border.

The US began keeping records of those crossing the Canadian border into the U.S. in 1895, and the Mexican border in 1906.

Many immigrants traveled to Canada and then crossed the border on land to come to the U.S., as it was slightly cheaper than going directly to the United States.

Note that the St. Albans, Vermont district records don’t just refer to those who crossed in that specific town in Vermont, but contain records from all over the Canadian border (until 1917, when those west of the Montana / North Dakota state line started being filed in Seattle), because of an immigration office located there. However, those born in Canada were not recorded on these St.Albans lists until 1906.

Census Records

U.S. Federal Census records can tell you if a person is a naturalized citizen (NA) or alien (AL) or if their first papers had been filed (PA), or how long they’ve been in the country. Also note “NR” for not reported. They started recording this citizen status from 1900 to 1930. The 1920 Census is the only one to ask for the year of naturalization. Census records can also tell you about the parent’s birth place, even though the country names may have changed over time. In addition to Federal census records, see if local state census records offer any additional information.

Passenger Lists

While “immigration records” seems to be an all encompassing term of ship arrival passenger lists, naturalization papers, visa records, alien files, and passport records, in research terms it only refers to the documentation of the act of immigration itself, usually meaning the passenger lists, which were required as of 1820.

Though it is also important to note that not everyone shown on a passenger list was an immigrant, as some were already citizens and others visitors or tourists. Others may have arrived in the U.S. more than once before they stayed. Often the head of the family would travel first, and the rest of the family would follow later

Castle Garden, America’s first official immigration center, was open from 1830 - 1890 in New York, and is now called Castle Clinton. A place called the Barge Office was used for a brief time between the closure of Castle Garden and opening of Ellis Island in 1892. Records are included in Castle Garden files. Ellis Island accepted immigrants from 1892 - 1924, operating until 1954. Records from both Castle Garden and Ellis Island are available for free on the Ellis Island website or on FamilySearch in three collections:

Records from the NARA (National Archives and Records Administration) from 1820 to 1982 are arranged by Port of Arrival, with some catalogs available on FamilySearch and Ancestry, or by accessing NARA microfilms. Many of these records are not indexed, meaning they are not searchable and you must browse by image. Alternatively, you could also request a Passenger Arrival Record (form NATF 81) for a fee from the National Archives, and you will need to provide the passenger’s full name, estimated date of arrival, and port of entry.

Additional Online US Passenger Arrival Collections:

Naturalization Records

Generally, an immigrant would first file a Declaration of Intention after living in the United States for at least 2 years, then wait another few years to fulfill residency requirements and file the Petition in a local court. If successful they were issued a Certificate of Naturalization (or Citizenship) and sworn in as a citizen. The rules of residency requirements and restrictions on who could become a citizen varied over the years, as well as the rules on whether dependents like women and children would automatically gain citizenship.

These records were not standardized until 1906 when the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization was created - which later became the Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), known today as the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). They also generated additional forms and requirements, such as a Certificate of Arrival, Visa Application, and Alien Registration.

You can request copies of some of the forms held by the USCIS for a fee through their Genealogy Program at: uscis.gov/records/genealogy in which you first order an index search to gain a file number, and if there are results then you can order records by the file number(s). The files available are prior 1956.

The National Archives holds records of Declarations of Intention and Petitions dated prior to October 1991 that were from Federal courts, but no central index is available. You can order copies of these records from the NARA online.

Records are also available through the local courts where the naturalization took place (mostly prior to 1906), and copies of these files may be available in state archives or local historical societies. Records from both local and Federal courts may also appear in online database sites. Remember to search FamilySearch catalogs by location first then browse to state or area specific naturalization records for better results.

Earlier Immigrant Records

The subscription database AmericanAncestors.org is a good resource for colonial American records. There are also a great number of published books, some of which you can find copies of online. You may also find resources in libraries, historical societies, and genealogical societies or libraries.

Various Additional Online Collections of Immigration & Naturalization Records

Additional Resources