Retrieve Immigration Records

Immigration records, often referred to as "ship passenger arrival records," offer information such as nationality, ship name and date of entry into the United States. These records are available for public access and can usually be obtained by following these steps:

STEP 1: Download this form. Click Here.

STEP 2: Fill out the application. The application is broken into three sections:

Section A: Identification information about the person you are looking for.

Section B: For the National Archives Staff to fill out. Continue to Section C.

Section C: Fill out your preferred method of payment and mailing information.

STEP 3: Print and mail the application to the address provided on page 1.

Delivery:

Please make sure to provide your mailing address as the National Archives destroys any requests missing return information. Allow up to 90 days for processing of all census record orders.

Other Useful Immigration Records Resources Include:

EllisIsland.org - Founded under the Reagan administration to restore the statue of liberty and open up access to 25 million immigrant arrival records.

CastleGarden.org - An educational project offering access to 12 million immigration records from 1820 through 1892.

U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services - The USCIS Genealogy online request system offers public access to its immigration records database.

National Archives and Records Administration - The NARA provides an introductory guide on gathering immigration records for genealogy research purposes.