Immigration card Australian

Many Italians migrated to North Queensland and worked on the sugar cane fields, 1956 (J25, 1956/4159)

Passenger records document the movement of people into and out of Australia. These records are well known and well used sources of genealogical information.

• Before 1948, the captain or master of all passenger ships and aircrafts was required to provide Custom authorities with a list of passengers arriving in or leaving from a port.
• From 1948, cards filled in by the passengers were introduced.
• From the 1960s cards increasingly replaced lists, especially for those arriving by air.

What passenger records do we have?

The National Archives holds comprehensive passenger records for ship and aircraft arrivals and departures for all Australian ports from 1924, when passenger arrivals became an Australian Government responsibility. For general information about passenger records held in the National Archives see:

Fremantle lists

Most passenger vessels from Europe made Fremantle, Western Australia their first port. Passenger lists for Fremantle include all passengers on board (including people disembarking in other Australian ports), so they are a particularly rich resource for family historians.

You can search arrivals by ship into Fremantle and other Western Australian ports between 1898 and 1964; or arriving at Perth airport 1944‒64, via our passenger arrivals index.

Searching passenger records

Unfortunately, there are no comprehensive name indexes for passenger records. To effectively search for family members you need to know how and when they arrived.

• For arrivals by sea between 1898 and 1964 (arriving in, or travelling through, the port of Fremantle or other Western Australian ports), and arrivals by aircraft between 1944 and 1964 (to Perth Airport or travelling through), try searching the passenger arrivals index. Go to Search the collection and then RecordSearch. Select the 'Passenger arrivals index' tab at the top right of the screen.
• For arrivals by sea and air from 1965-1972 go to Search the collection and then RecordSearch. Select Advanced search, then Items. In the keyword field enter the year of arrival, for example 1965, and in the series field enter A1197. The records are arranged alphabetically in six-month batches.
• For other arrivals, you need to know the port or airport of arrival, the name of the vessel or aircraft number, as well as the month and year the vessel arrived. If you are unable to identify the date of arrival within two months, your search could be very time consuming.

Assistance with resident status

The National Archives of Australia does not hold records which identify your current resident status. If you require confirmation of your residence status, please request a Certificate of Evidence of Residence Status (CERS) from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.