Passenger records held in Canberra

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Passenger records, which include passenger lists and passenger cards, provide a valuable source of family history information. Most of the records are arranged by the date, name of the ship, and the port of arrival or departure. Unless you know these details your search may be very time-consuming.

Passenger lists (all ports)

We have passenger lists for all ports of Australia from 1924 (with some gaps). Microfilm copies of these records are available for the years July 1924 to June 1936. For later years you will need to search the original records.

Inwards and outwards
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Ships passenger lists – inwards (Form P2) 1924–64 A907
Inwards passenger manifests – ships (Form M308) 1965– A1227
Incoming passenger cards – ships and aircraft 1965–72 A1197
Ships passenger lists – outwards (Form P1) 1924–64 A906

Other passenger lists

We also hold microfilm copies of the following passenger lists.

Title or description of record Date range Series number
NSW – Newcastle – crew and passenger lists – inwards and outwards 1865–1935 C667
NT – Darwin – inwards and outwards lists 1898–1949 E1019
QLD – Bowen – ships lists inwards 1897–61 J723
QLD – Brisbane – ships lists inwards 1852–1964 J715
QLD – Brisbane – ships lists outwards 1859–1964 J716
QLD – Bundaberg – ships lists inwards 1948–50 J733
QLD – Cairns – ships lists inwards 1897–69 J725
QLD – Gladstone – ships lists inwards 1924–64 J717
QLD – Mackay – ships lists inwards 1924–62 J729
QLD – Rockhampton – ships lists inwards 1898–62 J727
QLD – Thursday Island – ships lists inwards 1924–64 J719
QLD – Townsville – ships lists inwards 1924–64 J719
SA – Adelaide – ships lists inwards 1941–64 D5077
VIC – Melbourne – ships lists inwards 1924–64 B4397
WA – Fremantle / Perth – inwards ships and aircraft 1897–1978 K269
WA – Fremantle – shipping registers – arrivals and departures 1898–1959 K737
WA – Fremantle – shipping registers – arrivals and departures 1924–56 K737

Aircraft passenger records held in Canberra

Inwards and outwards
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Aircraft passenger lists – inwards 1934–48 A1230
Incoming passenger cards – aircraft 1948–64 A1225
Inwards passenger manifests – aircraft 1948– A1231
Incoming passenger cards – ships and aircraft 1965–72 A1197
Aircraft passenger lists – outwards 1934–48 A1229
Outgoing passenger cards – aircraft 1948–64 A1226
Outwards passenger manifests – aircraft 1948– A1232

Other sources in Canberra

Collection references
Title or description of record Date range Series number
Applications for permit to enter Australia (non-British Europeans) (Form 47) – with medical examination of intending migrants (Form 47A) 1924–56 A997
Personal statement and declaration by alien passengers entering Australia (Forms A42) 1938–48 A12508
Lists of personal statement and declaration by alien passengers entering Australia (Form A42) received during 1939 1939 A12682
Copies of Immigration nominal rolls – voyages and flights 1951–73 A13210
Applications (culled from other file series) for admission of relatives or friends to Australia (Form 40) 1953–61 A261

Passenger records may also be found in the ship’s file (ie the file for the ship on which the individual arrived in Australia). Ships’ files are located in the Department of Immigration’s correspondence file series A446. You may be able to pick up other general or related information from these files.

Please ask reference staff for guidance in finding these records as well as other records of possible interest.

Further information about passenger records held by the National Archives

Further information on passenger lists held by offices of the National Archives is available on the following pages:

Earlier passenger records

Earlier passenger records can be found in the state/territory archives relevant to the ship’s port of arrival.

More information about our genealogical collections is also available.