California, San Diego, Chinese Passenger and Crew Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at San Diego, California from foreign ports. The passenger lists cover arrival from October 26, 1905 to July 27, 1923. The crew lists cover January 16,1910 to February 20, 1916 and include name, occupation, age, height and birthplace.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The records usually include:


 * Full name
 * Gender
 * Birthplace
 * Birth date
 * Port and date of entry
 * Physical description and distinguishing marks
 * Reason for leaving US
 * Residence in US

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The birth date or age on the date of arrival or departure

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select the NARA Roll Number - Contents which takes you to the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the record to learn the place of origin then search there for vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records
 * Use the information found in the record to find in probate records
 * Use the information found in the record to find land records
 * Search for death or burial information in BillionGraves Index
 * If applicable, search for military records as well
 * Look for the Declaration of Intent soon after the immigrant arrived. Then look for the Naturalization Petition five years later, when the residency requirement would have been met. Look for naturalization records in federal courts, then in state, county, or city courts. An individual may have filed the first and final papers in different courts and sometimes in a different state if the person moved. Immigrants who were younger than 18 when they arrived did not need to file a Declaration of Intent as part of the process

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Consult the California Research Tips and Strategies and its Record Finder to search other records
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names
 * Check other possible ports of entry

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

"California, San Diego, Chinese Passenger and Crew Lists, 1905-1923." Database and images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 13 September 2016. Citing NARA microfilm publication A3470. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2007.
 * Collection Citation:

Top of Page