Copenhagen Emigration and Immigration

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Background
The city of Copenhagen has always been one of the largest port towns in all of Denmark. The majority of all Danish emigration and immigration occured in this city. However, records of emigration and immigration in Copenhagen did not occur until the 1860s. The records have been kept in fairly good condition throughout the years and is a major resource for genealogical research.

Immigration
There are virtually no records of immigrants (indvanderer) to Copenhagen. Despite the lack of specific records, there is a way to find record of incoming passengers. Every parish in Copenhagen kept a record of who was moving in. The records are called Tilgangsliste and they record the date a person moved into the parish, and where from. The records are kept with other church records and should be used in place of immigration lists.

Emigration
Passenger lists of emigrants (udvanderer) were not recorded until 1868, with the increase of emigrants. Emigration records were the responsibility of the police and were kept with the other police records. The police records contain information such as: -name -age -Occupation -destination -relationships -last residence -birth place The police records from 1869 - 1908 have been extraced and are available for free on www.emiarch.dk These records are also available at the Family History Library and at the different archives in Copenhagen. In connection with the police records, there are also passport records. These records contain information about the emigrants, especially where they recieved the passport from. Unlike the police records, the passports run from 1788 to 1850. The records include information such as: -date -traveler's name -Where the passport was issued -Where going to -How many people are traveling together: paying passengers, and non-paying passengers(such as children under 15, and the poor) -How it was paid for (whether in silver or in notes) -other remarks The passport records are a good way to find emigration information proior to the official police records.