Belgium Emigration and Immigration

Online Records
These sources cover multiple countries.
 * 1840-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1840-1930 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; images only; Also at MyHeritage; index & images ($)
 * 1890-1960 Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960 at FindMyPast; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Belgium
 * 1904-1914 Germany, Bremen Passenger Departure Lists, 1904-1914 at MyHeritage; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Belgium
 * 1921-1939 Reseñas de pasaportes de varios consulados, 1921-1939; images only - includes those in Belgium
 * 1946-1971 Free Access: Africa, Asia and Europe, Passenger Lists of Displaced Persons, 1946-1971 Ancestry, free. Index and images. Passenger lists of immigrants leaving Germany and other European ports and airports between 1946-1971. The majority of the immigrants listed in this collection are displaced persons - Holocaust survivors, former concentration camp inmates and Nazi forced laborers, as well as refugees from Central and Eastern European countries and some non-European countries.
 * Free Access: USC Shoah Foundation, Holocaust – Jewish Survivor Interviews
 * Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild Choose a volume and then choose Belgium under "Listed by Port of Departure" or "Listed by Port of Arrival".

Emigration records (Emigratie registers, Registres des émigrés)
Research use: Very valuable for making proper connections to place of origin and residence in Belgium. Many researchers do not know their ancestor's place of origin.

Record type: Lists of emigrants and immigrants, and permissions for those moving within Belgium.

Time Period: 1500-present.

Content: Emigrants’ names, ages, occupations, birth dates and places, residences, destination; wife’s and childrens’ given names and ages or number of children; reasons for emigration; taxes paid; religion, military service, etc.

Location: Provincial and municipal archives.

Population coverage: 5-10%.

For an extensive article with many resources, click here.

Surname Distribution Maps
Sometimes it is possible to guess where an immigrant originated through surname distribution maps.

Emigration to Sweden
A large group of emigrants left Wallonia to work in promoting mining and industry in Sweden. For more, see: Vallons in Sweden.