Brazil, Port of Rio de Janeiro, Passenger and Immigrant Lists - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
Listas de Passageiros e Imigrantes, Porto do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Record Description
This Collection will include passenger lists from 1874-1976 for ships carrying immigrants to Brazil via the port of Rio de Janeiro.

The records are in Portuguese; see the section "For Help Reading these Records" for access to translation helps.

Record Content
Passenger lists may include the following information:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Origin
 * Nationality
 * Marital status
 * Occupation
 * Family members
 * Name of ship
 * Date and place of departure
 * Date and place of arrival to Brazil

How to Use the Record
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, some tips on how to find records, and what to do if no record is found.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and estimated immigration year.

These records may be used to document your immigrant ancestor's trip to Brazil, but do not overlook the possibility of finding ancestors that were merely vacationing, visiting relatives, or traveling on business.

Read this article to help you search names 5 Ways to Win the Name Game

Search the Collection
To search by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "_____________" category ⇒ Select the "_____________" category ⇒ Select the "_____________" category which takes you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Portuguese. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:
 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Brazil Language and Languages

Using the Information
You can use passenger lists to learn an immigrant’s place of origin, confirm their date of arrival, learn foreign names and their Portuguese translations, and find records in his or her country of origin such as emigrations, port records, or ship’s manifests.

If just the country is given, use the last name to search for your ancestor and his/her family in his/her home country; this is called a surname search and helps to pinpoint what cities/provinces/states were the hometowns of families.

Also, use the last name to search for any possible relatives that may have traveled after or before your ancestor.

Tips to Keep in Mind
Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

The information was supplied by the immigrant and his identification documents. Incorrect information was occasionally given, or mistakes may have been made when the immigration officer guessed at the spelling of foreign names.

These type-written records may have been transcribed from hand-written lists. So errors may be found in the spellings of names.

When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

Remember that your ancestor's name may be spelled according to the new country's native language or the language of your ancestor's home country.

Clerks may have written/spelled the name of your ancestor as they heard it, not as it is spelled in your ancestor's native language. Learn about pronunciation of your ancestor's native language.

The port your ancestor departed from may not be his/her hometown.

Unable to Find your Ancestor?
If you think your ancestor may have immigrated to Brazil and you cannot find him/her in this collection, then check the records of other ports in Brazil. Information on these other ports can be found here, Brazil Emigration and Immigration.

Related Websites

 * Arquivo Nacional do Rio de Janeiro
 * Museum of Immigration
 * Immigration in Brazil
 * Brazil Research Outline
 * Brazil Research Help
 * BrazilGenWeb

Related Wiki Articles

 * Brazil Immigration Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Brazil Emigration and Immigration
 * Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Portuguese Immigration Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Brazil, São Paulo, Port of Santos, Passenger and Immigrant Lists (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Brazil, Bahia, Port of São Salvador Passenger Lists (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Brazil Immigration Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Brazil, São Paulo, Immigrant Hostelry Records, (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Immigration Cards (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Rio de Janeiro
 * Brazil

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection citation:

Image citation: