Papua New Guinea Emigration and Immigration

Online Records

 * 1878-1960 UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960, Papua New Guinea, at Ancestry.com, index and images. ($)
 * 1888-1975 Genealogical index to Australians and other expatriates in Papua, New Guinea 1888-1975, images. You must use a computer in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City to use this database.
 * 1890-1960 Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960 at Findmypast; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Papua New Guinea
 * 1940-1960 Territory of Papua and New Guinea immigration records, 1940-1960 at FamilySearch Catalog; images only
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Papua New Guinea, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Archives
National Archives and Public Records Services of Papua New Guinea Office of Libraries Archives and Literacy P.O. Box 734 Waigani, National Capital District PAPUA NEW GUINEA Telephone No: [675] 3431451 Facsimile No: [675] 3254251 Email address: vicky_puipui@educationpng.gov.pg

Polynesian Immigrants Records
Polynesian Immigrants Records, 1876-1914, are available at the National Archives of Fiji. These are records of Pacific Islanders who were brought to Fiji as laborers. Although the first ship arrived in 1864, records were not kept until 1876. Laborers came from New Hebrides (Vanuatu), Solomon Islands, Banks and Torres Straits Islands, Gilbert Islands (Kiribati), and Papua New Guinea. There were about 23,000 who went to Fiji. Others were taken to Queensland, Samoa, and New Caledonia. This movement of people is often referred to as "black-birding". These records include general shipping records, agents, and recruiters' journals, plantation records, and personnel documents.
 * To search the records, contact the National Archives by e-mail at archives@govnet.gov.fj. They will advise you of information they need to conduct a search and any fees involved.

Finding the Town of Origin in Papua New Guinea
If you are using emigration/immigration records to find the name of your ancestors' town in Papua New Guinea, see Papua New Guinea Finding Town of Origin for additional research strategies.

Papua New Guinea Emigration and Immigration
"Emigration" means moving out of a country. "Immigration" means moving into a country. Emigration and immigration sources list the names of people leaving (emigrating) or arriving (immigrating) in the country. These sources may be passenger lists, permissions to emigrate, or records of passports issued. The information in these records may include the emigrants’ names, ages, occupations, destinations, and places of origin or birthplaces. Sometimes they also show family groups.

Historical Background

 * Beginning in 1884, Germany ruled the northern half of the country for some decades, as a colony named German New Guinea. In 1914 after the outbreak of World War I, Australian forces captured German New Guinea and occupied it throughout the war. After the war, the League of Nations authorized Australia to administer this area as a League of Nations mandate territory. t
 * The southern half of the country had been colonized in 1884 by the United Kingdom as British New Guinea. In 1905, the UK transferred this territory to Australia and renamed it the Territory of Papua. until 1949, Papua and New Guinea had entirely separate administrations, both controlled by Australia.
 * After World War II, the two territories were combined into the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. This was later referred to as "Papua New Guinea".
 * The nation established independence from Australia on 16 September 1975.
 * Numerous Chinese have worked and lived in Papua New Guinea, establishing Chinese-majority communities.
 * There is existing collaboration between Papua New Guinea and African States. There is a thriving community of Africans who live and work in the country.
 * There are umerous people from other parts of the world now resident, including Chinese, Europeans, Australians, Indonesians, Filipinos, Polynesians, and Micronesians. Around 40,000 expatriates, mostly from Australia and China, were living in Papua New Guinea in 1975.20,000 people from Australia currently live in Papua New Guinea.