Belgium, Antwerp, Police Immigration - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
België, Antwerpen, Politie Immigratie (Dutch/Flemish) Belgique, Anvers, police de l'immigration (French)

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1840-1930. It consists of files kept by the Antwerp City Police on foreign nationals residing in the city. The files may contain documents from a later period. Family name, given name, birth date (or age), residence, nationality, and occupation are included.

For the index to these records, see the collection Belgium, Antwerp Police Immigration Index, 1840-1930. The indexes are handwritten on pre-printed forms.

These records are in Dutch, Flemish or French. For help reading these records, see the section For Help Reading These Records.

Record Content
These immigration records may contain the following information:


 * Surname and given name
 * Year of immigration
 * Place of immigration

How to Use the Records
You will first need to search in the indexed collection and then use that information to find your ancestor in the complete collection.

To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page for the Belgium, Antwerp Police Immigration Index, 1840-1930. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

This is an index to the Belgium, Antwerp, Police Immigration, 1840-1930 collection. When you find your ancestor's entry in the index, be sure and copy down the file number listed so you can locate the record in the complete collection.

Move to the collection Belgium, Antwerp, Police Immigration, 1840-1930

To search the collection by image, you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒ Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒ Select the "File Numbers and Year " category which takes you to the images.

Find the folder that contains the file number that was found in the index. This is where you will find your ancestor's information.

Alternatively, you can browse the images one by one, comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Dutch, Flemish or French. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * Netherlands Language and Languages
 * Dutch Genealogical Word List
 * French Wordlist
 * French Handwriting

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Zoekakten - This website is in Dutch. It narrows down this collection by different regions and records.
 * Belgium Surname Distribution Map

Related Wiki Articles

 * Belgium
 * Tracing Immigrants Origin Population
 * Antwerp Belgium Family History Center

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: