Einwandererzentralstelle (EWZ) Records

Description of EWZ Records
EWZ stands for Einwandererzentralstelle, or the Central Office for Immigrants (other translations include the following: “Immigrant Control Office,” “Immigration Control Center,” "Central Immigration Office," “Central Immigration Control Department,” "Immigration Center"). The EWZ was created by Nazi Germany in mid-October 1939 to process ethnic Germans (whose ancestors had emigrated from Germany to Russia and neighboring countries) in a deliberate attempt to return ethnic Germans to Germany and to territories annexed by Germany. This was meant to "Germanize" these areas and to support the German economy and war effort. All ethnic Germans residing in occupied German territory were forced to move to temporary EWZ camps in Germany proper and submit EWZ paperwork.

EWZ records were created between 1939 and 1945 as ethnic Germans left Eastern Europe (such as Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia) to resettle in Germany (and Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Austria). Although the records were, in great part, focused on proving German ethnicity, they were also naturalization/ repatriation applications and, as such, had to include detailed information about the applicants. These records contain a wealth of genealogical information.

Family members were also listed in EWZ records, so even if an ancestor had already immigrated to North America (or elsewhere) before WWII, EWZ records for family members (siblings, cousins, parents, children) may provide useful genealogical information. Locate EWZ records for all family members who may have filled them out, even if the records of a spouse or sibling have already been found, as additional details may be listed in other family members’ applications.

If your ancestors were ethnic Germans who lived in (or had close relatives who lived in) any of the following locations at the beginning of WWII, then EWZ records may help further your research:
 * Bulgaria
 * Estonia
 * Poland (southern and eastern part)
 * Latvia
 * Lithuania
 * Romania
 * USSR (western Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine)
 * Yugoslavia

Types of EWZ Records
Three main types of EWZ records were created:
 * E/G-Kartei, including Immigrant Card Index (Einwandererkartei, E-Kartei) and Health Card Index (Gesundheitskartei, G-Kartei): filed for every immigrant age 15 or older (families were processed together)
 * Immigrant Card Index (Einwandererkartei, E-Kartei) filed in loosely alphabetical order; names with similar pronunciations are grouped together:
 * EWZ-57:
 * index for EWZ-58; on FamilySearch: “Einwandererkartei, 1939-1945” (available online) and “Stammblätter, 1939-1945”: filed for every immigrant age 15 or older


 * Application(Antrag; Anträge = applications)


 * Pedigree (Stammblatt; Stammblätter = pedigrees)

In addition, a type called Rasse-Kartei (Race Card Index, EWZ-56) was also created, summarizing the applicant's racial examination. These cards are filed alphabetically.

Every applicant (depending on their age) should have filled out each of the three types of EWZ records. However, it may not be possible to locate all three records for one person. About 80,000 EWZ records were destroyed by the Nazis before EWZ records were captured by the Allied powers in April 1945; but EWZ records still exist for about 2 million individuals.

The EWZ records were originally stored in the Berlin Document Center, which fell under American administration from the end of WWII until it became part of the Bundesarchiv Berlin (German Federal Archives) in 1994. The EWZ records still in existence were all microfilmed, and a full set of these microfilms is available at the National Archives (in Archives II, College Park, Maryland); the original records remain at the Bundesarchiv Berlin.

Information included in EWZ Records
EWZ records contain a wealth of information, including names, birth date and place, last place of residence, names of parents and/or children and their birth and death dates, as well as a pedigree chart. Additionally, certificates (including passports, other forms of identification, and birth, baptism and marriage records) are often included in these files.

Specifically, each EWZ record type may list the following information:


 * E/G Kartei (E-Cards) (also known as EWZ-KartenBold text), split into two cards, both filed mostly alphabetically by name:
 * Immigrant Card Index (Einwandererkartei, E-Kartei) contains:
 * EWZ case number (EWZ-Nr.)
 * surname, first name, birth date, birthplace, religion, marital status, education, profession (including previous and intended), professional training, citizenship, relatives traveling in the same group of immigrants, decisions about the immigrant's eligibility and qualification for resettlement, property, and homestead/farm information (if a farm owner)
 * Health Card Index (Gesundheitskartei, G-Kartei) contains:
 * EWZ case number (EWZ-Nr.)
 * some of the same data as the E-Kartei
 * photo of the applicant (often), physical characteristics, health information (not meeting health requirements could result in death), basic information about family


 * Application (Antrag; most detailed; filed mostly alphabetically by name; their series are based on the applicant's point of origin) contains:
 * EWZ case number (EWZ-Nr.)
 * surname, first name, birth date, birthplace, last place of residence, names of parents and/or children and their birth and death dates
 * Lebenslauf (life story)
 * fate of family members (living, deceased, shot, vershleppt [taken away], verbannt [banished], missing, soldier, etc.)
 * three-generation (or four-generation) pedigree, though this may list names without dates
 * possibly a Feststellung der Deutschstämmigkeit (determination of German origin), a family tree showing names and nationality
 * often includes a citizenship certificate showing birth date, birthplace, and last residence of the head of household, along with (if married) the wife’s maiden name and children’s birth dates and places; the citizenship certificate reflects the EWZ number of the individual or the Herdvorstand (head of household). The EWZ number is found on bottom left corner under “Tgb. Nr.” (It may have /I or /II added like 222222/I or 222222/II.)
 * If citizenship/naturalization was not granted, no citizenship certificate was issued; the document may also no longer exist, or the applicant may have disappeared or foregone naturalization
 * The application forms often refer to the Stichtag (the effective date of the application) and the Durchschleusung (when the forms were processed).
 * possible additional items:
 * marital status and relevant dates
 * Volkstumausweis (ethnic identity card)
 * Umsiedlerausweis (resettler identity card)
 * Stammblatt (family tree), a three-generation or four-generation family tree of the applicant, more detail regarding family relationships than the other records
 * Einbürgerungsantrag (naturalization application)
 * Einbürgerungsverfügung (declaration of naturalization)
 * Abschrift der Einbürgerungsurkunde (duplicate of the naturalization certificate)
 * Mein Lebenslauf (my life's story), a handwritten document by the applicant listing major life events
 * more than 400,000 files

Collectively, the Einwandererkartei (E-Kartei, Immigrant Card Index) and the Gesundheitskartei (G-Kartei, Health Card Index) are called the E/G Kartei (E/G Card Index).
 * Pedigree (Stammblatt; Stammblätter = pedigrees) contains:
 * usually includes a copy of the first page of the Application (containing basic genealogical information about the individual and parents’ and grandparents’ names); contains more detail regarding family relationships than the other records

EWZ Series
EWZ records are split up into various series.
 * Application (a total of more than 400,000 files):
 * EWZ-50: applicants from USSR/Soviet Union; about 110,000 files; indexed on BlackSeaGr.org
 * EWZ-51: applicants from Romania (includes Bessarabia, Bukovina, Dobrudscha); about 82,000 files; partially indexed on BlackSeaGr.org
 * EWZ-52: applicants from 1939 Poland; about 100,000 files
 * EWZ-53: applicants from the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania); about 73,000 files; not indexed
 * EWZ-5410: applicants from Yugoslavia; about 23,000 files
 * EWZ=5420: applicants from France; about 14,000 files
 * EWZ-5430: applicants from Bulgaria; about 700 files
 * EWZ-5440: applicants from various locations (Wehrmacht, Organisation Todt, SD, and SS)
 * EWZ-5450: applicants from Südtirol (now in Italy)
 * E/G Kartei
 * Immigrant Card Index (Einwandererkartei, E-Kartei) filed in loosely alphabetical order; names with similar pronunciations are grouped together:
 * EWZ-57
 * Health Card Index (Gesundheitskartei, G-Kartei)
 * index for EWZ-58; on FamilySearch: “Einwandererkartei, 1939-1945” (available online) and “Stammblätter, 1939-1945”
 * Pedigree:
 * EWZ-58: numerically by EWZ case number (which is found on EWZ-50, EWZ-51, or EWZ-57); on FamilySearch: “Stammblätter, 1939-1945”

EWZ indexes online

 * Odessa Digital Library: A partial index to EWZ records can be found through the |Odessa Digital Library. From |the main page, select "Collections." At the top of the page, select "Full Text Search." Type a surname of interest into the box labeled "Query String." Under "Data Category," select "War Records" and then click on "Submit Query" near the top of the page. Indexed information varies but will typically include a name, date, and location, along with a reference to the original microfilm. To view the complete index and column headings, click on the blue hyperlink above an index of interest. On the next page, hit CTRL+F (or Command+F) and search the webpage for a piece of identifying information (such as the birth place or the surname, if unusual); click through the results to locate the full index on the page.


 * Family History Library: “Stammblätter, 1940-1941” contains some EWZ-58 records for German families from Poland


 * Galizien German Descendants: Their |1939 Resettlement Database concentrates on Galicia, but other regions may be included


 * IAGL: The |IAGL Online Indexing Project, launched in December 2020, has begun to index EWZ records from the Bundesarchiv Berlin

Images of EWZ records
Images of the following types of EWZ records are available at the following places:
 * E/G-Kartei (Immigrant Card Index and Health Card Index): NARA (Maryland); Bundesarchiv Berlin; Family History Library
 * Application (most detailed): National Archives and Records Administration (NARA, Archives II) in College Park, Maryland; Bundesarchiv Berlin
 * Pedigree (Stammblatt): NARA (Maryland); Family History Library; Bundesarchiv Berlin

Archives to contact for copies of EWZ records
Microfilm copies of the EWZ records still in existence are all available at the National Archives (in Archives II, College Park, Maryland) and originals are at the Bundesarchiv Berlin.

The Family History Library, the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS), and the Mennonite Historical Society of British Columbia also has copies of some of the EWZ records, |depending on the series.

NARA (Archives II, College Park, Maryland) The NARA will not perform research. However, indexes provide a range of names on each microfilm roll, and NARA will examine these indexes to determine which microfilm rolls might contain records of individuals of interest. These microfilms can then be purchased. (Alternatively, professional researchers familiar with the EWZ collection who are located close to the NARA Archives II facility can be hired to perform the necessary research.) Copies of all EWZ microfilms can be |purchased from NARA.
 * EWZ collection microfilm publication number at NARA: 'A3342, "Documents Generated In Connection With Activities Of The EWZ.

NARA contact information: Website: www.archives.gov/college-park Email address: [mailto:inquire@nara.gov inquire@nara.gov] Address: 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, Maryland 20740

Bundesarchiv Berlin (German Federal Archives) The Bundesarchiv holds the original EWZ records still in existence. Writing to them may provide you with copies of the EWZ records of your ancestors, but access is more restricted than the NARA due to German privacy laws.

Before contacting the Bundesarchiv, locate the EWZ case number for your person of interest. The EWZ case number is listed on the Application and on the Health Card. It can also be looked up in the following locations:
 * Using the Bundesarchiv system Invenio: On the Invenio homepage, click on "Suche ohne Anmeldung", close the welcome screen (click on the X in the upper corner), click on Suche, and click on Namenssuche. Enter a name and click Suchen. Look for a result including the words "EWZ-Nummber" and click on "Im Kontext anzeigen" at the bottom of a search result to view indexes for people likely belonging to the same EWZ number or who may be related to the person searched for. Note the range listed next to "Stammblätter Nr." In the "Stammblätter, 1940-1941" FamilySearch collection, the Stammblatt (pedigree) ranges are listed under the "Note" column. Click on the camera icon in the far-right column of the film the pedigree should be on, and browse for the person of interest
 * On Odessa3.org (see "EWZ indexes online" above)
 * On FamilySearch