Brazil, São Paulo, Immigration Cards - FamilySearch Historical Records

Brazil Sao Paulo

What Is in the Collection?
This collection dates from 1902 to 1980 and contains immigration cards issued by Brazilian consulates around the world. These cards were then presented at the port of entry by foreigners visiting or immigrating to Brazil through the port of Santos in São Paulo. These records are housed at the Arquivo Público do Estado de São Paulo.

Reading These Records
The records are written in Portuguese; also see the section For Help Reading These Records for translation helps.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Immigration cards may contain the following information:


 * Name of immigrant
 * Date and place of immigration
 * Nationality
 * Names of family members (including parents and children)
 * Birth information

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Identifying information such as residence
 * Estimated marriage or birth year

Search The Index
Search by name by visiting the Collection Page.
 * 1) Fill in the search boxes on the Collection Page with the information you have.
 * 2) Click Search to show possible matches.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

View The Images
View images in this collection by visiting the Browse Page.
 * 1) Select the appropriate "Letter"
 * 2) Select the appropriate Surname to view the images.

For Help Reading These Records
For help reading these Portuguese records see the following guides:


 * Portuguese Genealogical Word List
 * Brazil Language and Languages



How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

I Found Who I was Looking for, What Now?

 * Once you are able to locate your ancestor, the card information will help you determine where he or she came from, the date and place of birth, and the parents’ names. This information will let you prepare a family group record for the family. You can then start searching in the records from the place of birth and residence for other members of the family.
 * 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 with, after, or before your ancestor.
 * 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.
 * Be sure and click on "View Image" to bring up the actual image; there is often additional information that might be valuable in your researching.
 * 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.
 * The port your ancestor departed from may not be his/her hometown.

What If I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * 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.
 * 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.
 * New information is constantly being indexed, microfilmed or updated. Periodically check back and see if your ancestor’s records have been added.

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: