French Polynesia Emigration and Immigration

Online Sources

 * 1878-1960 UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 at Ancestry - index & images ($)
 * 1890-1960 Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960 at Findmypast - index & images ($)
 * 1892-1924 New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924: Tahiti--Leeward Islands

French Overseas Archives

 * 1886-1906 France National Overseas Archives, Austral Islands
 * 1843-1906 France National Overseas Archives, Windward Islands
 * 1886-1906 France National Overseas Archives, Gambier Islands
 * 1843-1906 France National Overseas Archives, Marquesas Islands
 * 1881-1906 France National Overseas Archives, Tuamotu Islands
 * 1898-1906 France National Overseas Archives, Leeward Islands

British Subjects Oversea

 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Tahiti, index & images ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, French Polynesia, index & images ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Polynesia, index & images ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Polynesia and Tahiti, index & images ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, Polynesia and Tahiti, index & images ($)

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

French Polynesia 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

 * French Polynesia is divided into five groups of islands: the Society Islands archipelago, comprising the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands; the Tuamotu Archipelago; the Gambier Islands; the Marquesas Islands; and the Austral Islands. Among its 118 islands and atolls, 67 are inhabited. Tahiti, which is in the Society Islands group, is the most populous island, being home to nearly 69% of the population of French Polynesia as of 2017. Papeete, located on Tahiti, is the capital of French Polynesia.
 * Hundreds of years after the Great Polynesian Migration, European explorers began traveling through the region, visiting the islands of French Polynesia on several occasions. Traders and whaling ships also visited.
 * In 1842, the French took over the islands and established a French protectorate.
 * It gained designation as a country in 2004.
 * Ethnic groups: Polynesian 78%, Chinese 10%, local-born French 7%, metropolitan (European-born) French 5%.

Emigration From French Polynesia

 * Emigration statistics: 3,800 emigrants equivalent of 1.4% population. Top destination countries: the United States, Australia, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Canada, Greece, Kenya, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Chile.