Indian emigration passes to Fiji 1879 - 1916

With over 60,000 digitised emigration passes online, you can discover your Indian ancestry in Fiji and explore the lives of those who migrated from India to Fiji. Use this guide to find out how to search by ship, pass number or arrival date to access records detailing names, ages, and places of origin of indentured labourers between 1879 and 1916.

In the collection

The Indian immigration passes to Fiji collection holds over 60,000 passes issued to Indians who came to Fiji as indentured labourers. These records have been digitised and are freely available online through the National Library.

National Archives of Fiji

We acknowledge the National Archives of Fiji as the custodian of the original documents. They keep the original collection, consisting of 344 volumes. Find out more about the National Archives of Fiji.

In 2011, the records of Indian Indentured Labourers from Fiji, Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago were added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. This includes the Indian Emigration Passes to Fiji from 1879 to 1916.

A sample emigration record

What information is in passes

Every adult, child and infant received a separate emigration pass. Men applying to emigrate had to provide information such as:

  • name
  • Father's name
  • age
  • caste
  • name of next-of-kin
  • if married, wife's name
  • district, thana, village, town or mahalla.

The pass may also include details like height and bodily marks.

How to find records

Not all passes and immigrant records have been indexed by name, but you can still quickly find information if you know one of the following details about the emigrant:

  • arrival date in Fiji
  • ship name
  • pass number.

Our webinar will help you get started.

Hello and welcome to this learning webinar about the Indian Emigration Passes to Fiji as held in the National Library of Australia's collection and freely available online.

The National Library of Australia acknowledges Australia's First Nations Peoples, the first Australians, as the traditional owners and custodians of this land and gives respect to the elders past and present and through them to all Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We also acknowledge the National Archives of Fiji as custodians of the original records and we thank them for making this collection available to researchers around the world.

Hello, my name is Judith, I m a reference librarian here at the National Library Reader Services Team. Joining us is my colleague, Jack.

Hello everyone, I m Jack and together with Judith we'll be taking you through this presentation today.

Today we'll be looking specifically at how to find the records for the Indian labourers who travelled to Fiji in the period 1879 to 1916. we'll start with a brief overview of the indentured labour system, what it was and its legacy to Fiji. Next we'll take a look at the records themselves, what records exist, what they describe and where to find them. Last, we'll look at all important access information, we'll talk you through how to access these records for your research purposes with some case studies.

But let's start with the historical context for these records. When we started looking at this topic the thing that struck me the most was that these records don't exist in a vacuum, these records with real names and real faces to history and it is a history that can be a little bit confronting at times.

For example, later in the session we'll look at the record for Daulat who was a two-and-a-half-year-old son of indentured labourers and Daulat is just one name out of 60,965 men, women and children who travelled from India to Fiji under the indentured labourer system.

So the labourers are often known by the term girmityas which comes from girmit. it's a borrowing from the English word agreement which was used to designate the indentured labour system. Once we understand who these records talk about it links us to an understanding of what they experienced, what their lives looked like and takes them from a name in the record to a lived reality.

For example a paper presented to the Indian History Congress in 2001 gives this description of living conditions. The coolies were accommodated in long sheds, partitioned into 10 feet by 7 feet cubicles within which the system of indentured labour was practised on the old slave states.

Other accounts talk about the brutality of the work, the homesickness for a country and family left beyond and the difficulty of finding a place in a deeply segregated colonial society.

All of this is crucial information for those researching family history, colonial history and indentured labour. But we'll start, what actually is indentured labour?

So, the short simplified answer is that a reliance of indentured labour can be traced back to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, back in the 1830s so the loss of a plentiful supply of slaves led to a labour shortage on largescale sugar, coffee, tea, cocoa, rice and rubber plantations. So to counteract this the powers that be tapped into existing indentured labour systems and indebted labour systems to source workers. India as you can imagine was an extremely convenient source for cheap labour so workers were recruited under both the indentured and free labour system but under the indentured labour system workers were contracted to travel to the plantations and work for a set number of years.

In the case of emigration to Fiji the fixed term was five years, the answer to overseers and estate managers and beyond the less than luxurious conditions that we ve already mentioned workers could be criminally prosecuted if they left the estate. They then had to pay their own way back to India after they'd worked their five years so there was a possible free passage after 10 years of industrious service.

There was meant to be a quota of women brought to the plantation but numbers were usually far below target and we now know that women were particularly oppressed under the system and faced incredible hardship. But despite those conditions many girmitiyas stayed in Fiji where they developed a unique culture, society and they played a vital role in Fijian history. The past was never forgotten however and you'll find many girmitiyas and families continue to maintain or reconnect with their Indian roots.

So why were these records particularly important, Jack?

So these records are widely acknowledged to be so important because they re one of the only sources that really document indentured labour in Fiji. In fact in 2011 the combined records of Indian indentured labourers of Fiji, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago were placed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

The original documents themselves are held in the National Archives of Fiji.

These were created and maintained by the British administration during the colonial period. They document many elements surrounding the indentured labour system. Later the records were microfilmed and given to a small number of libraries and archives around the world to enable people to consult their collection. Family history researchers in particular made heavy uses of these passes to trace family back to India and in many cases they were able to reconnect with the original villagers and even family of their indentured ancestors. So in this way the records are a unique resource that is able to connect people through time and distance.

Are there other relevant records that the Library or any other institution holds?

There are. So the National Archives in the UK hold many relevant records, not just indentured labour in Fiji but also other colonies. The Fiji Archives also hold other material including the official government records. Birth, death and marriage records are also held by the Fiji Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Finally the National Library of Australia also holds some relevant records from the British administration and these are part of the Australian Joint Copying Project.

The relevant material comes from the Colonial Office series and mainly covers administrative matters including information about ships and voyages. These are also available online.

You might like to look at our AJCP learning webinar and finding aids if you are interested in these documents. We should also mention just keep in mind that when you are looking through these records and searching for this content the language used is very much of the period so some of it may be offensive from a modern perspective.

Now I know the National Library has long supported researchers using this collection by providing access in our reading rooms and through our copying, lending and reference services however recognising the importance of the collection and particularly its heavy use amongst the Fijian, Indian and other communities the Library has digitised a complete collection of over 60,000 passes and other related collections so these are now freely and fully available online from anywhere in the world.

I do remember before they were digitised we had a family of dedicated researchers who came to visit us from interstate and they were here for must have been almost two weeks from open to close poring through the thousands of different frames under microfilm, thousands of different passes.

One evening there was a shout of jubilation in the reading rooms when they'd managed to discover the passes they were looking for but having this material online really does simplify access and makes it much easier for everybody to track down their indentured ancestors.

Yeah, absolutely. Hopefully a few more shouts in living rooms when they discover more records.

Before we show you how to access the digitised records we will quickly run through the different series and what information they hold. So there are 17 separately listed items in our catalogue as you can see here but these can be grouped into a smaller number of more important categories so these are the General Register of Indian Immigrants, 1879 to 1916, Repatriation Registers, Death Registers, Plantations Registers and finally the emigration passes themselves which are the most important due to their detail and because the pass number serves as a unique identifier.

Now you did have to explain to me what we meant by unique identifier in this case, Jack.

Well it works like the number on your passport or your driver's licence number.

So like a registration number? Exactly, you'll see it popping up on other records and even things on marriage and birth certificates. It's almost like a shorthand way of identifying a person. The first type of record that we mentioned was the General Register. Could you explain a little bit more about that?

Absolutely. So the General Register, it has two main parts. There's the list of ships carrying indentured labourers and then there will be the full list of indentured labourers within each ship. These are ordered by pass number and you'll see that the names are arranged by male, female, boy, girl and infants. Within these the names are arranged by alphabetical order.

Early records include the name, father's name, age, sex, vessel, date of arrival, name, cost of passage, employer and remarks. Later records contain more information. This example from Book 9 includes columns for extension order, re-indentures, marriage, death, return to India and others. So it's important to note that many of these columns are incomplete and may not be comprehensive. For example repatriation or a death may not be included here but there's still a wonderful amount of information in this register.

Great. The next one we mentioned was repatriation registers. Now these come under a variety of names such as the Alphabetical List of Fiji Born Indians Repatriated to India, 20 December 1924 to 30, August 1930 or Nominal Roles of Indians Repatriated to India, 1916 to 1947.

For example here is one on pages from the Nominal Roles. It's important to note that these records, it wasn't just those who were born in India who were repatriated, descendants of original indentured labourers are also listed and could have been given passage. So free passage was available once certain conditions had been met including number of years worked and time spent in Fiji. Travellers mostly returned on the same ships that were bringing labourers out to Fiji so the information recorded typically includes name, father's name, pass number, ship of return or ship of arrival and sometimes caste.

There are also several volumes of death registers of indentured Indian emigrants working on plantations. These are generally organised chronologically but there are some that are arranged by plantation instead. Details are generally fewer than those found in other series but typically you can find pass number, the ship name, the date of indenture, plantation, employer, date of death and the cause of death as well.

Finally we have the plantation registers. Now these are another digitised collection that can provide essential detail about an indentured ancestor. Not all the registers have survived unfortunately and some are very incomplete but each plantation should have an entry with a list of indentured labourers working on the property. Details supplied are normally the pass number, name, ship of arrival, sex, age, date of indenture, term, pass number, relations and sometimes details related to repatriation or death. These can be really useful to trace who your ancestors were working with and other personal connections.

So it sounds like all of these different records do have slightly different information on them and it looks like there's some overlap but unique things in every one.

So they would be fairly interconnected and that would give us some options on how to cross-reference them, wouldn't it? Yeah, exactly.

Alright in that case let's move on to the emigration passes themselves.

These are generally the most sought after documents for those researching your family history. As we mentioned earlier the pass number is an important detail that was used in other areas. The passes contain the most genealogical information from all the records and were also more systematically recorded. If possible this is the record you should try to locate. There are separate passes for men, women, boys, girls, infant boys and infant girls. These are split into different sections for each ship, the men are recorded first then the women then the children then the infants. As with the general register it is by alphabetical order within these groups.

Judith, do we have any more information about how these passes were filled out? Did it happen in India? In Fiji? Well actually a little bit of both so these passes were filled out before embarkation at one of the immigration depots in India. The depot's surgeon was responsible for correctly filling out the details. The passes were then given to the Master of Transport to compare with the ship's lists and this is where they were given a ship's number.

Once the vessel had arrived in Fiji the passes were returned to the labourers and assigned a pass number from the General Register that we mentioned before.

That sounds like a lot of recordkeeping but are there mistakes in the passes?

Yes so one crucial point here is that the Depot Surgeon was responsible for transcribing personal and place names so spelling mistakes and errors are common, particularly when you have a language or cultural disconnect. There is a lack of consistency even within passes on the same ship.

So the information recorded remained almost identical over the years. This is an example from the first arrival of indentured labourers that were on board Leonidas in 1879.

The pass number is right at the top, number one in this case. Listed below are many other fields, for example we have a ship's name, the ship's number, the location of the depot, the date, the depot number, the caste, father's name, age, the zilla which is a kind of county subdivision, Pergunnah5 which was a smaller division of a zilla, the village, occupation, name of next of kin, if married, to whom, marks and a range of signatures.

Here is an example of a pass of the Sutlej in 1916 so this was the last group of indentured labourers to emigrate. Note the fingerprints that appear on the right-hand side of passes from the later voyages. Some of the terminology has also changed slightly but the recorded information is very similar. So Jack, it seems like the pass number is the most important in terms of following the records but are any of the other numbers useful on here?

Absolutely. So some of the other numbers can also be used for tracing family members.

Let's just have a look at the depot numbers in a little bit more detail.

We'll start let's have a look at this pass, 1332. See the section where it has the name of next of kin? It says mother of 786. As these were filled out in the depot it is important to know that the 786 in this case refers to depot number 786 and not pass number 786. Now the depot numbers can be difficult to find as they re not in order but in most cases they will be in the same voyage.

We've done some digging beforehand and we've found some with a depot number 786 and this is with the pass number 13542. Checking this pass we can see that the relation is confirmed with the text, son of 785. We can imagine the mother waiting with her son as the forms are filled out one after the other and this explains the close depot numbers. Sometimes you'll find a whole section of your family undertaking the same trip with these consecutive depot numbers.

So as you can see there are many types of records but the most important for tracing family are the emigration passes so these are a rich source of genealogical information and can provide you a direct link back to a location or family in India.

Now we ve given you the background and overview of the records, we want to show you how to access them and use them for your research. Using a case study of a family we will show you what indexes are available through different websites and how to use these to search the passes. Next, how our research guide lets you browse the passes including demonstrating how to download images and find permanent links. Then we'll show you how to access some of the other resources we mentioned earlier before touching on using civil registration records to locate pass numbers.

So as we mentioned, particularly if you are new to this research, one of the best places to start when researching passes is on our research guide. As well as background information about the records, the arrangements and how we can help you, you will see some important links so on the right-hand side you can see the link to girmit.org website and to the National Archives of Fiji. So the Girmit website provides a searchable index of indentured labourers that was put together using data from the National Archives of Fiji who also provide the same data as a pdf.

So if I click the link to open up the Girmit page you will see that it is a work in progress and has not yet been finished so it means that the records indexed only run from A to M however this is still an extremely important resource and if your ancestor's names fall into this range it should be your first step. Let's have a look at a common name, Daulat.

So I've gone into the D section and you can see up the top here there is a search bar. Now I can start typing to see a full list of results or if you have doubts about the spelling used as Judith mentioned earlier I can also scroll down until I find the relevant section.

In this case I will use a search and we'll see that there are quite a few results for the same name. So this means that if your ancestor's name has quite a few results you may need to search through several different passes to verify that it is the pass that you are looking for.

Let's have a look at Daulat, son of Ramcharan who came out on board The Sangola so the pass number here is 37082. Okay, let's come back to our research guide now that we know the pass number. On the left-hand side of the screen you can see some subheadings and as we now know the pass number we can go straight to Access by Pass so if you click on that and then scroll down until you find the right range.

So we re looking for 36318 to 37171. Right so click the View Online Link to go into the viewer.

So you can see the pass number noted at the top of that form.

Using the side bar at the top scroll across so we can get closer to the page number that we're looking for or rather the pass number that we're looking for which is 37082.

Just keep going a little bit further and once we get close we can just use the arrows to go page by page to the right pass.

So we will get there, 37082 and here we go. Here's the genealogical information that we can now use to trace the family back to India as well.

I'm just going to pause us there for a second cause we did want to talk about how to download an image of this one. So now that we have the pass, on the left-hand side of the screen you'll see that there is a download icon. If we click this you'll see there are several different options and we have different formats, a jpeg and a pdf. Just note that if you do choose the jpeg it will be a compressed file and you will need to unzip this before you can view the image.

Now the other important thing is that if you click all images here this will include the passes for everybody that came out on board that ship. If you're only interested in a single pass, Daulat's pass in this instance, click current and this means that when you download you will only download this single image for this pass.

But hang on, what if we only want to link back to this record rather than download the whole thing?

Absolutely so you also have the option to use it like if I click on a sight icon now you'll see that we have the work and image options again. The work once again will be for the whole shipload and will include all the passes and it will take you to the beginning of that sequence.

If we choose image you'll see that this image identifier will take us directly to this pass every time and this is a stable permanent link that you can use in your records that you'll always come back to this record. That's fantastic. So looking at the pass it's mentioned here that his father is listed as next of kin and that Daulat is only two-and-a-half years old so could we assume in that case that he came out with a family member?

I think it's a pretty good assumption and it's possibly the father as this is who has been listed by the Depot Surgeon. Let's return to the research guide and have a look at how we would search. We've assumed that the ship and the date are the same and so we can click through the records until we find possible matches.

But if we wanted to go through more quickly we could always use the General Register that we talked about earlier so you'll find a link to the General Register in the Other Further Resources tab. If you follow the link through to the Viewer once we find the resource, just over there, click through into the Viewer and when browsing the collection you're looking for the appropriate date range so we re looking for The Sangola that departed in February 1908 so the date range for that would be Collection Book 7. Once that loads just up the top here you can see it's listed as arriving in March.

So we now need to look through to see where the relevant section starts.

Again you can use that top taskbar to scroll through and we're looking for The Sangola, February 1908.

We should have him here and here we are. We've found a pass number 36580.

Wonderful so that was a great tip, Judith, cause this way we didn't need to click through every individual pass, we could just go through the register.

Let's go back to our research guide and we'll select Access by Pass Number again to find this pass, just here. Once again it's pass number 36580 so we'll go back to the research guide, Access by Pass Number so same voyage that we were looking at before, here we are.

So we need to click through until we find 36580. Alright, almost there.

Here we are, we've found it. Okay so let's compare the details with Daulat's pass.

It looks like we have a match, we've got the same caste, the same district, the same thana and the same village. Yeah, what's really interesting here as well is that there's a wife listed with the depot number as well so this is another great piece of information that can lead you to another search. We won't go through the whole process again, as you can see it takes a little bit of clicking through but we do recommend that it would be easier to go back to the General Register at this point to find the pass number.

We have done the research beforehand and we found that it's pass number 37048.

Alternatively if you think the spelling might be inaccurate you could also browse through the passes looking for a depot number. These are unfortunately not listed in the General Register.

Let's just note the ships did make many voyages and so you may need to look through quite a number of ships if all you have is the ship name and no date.

Let's go back to our research guide and have a look at the Access by Ship for a little bit more information so we ve got Access by Ships Name. Imagine that we were looking for someone and we only know that they came aboard The Ganges. If we look at the relevant section here you'll see that it made seven trips so this could involve quite a lengthy search if you had no other information. It is possible but if there are other documents what might help this is where you try and take a shortcut. We talked about the number appearing on some other documents earlier, could these be helpful locating the passes?

Oh absolutely so an approach that can provide breakthrough information in some cases uses the Fijian civil registration records so these are marriages or birth certificates. So if a girmitya was married according to the ordinances of the Colony of Fiji a number of details had to be included with the registered number such as the pass number, the name of ship, plantation where they were assigned and sometimes the pass number you will also find on the birth certificates if a child's born to girmityas. So as you mentioned before the pass numbers was a shorthand way of identifying the parents. Please note that to get a copy of these certificates you will need to contact the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages back in Fiji.

We have a link to the Registry on the research guide itself just up here.

This brings us to the end of the presentation today about using the Indian Emigration Passes to Fiji. We've covered the background to the indentured labour system. How the records are arranged and what information they have. Then we showed you how you can access these resources online.

The case study we presented should have provided a good indication of the nuts and bolts of using this collection and how you can trace your family through them. Of course if you get stuck and need some tips or advice don't hesitate to reach out to us through our Ask a Librarian service.

We hope you've enjoyed the presentation and have come away with some new information.

Family history research is often full of frustrating dead-ends or missing information, especially when records relating to an ancestor moving from one country to another are concerned. The National Library of Australia has a rich array of records and resources to help you in your search.

In collaboration with the National Archives of Fiji, the National Library of Australia makes available over 60,000 individual records issued to Indian who were to come to Fiji as indentured labourers in the period of 1879-1916.

The original passes, held in 344 volumes, are kept by the National Archives of Fiji. They have been digitised and made freely available online through the National Library of Australia.

In 2011 these records, combined with records of Indian Indentured Labourers of Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, were placed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Join Reference Librarians Jack and Judith as they explore this vast collection and ways you can access it.

The Library acknowledges the National Archives of Fiji as custodians of the original collection material.

Search tip

If you're looking for emigration passes but do not know the arrival date or the name of the ship on which your relatives arrived, we recommend you first get copies of records for registered civil events for them in Fiji.

By arrival date

Arrival date in FijiShip namePass numberCall numberView online
15 May 1879Leonidas1 - 463mfm G 7502View online
29 June 1882Berar464 - 887mfm G 7502View online
17 September 1882Poonah I888 - 1364mfm G 7502View online
19 June 1883Poonah II1365 - 1860mfm G 7503View online
20 August 1883Bayard1861 - 2354mfm G 7503View online
14 May 1884Syria2355 - 2792mfm G 7503View online
26 June 1884Howrah2793 - 3287mfm G 7504View online
3 July 1884Pericles3288 - 3748mfm G 7504View online
23 July 1884Newham, SS3749 - 4323mfm G 7505View online
30 April 1885Main4324 - 5048mfm G 7505View online
27 June 1885Ganges5049 - 5329mfm G 7505View online
27 June 1885Ganges5330 - 5571mfm G 7506View online
26 April 1886Boyne5572 - 6108mfm G 7506View online
21 May 1886Bruce6109 - 6566mfm G 7506View online
24 April 1888Hereford I6567 - 6839mfm G 7506View online
24 April 1888Hereford I6840 - 7104mfm G 7507View online
3 May 1889Moy I7105 - 7782mfm G 7507View online

Arrival date in FijiShip namePass numberCall numberView online
15 May 1890Rhone I7783 - 8367mfm G 7507View online
17 June 1890Allanshaw8368 - 8649mfm G 7507View online
17 June 1890Allanshaw8650 - 8940mfm G 7508View online
15 June 1891Danube8941 - 9531mfm G 7508View online
27 June 1891Jumna I9532 - 9978mfm G 7508View online
23 April 1892British Peer9979 - 10505mfm G 7509View online
5 May 1892Avon I10506 - 11025mfm G 7509View online
15 June 1892Hereford II11026 - 11504mfm G 7509View online
14 April 1893Moy II11507 - 11971mfm G 7509View online
23 May 1893Jumna II11972 - 12281mfm G 7510View online
20 April 1894Ems I12286 - 12851mfm G 7510View online
28 June 1894Hereford III12855 - 13362mfm G 7510View online
26 March 1895Vadala, SS13366 - 13739mfm G 7510View online
26 March 1895Vadala, SS13740 - 14109mfm G 7511View online
26 April 1895Virawa I, SS14112 - 14786mfm G 7511View online
24 April 1896Erne14787 - 15343mfm G 7511View online
13 June 1896Elbe I15344 - 15958mfm G 7512View online
11 May 1897Rhone II15959 - 16611mfm G 7512View online
1 June 1897Clyde16612 - 16953mfm G 7512View online
1 June 1897Clyde16954 - 17281mfm G 7513View online
1 June 1898Moy III17282 - 17849mfm G 7513View online
25 July 1899Avon II17850 - 18316mfm G 7513View online
3 September 1899Ganges18318 - 18551mfm G 7513View online
3 September 1899Ganges18552 - 18780mfm G 7514View online

Arrival date in FijiShip namePass numberCall numberView online
21 June 1900Ganges18781 - 19334mfm G 7514View online
14 July 1900Elbe II19335 - 19938mfm G 7514View online
23 July 1900Arno I19939 - 20252mfm G 7514View online
23 July 1900Arno I20253 - 20565mfm G 7515View online
30 August 1900Rhine20566 - 21056mfm G 7515View online
28 March 1901Fazilka I, SS21057 - 21860mfm G 7515View online
12 May 1901Fultala I, SS21861 - 22669mfm G 7558View online
18 June 1901Fazilka II, SS22670 - 23445mfm G 7558View online
26 April 1902Virawa II, SS23446 - 24164mfm G 7559View online
20 June 1902Fazilka III, SS24165 - 25001mfm G 7559View online
13 June 1903Mersey25004 - 25588mfm G 7560View online
5 August 1903Elbe III25589 - 26178mfm G 7560View online
4 September 1903Arno II26179 - 26518mfm G 7560View online
4 September 1903Arno II26519 - 26812mfm G 7561View online
3 May 1904Arno III26813 - 27443mfm G 7561View online
30 July 1904Ems II27444 - 27969mfm G 7561View online
10 April 1905Fultala II27970 - 28796mfm G 7562View online
17 July 1905Virawa III28797 - 29411mfm G 7562View online
28 July 1905Wardha I29412 - 30303mfm G 7516View online
17 August 1905Fultala III30304 - 30904mfm G 7516View online
17 August 1905Fultala III30905 - 31093mfm G 7517View online
17 April 1906Fazilka IV31094 - 31974mfm G 7517View online
28 April 1906Fultala IV31975 - 32191mfm G 7517View online
28 April 1906Fultala IV32192 - 32775mfm G 7518View online
28 June 1906Wardha II32776 - 33609mfm G 7518View online
28 January 1907Fazilka V33610 - 34484mfm G 7519View online
23 March 1907Virawa IV34485 - 35075mfm G 7519View online
23 March 1907Virawa IV35076 - 35244mfm G 7520View online
18 March 1908Sangola I36040 - 36317mfm G 7520View online
18 March 1908Sangola I36318 - 37171mfm G 7521View online
6 June 1908Sangola II37172 - 37689mfm G 7521View online
6 June 1908Sangola II37690 - 38258mfm G 7522View online
1 February 1909Sangola III38260 - 39140mfm G 7522View online
1 February 1909Sangola III39141 - 39409mfm G 7523View online
21 April 1909Sangola IV39410 - 40076mfm G 7523View online

Arrival date in FijiShip namePass numberCall numberView online
7 March 1910Sangola V40077 - 40442mfm G 7523View online
7 March 1910Sangola V40443 - 41139mfm G 7524View online
22 April 1910Santhia I41145 - 41894mfm G 7524View online
22 April 1910Santhia I41895 - 42023mfm G 7525View online
5 June 1910Sangola VI42024 - 42891mfm G 7525View online
8 July 1910Santhia II42892 - 43408mfm G 7525View online
8 July 1910Santhia II43409 - 43923mfm G 7526View online
22 May 1911Mutlah I43924 - 44440mfm G 7526View online
22 May 1911Mutlah I44441 - 44753mfm G 7563View online
25 June 1911Sutlej I44757 - 45605mfm G 7563View online
22 July 1911Ganges I45607 - 45900mfm G 7563View online
22 July 1911Ganges I45901 - 46466mfm G 7564View online
18 August 1911Mutlah II46467 - 47178mfm G 7564View online
18 August 1911Mutlah II47179 - 47329mfm G 7527View online
4 October 1911Sutlej II47330 - 48140mfm G 7527View online
27 April 1912Sutlej III48141 - 48670mfm G 7527View online
27 April 1912Sutlej III48671 - 48997mfm G 7528View online
8 June 1912Indus48998 - 49801mfm G 7528View online
18 July 1912Ganges II49802 - 50378mfm G 7528View online
18 July 1912Ganges II50379 - 50644mfm G 7529View online
8 November 1912Ganges III50645 - 51490mfm G 7529View online
21 February 1913Ganges IV51491 - 52261mfm G 7530View online
11 April 1913Sutlej IV52262 - 52900mfm G 7530View online
11 April 1913Sutlej IV52901 - 53069mfm G 7565View online
29 May 1913Ganges V53070 - 53917mfm G 7565View online
9 September 1913Ganges VI53918 - 54300mfm G 7565View online
9 September 1913Ganges VI54301 - 54701mfm G 7531View online
24 March 1914Chenab I54702 - 55556mfm G 7531View online
16 June 1914Chenab II55557 - 55677mfm G 7531View online
16 June 1914Chenab II55678 - 56273mfm G 7532View online
7 May 1915Mutlah III56274 - 56977mfm G 7532View online
7 May 1915Mutlah III56978 - 57125mfm G 7533View online
21 June 1915Ganges VII57126 - 57971mfm G 7533View online
1 August 1915Mutlah IV57972 - 58305mfm G 7533View online
1 August 1915Mutlah IV58306 - 58783mfm G 7534View online
1 September 1916Chenab III58784 - 59665mfm G 7534View online
11 November 1916Sutlej V59666 - 60538mfm G 7535View online

By ship name

Between 1879 and 1916, 40 ships made 87 voyages from India to Fiji carrying indentured labourers. The ship that brought the most passengers to Fiji in a single voyage was the SS Sangola, which arrived on 1 February 1909 with 1,152 passengers.

In some cases, a ship's name appears more than once for the same voyage. This happens when the pass numbers for that ship are split across two microfilm reels. You may need to request both reels to find the correct record.

When a ship name has a Roman numeral after it, it means the ship made multiple voyages. The numeral shows which specific voyage the ship took. This is helpful if you know the ship’s name but not the exact date of the voyage.

ShipDate of arrival in FijiPass numberCall numberView online
Allanshaw17 June 18908368 - 8649mfm G 7507View online
Allanshaw17 June 18908650 - 8940mfm G 7508View online
Arno I23 July 190019939 - 20252mfm G 7514View online
Arno I23 July 190020253 - 20565mfm G 7515View online
Arno II4 September 190326179 - 26518mfm G 7560View online
Arno II4 September 190326519 - 26812mfm G 7561View online
Arno III3 May 190426813 - 27443mfm G 7561View online
Avon I5 May 189210506 - 11025mfm G 7509View online
Avon II25 July 189917850 - 18316mfm G 7513View online
Bayard20 August 18831861 - 2354mfm G 7503View online
Berar29 June 1882464 - 887mfm G 7502View online
Boyne26 April 18865572 - 6108mfm G 7506View online
British Peer23 April 18929979 - 10505mfm G 7509View online
Bruce21 May 18866109 - 6566mfm G 7506View online
Chenab I24 March 191454702 - 55556mfm G 7531View online
Chenab II16 June 191455557 - 55677mfm G 7531View online
Chenab II16 June 191455678 - 56273mfm G 7532View online
Chenab III1 September 191658784 - 59665mfm G 7534View online
Clyde1 June 189716612 - 16953mfm G 7512View online
Clyde1 June 189716954 - 17281mfm G 7513View online
Danube15 June 18918941 - 9531mfm G 7508View online
Elbe I13 June 189615344 - 15958mfm G 7512View online
Elbe II14 July 190019335 - 19938mfm G 7514View online
Elbe III5 August 190325589 - 26178mfm G 7560View online
Ems I20 April 189412286 - 12851mfm G 7510View online
Ems II30 July 190427444 - 27969mfm G 7561View online
Erne24 April 189614787 - 15343mfm G 7511View online

ShipDate of arrival in FijiPass numberCall numberView online
Fazilka I, SS28 March 190121057 - 21860mfm G 7515View online
Fazilka II, SS18 June 190122670 - 23445mfm G 7558View online
Fazilka III, SS20 June 190224165 - 25001mfm G 7559View online
Fazilka IV17 April 190631094 - 31974mfm G 7517View online
Fazilka V28 January 190733610 - 34484mfm G 7519View online
Fazilka VI25 April 190735245 - 36039mfm G 7520View online
Fultala I, SS12 May 190121861 - 22669mfm G 7558View online
Fultala II10 April 190527970 - 28796mfm G 7562View online
Fultala III17 August 190530304 - 30904mfm G 7516View online
Fultala III17 August 190530905 - 31093mfm G 7517View online
Fultala IV28 April 190631975 - 32191mfm G 7517View online
Fultala IV28 April 190632192 - 32775mfm G 7518View online
Ganges21 June 1900 18781 - 19334mfm G 7514View online
Ganges27 June 18855049 - 5329mfm G 7505View online
Ganges27 June 18855330 - 5571mfm G 7506View online
Ganges3 September 189918318 - 18551mfm G 7513View online
Ganges3 September 189918552 - 18780mfm G 7514View online
Ganges I22 July 191145607 - 45900mfm G 7563View online
Ganges I22 July 191145901 - 46466mfm G 7564View online
Ganges II18 July 191249802 - 50378mfm G 7528View online
Ganges II18 July 191250379 - 50644mfm G 7529View online
Ganges III8 November 191250645 - 51490mfm G 7529View online
Ganges IV21 February 191351491 - 52261mfm G 7530View online
Ganges V29 May 191353070 - 53917mfm G 7565View online
Ganges VI9 September 191353918 - 54300mfm G 7565View online
Ganges VI9 September 191354301 - 54701mfm G 7531View online
Ganges VII21 June 191557126 - 57971mfm G 7533View online
Hereford I24 April 18886567 - 6839mfm G 7506View online
Hereford I24 April 18886840 - 7104mfm G 7507View online
Hereford II15 June 189211026 - 11504mfm G 7509View online
Hereford III28 June 189412855 - 13362mfm G 7510View online
Howrah26 June 18842793 - 3287mfm G 7504View online
Indus8 June 191248998 - 49801mfm G 7528View online
Jumna I27 June 18919532 - 9978mfm G 7508View online
Jumna II23 May 189311972 - 12281mfm G 7510View online

ShipDate of arrival in FijiPass numberCall numberView online
Leonidas15 May 18791 - 463mfm G 7502View online
Main30 April 18854324 - 5048mfm G 7505View online
Mersey13 June 190325004 - 25588mfm G 7560View online
Moy I3 May 18897105 - 7782mfm G 7507View online
Moy II14 April 189311507 - 11971mfm G 7509View online
Moy III1 June 189817282 - 17849mfm G 7513View online
Mutlah I22 May 191143924 - 44440mfm G 7526View online
Mutlah I22 May 191144441 - 44753mfm G 7563View online
Mutlah II18 August 191146467 - 47178mfm G 7564View online
Mutlah II18 August 191147179 - 47329mfm G 7527View online
Mutlah III7 May 191556274 - 56977mfm G 7532View online
Mutlah III7 May 191556978 - 57125mfm G 7533View online
Mutlah IV1 August 191557972 - 58305mfm G 7533View online
Mutlah IV1 August 191558306 - 58783mfm G 7534View online
Newham, SS23 July 18843749 - 4323mfm G 7505View online
Pericles3 July 18843288 - 3748mfm G 7504View online
Poonah I17 September 1882888 - 1364mfm G 7502View online
Poonah II19 June 18831365 - 1860mfm G 7503View online

ShipDate of arrival in FijiPass numberCall numberView online
Rhine30 August 190020566 - 21056mfm G 7515View online
Rhone I15 May 18907783 - 8367mfm G 7507View online
Rhone II11 May 189715959 - 16611mfm G 7512View online
Sangola I18 March 190836040 - 36317mfm G 7520View online
Sangola I18 March 190836318 - 37171mfm G 7521View online
Sangola II6 June 190837172 - 37689mfm G 7521View online
Sangola II6 June 190837690 - 38258mfm G 7522View online
Sangola III1 February 190938260 - 39140mfm G 7522View online
Sangola III1 February 190939141 - 39409mfm G 7523View online
Sangola IV21 April 190939410 - 40076mfm G 7523View online
Sangola V7 March 191040077 - 40442mfm G 7523View online
Sangola V7 March 191040443 - 41139mfm G 7524View online
Sangola VI5 June 191042024 - 42891mfm G 7525View online
Santhia I22 April 191041145 - 41894mfm G 7524View online
Santhia I22 April 191041895 - 42023mfm G 7525View online
Santhia II8 July 191042892 - 43408mfm G 7525View online
Santhia II8 July 191043409 - 43923mfm G 7526View online
Sutlej I25 June 191144757 - 45605mfm G 7563View online
Sutlej II4 October 191147330 - 48140mfm G 7527View online
Sutlej III27 April 191248141 - 48670mfm G 7527View online
Sutlej III27 April 191248671 - 48997mfm G 7528View online
Sutlej IV11 April 191352262 - 52900mfm G 7530View online
Sutlej IV11 April 191352901 - 53069mfm G 7565View online
Sutlej V11 November 191659666 - 60538mfm G 7535View online
Syria14 May 18842355 - 2792mfm G 7503View online
Vadala, SS26 March 189513366 - 13739mfm G 7510View online
Vadala, SS26 March 189513740 - 14109mfm G 7511View online
Virawa I, SS26 April 189514110 - 14786mfm G 7511View online
Virawa II, SS26 April 190223446 - 24164mfm G 7559View online
Virawa III17 July 190528797 - 29411mfm G 7562View online
Virawa IV23 March 190734485 - 35075mfm G 7519View online
Virawa IV23 March 190735076 - 35244mfm G 7520View online
Wardha I28 July 190529412 - 30303mfm G 7516View online
Wardha II28 June 190632776 - 33609mfm G 7518View online

By pass number

In addition to numbered passes for emigrants who landed in Fiji, the emigration pass records also include some passes for each voyage which are unnumbered. These passes also include the names and details of the emigrants who registered to emigrate but did not land in Fiji. In many cases the cause is recorded as death during the voyage.

These unnumbered passes may reveal the names of unknown relatives, especially children.

Pass numberShip nameDate of arrival in FijiCall numberReel numberView online
1 - 463Leonidas15 May 1879mfm G 75021View online
464 - 887Berar29 June 1882mfm G 75021View online
888 - 1364Poonah I17 September 1882mfm G 75021View online
1365 - 1860Poonah II19 June 1883mfm G 75032View online
1861 - 2354Bayard20 August 1883mfm G 75032View online
2355 - 2792Syria14 May 1884mfm G 75032View online
2793 - 3287Howrah26 June 1884mfm G 75043View online
3288 - 3748Pericles3 July 1884mfm G 75043View online
3749 - 4323Newham, SS23 July 1884mfm G 75054View online
4324 - 5048Main30 April 1885mfm G 75054View online
5049 - 5329Ganges27 June 1885mfm G 75054View online
5330 - 5571Ganges27 June 1885mfm G 75065View online
5572 - 6108Boyne26 April 1886mfm G 75065View online
6109 - 6566Bruce21 May 1886mfm G 75065View online
6567 - 6839Hereford I24 April 1888mfm G 75065View online
6840 - 7104Hereford I24 April 1888mfm G 75076View online
7105 - 7782Moy I3 May 1889mfm G 75076View online
7783 - 8367Rhone I15 May 1890mfm G 75076View online
8368 - 8649Allanshaw17 June 1890mfm G 75076View online
8650 - 8940Allanshaw17 June 1890mfm G 75087View online
8941 - 9531Danube15 June 1891mfm G 75087View online
9532 - 9978Jumna I27 June 1891mfm G 75087View online
9979 - 10505British Peer23 April 1892mfm G 75098View online
10506 - 11025Avon I5 May 1892mfm G 75098View online
11026 - 11504Hereford II15 June 1892mfm G 75098View online
11507 - 11971Moy II14 April 1893mfm G 75098View online
11972 - 12281Jumna II23 May 1893mfm G 75109View online
12286 - 12851Ems I20 April 1894mfm G 75109View online
12855 - 13362Hereford III28 June 1894mfm G 75109View online
13366 - 13739Vadala, SS26 March 1895mfm G 75109View online
13740 - 14109Vadala, SS26 March 1895mfm G 751110View online

Pass numberShip nameDate of arrival in FijiCall numberReel numberView online
14110 - 14786Virawa I, SS26 April 1895mfm G 751110View online
14787 - 15343Erne24 April 1896mfm G 751110View online
15344 - 15958Elbe I13 June 1896mfm G 751211View online
15959 - 16611Rhone II11 May 1897mfm G 751211View online
16612 - 16953Clyde1 June 1897mfm G 751211View online
16954 - 17281Clyde1 June 1897mfm G 751312View online
17282 - 17849Moy III1 June 1898mfm G 751312View online
17850 - 18316Avon II25 July 1899mfm G 751312View online
18318 - 18551Ganges3 September 1899mfm G 751312View online
18552 - 18780Ganges3 September 1899mfm G 751413View online
18781 - 19334Ganges21 June 1900 mfm G 751413View online
19335 - 19938Elbe II14 July 1900mfm G 751413View online
19939 - 20252Arno I23 July 1900mfm G 751413View online
20253 - 20565Arno I23 July 1900mfm G 751514View online
20566 - 21056Rhine30 August 1900mfm G 751514View online
21057 - 21860Fazilka I, SS28 March 1901mfm G 751514View online
21861 - 22669Fultala I, SS12 May 1901mfm G 755815View online
22670 - 23445Fazilka II, SS18 June 1901mfm G 755815View online
23446 - 24164Virawa II, SS26 April 1902mfm G 755916View online
24165 - 25001Fazilka III, SS20 June 1902mfm G 755916View online
25004 - 25588Mersey13 June 1903mfm G 756017View online
25589 - 26178Elbe III5 August 1903mfm G 756017View online
26179 - 26518Arno II4 September 1903mfm G 756017View online
26519 - 26812Arno II4 September 1903mfm G 756118View online
26813 - 27443Arno III3 May 1904mfm G 756118View online
27444 - 27969Ems II30 July 1904mfm G 756118View online
27970 - 28796Fultala II10 April 1905mfm G 756219View online
28797 - 29411Virawa III17 July 1905mfm G 756219View online
29412 - 30303Wardha I28 July 1905mfm G 751620View online

Pass numberShip nameDate of arrival in FijiCall numberReel numberView online
30304 - 30904Fultala III17 August 1905mfm G 751620View online
30905 - 31093Fultala III17 August 1905mfm G 751721View online
31094 - 31974Fazilka IV17 April 1906mfm G 751721View online
31975 - 32191Fultala IV28 April 1906mfm G 751721View online
32192 - 32775Fultala IV28 April 1906mfm G 751822View online
32776 - 33609Wardha II28 June 1906mfm G 751822View online
33610 - 34484Fazilka V28 January 1907mfm G 751923View online
34485 - 35075Virawa IV23 March 1907mfm G 751923View online
35076 - 35244Virawa IV23 March 1907mfm G 752024View online
35245 - 36039Fazilka VI25 April 1907mfm G 752024View online
36040 - 36317Sangola I18 March 1908mfm G 752024View online
36318 - 37171Sangola I18 March 1908mfm G 752125View online
37172 - 37689Sangola II6 June 1908mfm G 752125View online
37690 - 38258Sangola II6 June 1908mfm G 752226View online
38260 - 39140Sangola III1 February 1909mfm G 752226View online
39141 - 39409Sangola III1 February 1909mfm G 752327View online
39410 - 40076Sangola IV21 April 1909mfm G 752327View online
40077 - 40442Sangola V7 March 1910mfm G 752327View online
40443 - 41139Sangola V7 March 1910mfm G 752428View online

Pass numberShip nameDate of arrival in FijiCall numberReel numberView online
41145 - 41894Santhia I22 April 1910mfm G 752428View online
41895 - 42023Santhia I22 April 1910mfm G 752529View online
42024 - 42891Sangola VI5 June 1910mfm G 752529View online
42892 - 43408Santhia II8 July 1910mfm G 752529View online
43409 - 43923Santhia II8 July 1910mfm G 752630View online
43924 - 44440Mutlah I22 May 1911mfm G 752630View online
44441 - 44753Mutlah I22 May 1911mfm G 756331View online
44757 - 45605Sutlej I25 June 1911mfm G 756331View online
45607 - 45900Ganges I22 July 1911mfm G 756331View online
45901 - 46466Ganges I22 July 1911mfm G 756433View online
46467 - 47178Mutlah II18 August 1911mfm G 756433View online
47179 - 47329Mutlah II18 August 1911mfm G 752732View online
47330 - 48140Sutlej II4 October 1911mfm G 752732View online
48141 - 48670Sutlej III27 April 1912mfm G 752732View online
48671 - 48997Sutlej III27 April 1912mfm G 752834View online
48998 - 49801Indus8 June 1912mfm G 752834View online
49802 - 50378Ganges II18 July 1912mfm G 752834View online
50379 - 50644Ganges II18 July 1912mfm G 752935View online
50645 - 51490Ganges III8 November 1912mfm G 752935View online
51491 - 52261Ganges IV21 February 1913mfm G 753036View online
52262 - 52900Sutlej IV11 April 1913mfm G 753036View online
52901 - 53069Sutlej IV11 April 1913mfm G 756537View online
53070 - 53917Ganges V29 May 1913mfm G 756537View online
53918 - 54300Ganges VI9 September 1913mfm G 756537View online
54301 - 54701Ganges VI9 September 1913mfm G 753138View online
54702 - 55556Chenab I24 March 1914mfm G 753138View online
55557 - 55677Chenab II16 June 1914mfm G 753138View online
55678 - 56273Chenab II16 June 1914mfm G 753239View online
56274 - 56977Mutlah III7 May 1915mfm G 753239View online
56978 - 57125Mutlah III7 May 1915mfm G 753340View online
57126 - 57971Ganges VII21 June 1915mfm G 753340View online
57972 - 58305Mutlah IV1 August 1915mfm G 753340View online
58306 - 58783Mutlah IV1 August 1915mfm G 753441View online
58784 - 59665Chenab III1 September 1916mfm G 753441View online
59666 - 60538Sutlej V11 November 1916mfm G 753542View online

View in person

To access Indian emigration passes on microfilm in person, you will need to request them through the catalogue using your Library login.

Find out more about how to request items.

Request access now

Buy copies

You can also buy a copy of an emigration pass for a known emigrant. Find out more about how to buy copies.

A picture of 2 drawers side by side filled with white boxes with red outlines. One reel of microfilm sits at the front.

Other records and resources

In addition to the Indian emigration passes, the following resources may be of value to descendants of former emigrants and to those interested in the history of Indian emigration to Fiji.

Fijian birth, death and marriage records

If you're looking for emigration passes but do not know the arrival date or the name of the ship on which your relatives arrived, we recommend you first get copies of records for registered civil events for them in Fiji.

To obtain copies of Fijian birth, death and marriage certificates contact Fiji's births, deaths and marriages registry.

You can also access digitised copies of some Fijian BDM registers through the Family History Centres and Affiliate Libraries FamilySearch. These are not indexed, but you can browse and download images from the registers.

Information in civil registration records

Some Fijian birth certificates for children of Indian immigrant parents may include the ship name of each parent. While this information wasn't required to be stated, sometimes it was provided to substitute other required information such as the father’s name and surname, rank or profession, age and birthplace, when and where married, previous issue living and deceased, as well as mother’s name and maiden surname, age and birthplace.

For marriages, this information is listed:

  • Name
  • Age
  • Registered number
  • Father's name
  • Ship name and number
  • Place of marriage
  • Employer and estate to which indentured

Find out more in the Ordinances of the Colony of Fiji Volume 2 1911-1924

  • Birth certificates information: page 901+
  • Marriage ordinance: page 1406 Schedule F
A picture of 2 leather bound books side by side and one bound set of papers.

Where else to look

Find more resources and information to support your research from other institutions and organisations.

National Archives of Fiji

The indexes are provided as individual downloadable PDF files and are arranged in alphabetical order by the immigrant's name. As of 2021, they are available up to and including names beginning with 'M'.

Go to the National Archives of Fiji.

National Archives UK

An archived web version of The National Archives (UK) guide to Indian indentured labourers.

Copies of passes on 42 microfilm reels are held at:

  • Family History Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Details can be found on their Family History Library Catalog.
  • Hamilton Library, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Hawaii. The library's catalogue includes a record for this resource.

You can search and sort the indexes of emigration passes for names beginning A through M on Girmit.org.

Page published: 05 Nov 2024

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