Indian emigration passes to Fiji 1879 - 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.
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 Fiji | Ship name | Pass number | Call number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|
15 May 1879 | Leonidas | 1 - 463 | mfm G 7502 | View online |
29 June 1882 | Berar | 464 - 887 | mfm G 7502 | View online |
17 September 1882 | Poonah I | 888 - 1364 | mfm G 7502 | View online |
19 June 1883 | Poonah II | 1365 - 1860 | mfm G 7503 | View online |
20 August 1883 | Bayard | 1861 - 2354 | mfm G 7503 | View online |
14 May 1884 | Syria | 2355 - 2792 | mfm G 7503 | View online |
26 June 1884 | Howrah | 2793 - 3287 | mfm G 7504 | View online |
3 July 1884 | Pericles | 3288 - 3748 | mfm G 7504 | View online |
23 July 1884 | Newham, SS | 3749 - 4323 | mfm G 7505 | View online |
30 April 1885 | Main | 4324 - 5048 | mfm G 7505 | View online |
27 June 1885 | Ganges | 5049 - 5329 | mfm G 7505 | View online |
27 June 1885 | Ganges | 5330 - 5571 | mfm G 7506 | View online |
26 April 1886 | Boyne | 5572 - 6108 | mfm G 7506 | View online |
21 May 1886 | Bruce | 6109 - 6566 | mfm G 7506 | View online |
24 April 1888 | Hereford I | 6567 - 6839 | mfm G 7506 | View online |
24 April 1888 | Hereford I | 6840 - 7104 | mfm G 7507 | View online |
3 May 1889 | Moy I | 7105 - 7782 | mfm G 7507 | View online |
Arrival date in Fiji | Ship name | Pass number | Call number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|
15 May 1890 | Rhone I | 7783 - 8367 | mfm G 7507 | View online |
17 June 1890 | Allanshaw | 8368 - 8649 | mfm G 7507 | View online |
17 June 1890 | Allanshaw | 8650 - 8940 | mfm G 7508 | View online |
15 June 1891 | Danube | 8941 - 9531 | mfm G 7508 | View online |
27 June 1891 | Jumna I | 9532 - 9978 | mfm G 7508 | View online |
23 April 1892 | British Peer | 9979 - 10505 | mfm G 7509 | View online |
5 May 1892 | Avon I | 10506 - 11025 | mfm G 7509 | View online |
15 June 1892 | Hereford II | 11026 - 11504 | mfm G 7509 | View online |
14 April 1893 | Moy II | 11507 - 11971 | mfm G 7509 | View online |
23 May 1893 | Jumna II | 11972 - 12281 | mfm G 7510 | View online |
20 April 1894 | Ems I | 12286 - 12851 | mfm G 7510 | View online |
28 June 1894 | Hereford III | 12855 - 13362 | mfm G 7510 | View online |
26 March 1895 | Vadala, SS | 13366 - 13739 | mfm G 7510 | View online |
26 March 1895 | Vadala, SS | 13740 - 14109 | mfm G 7511 | View online |
26 April 1895 | Virawa I, SS | 14112 - 14786 | mfm G 7511 | View online |
24 April 1896 | Erne | 14787 - 15343 | mfm G 7511 | View online |
13 June 1896 | Elbe I | 15344 - 15958 | mfm G 7512 | View online |
11 May 1897 | Rhone II | 15959 - 16611 | mfm G 7512 | View online |
1 June 1897 | Clyde | 16612 - 16953 | mfm G 7512 | View online |
1 June 1897 | Clyde | 16954 - 17281 | mfm G 7513 | View online |
1 June 1898 | Moy III | 17282 - 17849 | mfm G 7513 | View online |
25 July 1899 | Avon II | 17850 - 18316 | mfm G 7513 | View online |
3 September 1899 | Ganges | 18318 - 18551 | mfm G 7513 | View online |
3 September 1899 | Ganges | 18552 - 18780 | mfm G 7514 | View online |
Arrival date in Fiji | Ship name | Pass number | Call number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|
21 June 1900 | Ganges | 18781 - 19334 | mfm G 7514 | View online |
14 July 1900 | Elbe II | 19335 - 19938 | mfm G 7514 | View online |
23 July 1900 | Arno I | 19939 - 20252 | mfm G 7514 | View online |
23 July 1900 | Arno I | 20253 - 20565 | mfm G 7515 | View online |
30 August 1900 | Rhine | 20566 - 21056 | mfm G 7515 | View online |
28 March 1901 | Fazilka I, SS | 21057 - 21860 | mfm G 7515 | View online |
12 May 1901 | Fultala I, SS | 21861 - 22669 | mfm G 7558 | View online |
18 June 1901 | Fazilka II, SS | 22670 - 23445 | mfm G 7558 | View online |
26 April 1902 | Virawa II, SS | 23446 - 24164 | mfm G 7559 | View online |
20 June 1902 | Fazilka III, SS | 24165 - 25001 | mfm G 7559 | View online |
13 June 1903 | Mersey | 25004 - 25588 | mfm G 7560 | View online |
5 August 1903 | Elbe III | 25589 - 26178 | mfm G 7560 | View online |
4 September 1903 | Arno II | 26179 - 26518 | mfm G 7560 | View online |
4 September 1903 | Arno II | 26519 - 26812 | mfm G 7561 | View online |
3 May 1904 | Arno III | 26813 - 27443 | mfm G 7561 | View online |
30 July 1904 | Ems II | 27444 - 27969 | mfm G 7561 | View online |
10 April 1905 | Fultala II | 27970 - 28796 | mfm G 7562 | View online |
17 July 1905 | Virawa III | 28797 - 29411 | mfm G 7562 | View online |
28 July 1905 | Wardha I | 29412 - 30303 | mfm G 7516 | View online |
17 August 1905 | Fultala III | 30304 - 30904 | mfm G 7516 | View online |
17 August 1905 | Fultala III | 30905 - 31093 | mfm G 7517 | View online |
17 April 1906 | Fazilka IV | 31094 - 31974 | mfm G 7517 | View online |
28 April 1906 | Fultala IV | 31975 - 32191 | mfm G 7517 | View online |
28 April 1906 | Fultala IV | 32192 - 32775 | mfm G 7518 | View online |
28 June 1906 | Wardha II | 32776 - 33609 | mfm G 7518 | View online |
28 January 1907 | Fazilka V | 33610 - 34484 | mfm G 7519 | View online |
23 March 1907 | Virawa IV | 34485 - 35075 | mfm G 7519 | View online |
23 March 1907 | Virawa IV | 35076 - 35244 | mfm G 7520 | View online |
18 March 1908 | Sangola I | 36040 - 36317 | mfm G 7520 | View online |
18 March 1908 | Sangola I | 36318 - 37171 | mfm G 7521 | View online |
6 June 1908 | Sangola II | 37172 - 37689 | mfm G 7521 | View online |
6 June 1908 | Sangola II | 37690 - 38258 | mfm G 7522 | View online |
1 February 1909 | Sangola III | 38260 - 39140 | mfm G 7522 | View online |
1 February 1909 | Sangola III | 39141 - 39409 | mfm G 7523 | View online |
21 April 1909 | Sangola IV | 39410 - 40076 | mfm G 7523 | View online |
Arrival date in Fiji | Ship name | Pass number | Call number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|
7 March 1910 | Sangola V | 40077 - 40442 | mfm G 7523 | View online |
7 March 1910 | Sangola V | 40443 - 41139 | mfm G 7524 | View online |
22 April 1910 | Santhia I | 41145 - 41894 | mfm G 7524 | View online |
22 April 1910 | Santhia I | 41895 - 42023 | mfm G 7525 | View online |
5 June 1910 | Sangola VI | 42024 - 42891 | mfm G 7525 | View online |
8 July 1910 | Santhia II | 42892 - 43408 | mfm G 7525 | View online |
8 July 1910 | Santhia II | 43409 - 43923 | mfm G 7526 | View online |
22 May 1911 | Mutlah I | 43924 - 44440 | mfm G 7526 | View online |
22 May 1911 | Mutlah I | 44441 - 44753 | mfm G 7563 | View online |
25 June 1911 | Sutlej I | 44757 - 45605 | mfm G 7563 | View online |
22 July 1911 | Ganges I | 45607 - 45900 | mfm G 7563 | View online |
22 July 1911 | Ganges I | 45901 - 46466 | mfm G 7564 | View online |
18 August 1911 | Mutlah II | 46467 - 47178 | mfm G 7564 | View online |
18 August 1911 | Mutlah II | 47179 - 47329 | mfm G 7527 | View online |
4 October 1911 | Sutlej II | 47330 - 48140 | mfm G 7527 | View online |
27 April 1912 | Sutlej III | 48141 - 48670 | mfm G 7527 | View online |
27 April 1912 | Sutlej III | 48671 - 48997 | mfm G 7528 | View online |
8 June 1912 | Indus | 48998 - 49801 | mfm G 7528 | View online |
18 July 1912 | Ganges II | 49802 - 50378 | mfm G 7528 | View online |
18 July 1912 | Ganges II | 50379 - 50644 | mfm G 7529 | View online |
8 November 1912 | Ganges III | 50645 - 51490 | mfm G 7529 | View online |
21 February 1913 | Ganges IV | 51491 - 52261 | mfm G 7530 | View online |
11 April 1913 | Sutlej IV | 52262 - 52900 | mfm G 7530 | View online |
11 April 1913 | Sutlej IV | 52901 - 53069 | mfm G 7565 | View online |
29 May 1913 | Ganges V | 53070 - 53917 | mfm G 7565 | View online |
9 September 1913 | Ganges VI | 53918 - 54300 | mfm G 7565 | View online |
9 September 1913 | Ganges VI | 54301 - 54701 | mfm G 7531 | View online |
24 March 1914 | Chenab I | 54702 - 55556 | mfm G 7531 | View online |
16 June 1914 | Chenab II | 55557 - 55677 | mfm G 7531 | View online |
16 June 1914 | Chenab II | 55678 - 56273 | mfm G 7532 | View online |
7 May 1915 | Mutlah III | 56274 - 56977 | mfm G 7532 | View online |
7 May 1915 | Mutlah III | 56978 - 57125 | mfm G 7533 | View online |
21 June 1915 | Ganges VII | 57126 - 57971 | mfm G 7533 | View online |
1 August 1915 | Mutlah IV | 57972 - 58305 | mfm G 7533 | View online |
1 August 1915 | Mutlah IV | 58306 - 58783 | mfm G 7534 | View online |
1 September 1916 | Chenab III | 58784 - 59665 | mfm G 7534 | View online |
11 November 1916 | Sutlej V | 59666 - 60538 | mfm G 7535 | View 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.
Ship | Date of arrival in Fiji | Pass number | Call number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|
Allanshaw | 17 June 1890 | 8368 - 8649 | mfm G 7507 | View online |
Allanshaw | 17 June 1890 | 8650 - 8940 | mfm G 7508 | View online |
Arno I | 23 July 1900 | 19939 - 20252 | mfm G 7514 | View online |
Arno I | 23 July 1900 | 20253 - 20565 | mfm G 7515 | View online |
Arno II | 4 September 1903 | 26179 - 26518 | mfm G 7560 | View online |
Arno II | 4 September 1903 | 26519 - 26812 | mfm G 7561 | View online |
Arno III | 3 May 1904 | 26813 - 27443 | mfm G 7561 | View online |
Avon I | 5 May 1892 | 10506 - 11025 | mfm G 7509 | View online |
Avon II | 25 July 1899 | 17850 - 18316 | mfm G 7513 | View online |
Bayard | 20 August 1883 | 1861 - 2354 | mfm G 7503 | View online |
Berar | 29 June 1882 | 464 - 887 | mfm G 7502 | View online |
Boyne | 26 April 1886 | 5572 - 6108 | mfm G 7506 | View online |
British Peer | 23 April 1892 | 9979 - 10505 | mfm G 7509 | View online |
Bruce | 21 May 1886 | 6109 - 6566 | mfm G 7506 | View online |
Chenab I | 24 March 1914 | 54702 - 55556 | mfm G 7531 | View online |
Chenab II | 16 June 1914 | 55557 - 55677 | mfm G 7531 | View online |
Chenab II | 16 June 1914 | 55678 - 56273 | mfm G 7532 | View online |
Chenab III | 1 September 1916 | 58784 - 59665 | mfm G 7534 | View online |
Clyde | 1 June 1897 | 16612 - 16953 | mfm G 7512 | View online |
Clyde | 1 June 1897 | 16954 - 17281 | mfm G 7513 | View online |
Danube | 15 June 1891 | 8941 - 9531 | mfm G 7508 | View online |
Elbe I | 13 June 1896 | 15344 - 15958 | mfm G 7512 | View online |
Elbe II | 14 July 1900 | 19335 - 19938 | mfm G 7514 | View online |
Elbe III | 5 August 1903 | 25589 - 26178 | mfm G 7560 | View online |
Ems I | 20 April 1894 | 12286 - 12851 | mfm G 7510 | View online |
Ems II | 30 July 1904 | 27444 - 27969 | mfm G 7561 | View online |
Erne | 24 April 1896 | 14787 - 15343 | mfm G 7511 | View online |
Ship | Date of arrival in Fiji | Pass number | Call number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fazilka I, SS | 28 March 1901 | 21057 - 21860 | mfm G 7515 | View online |
Fazilka II, SS | 18 June 1901 | 22670 - 23445 | mfm G 7558 | View online |
Fazilka III, SS | 20 June 1902 | 24165 - 25001 | mfm G 7559 | View online |
Fazilka IV | 17 April 1906 | 31094 - 31974 | mfm G 7517 | View online |
Fazilka V | 28 January 1907 | 33610 - 34484 | mfm G 7519 | View online |
Fazilka VI | 25 April 1907 | 35245 - 36039 | mfm G 7520 | View online |
Fultala I, SS | 12 May 1901 | 21861 - 22669 | mfm G 7558 | View online |
Fultala II | 10 April 1905 | 27970 - 28796 | mfm G 7562 | View online |
Fultala III | 17 August 1905 | 30304 - 30904 | mfm G 7516 | View online |
Fultala III | 17 August 1905 | 30905 - 31093 | mfm G 7517 | View online |
Fultala IV | 28 April 1906 | 31975 - 32191 | mfm G 7517 | View online |
Fultala IV | 28 April 1906 | 32192 - 32775 | mfm G 7518 | View online |
Ganges | 21 June 1900 | 18781 - 19334 | mfm G 7514 | View online |
Ganges | 27 June 1885 | 5049 - 5329 | mfm G 7505 | View online |
Ganges | 27 June 1885 | 5330 - 5571 | mfm G 7506 | View online |
Ganges | 3 September 1899 | 18318 - 18551 | mfm G 7513 | View online |
Ganges | 3 September 1899 | 18552 - 18780 | mfm G 7514 | View online |
Ganges I | 22 July 1911 | 45607 - 45900 | mfm G 7563 | View online |
Ganges I | 22 July 1911 | 45901 - 46466 | mfm G 7564 | View online |
Ganges II | 18 July 1912 | 49802 - 50378 | mfm G 7528 | View online |
Ganges II | 18 July 1912 | 50379 - 50644 | mfm G 7529 | View online |
Ganges III | 8 November 1912 | 50645 - 51490 | mfm G 7529 | View online |
Ganges IV | 21 February 1913 | 51491 - 52261 | mfm G 7530 | View online |
Ganges V | 29 May 1913 | 53070 - 53917 | mfm G 7565 | View online |
Ganges VI | 9 September 1913 | 53918 - 54300 | mfm G 7565 | View online |
Ganges VI | 9 September 1913 | 54301 - 54701 | mfm G 7531 | View online |
Ganges VII | 21 June 1915 | 57126 - 57971 | mfm G 7533 | View online |
Hereford I | 24 April 1888 | 6567 - 6839 | mfm G 7506 | View online |
Hereford I | 24 April 1888 | 6840 - 7104 | mfm G 7507 | View online |
Hereford II | 15 June 1892 | 11026 - 11504 | mfm G 7509 | View online |
Hereford III | 28 June 1894 | 12855 - 13362 | mfm G 7510 | View online |
Howrah | 26 June 1884 | 2793 - 3287 | mfm G 7504 | View online |
Indus | 8 June 1912 | 48998 - 49801 | mfm G 7528 | View online |
Jumna I | 27 June 1891 | 9532 - 9978 | mfm G 7508 | View online |
Jumna II | 23 May 1893 | 11972 - 12281 | mfm G 7510 | View online |
Ship | Date of arrival in Fiji | Pass number | Call number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|
Leonidas | 15 May 1879 | 1 - 463 | mfm G 7502 | View online |
Main | 30 April 1885 | 4324 - 5048 | mfm G 7505 | View online |
Mersey | 13 June 1903 | 25004 - 25588 | mfm G 7560 | View online |
Moy I | 3 May 1889 | 7105 - 7782 | mfm G 7507 | View online |
Moy II | 14 April 1893 | 11507 - 11971 | mfm G 7509 | View online |
Moy III | 1 June 1898 | 17282 - 17849 | mfm G 7513 | View online |
Mutlah I | 22 May 1911 | 43924 - 44440 | mfm G 7526 | View online |
Mutlah I | 22 May 1911 | 44441 - 44753 | mfm G 7563 | View online |
Mutlah II | 18 August 1911 | 46467 - 47178 | mfm G 7564 | View online |
Mutlah II | 18 August 1911 | 47179 - 47329 | mfm G 7527 | View online |
Mutlah III | 7 May 1915 | 56274 - 56977 | mfm G 7532 | View online |
Mutlah III | 7 May 1915 | 56978 - 57125 | mfm G 7533 | View online |
Mutlah IV | 1 August 1915 | 57972 - 58305 | mfm G 7533 | View online |
Mutlah IV | 1 August 1915 | 58306 - 58783 | mfm G 7534 | View online |
Newham, SS | 23 July 1884 | 3749 - 4323 | mfm G 7505 | View online |
Pericles | 3 July 1884 | 3288 - 3748 | mfm G 7504 | View online |
Poonah I | 17 September 1882 | 888 - 1364 | mfm G 7502 | View online |
Poonah II | 19 June 1883 | 1365 - 1860 | mfm G 7503 | View online |
Ship | Date of arrival in Fiji | Pass number | Call number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rhine | 30 August 1900 | 20566 - 21056 | mfm G 7515 | View online |
Rhone I | 15 May 1890 | 7783 - 8367 | mfm G 7507 | View online |
Rhone II | 11 May 1897 | 15959 - 16611 | mfm G 7512 | View online |
Sangola I | 18 March 1908 | 36040 - 36317 | mfm G 7520 | View online |
Sangola I | 18 March 1908 | 36318 - 37171 | mfm G 7521 | View online |
Sangola II | 6 June 1908 | 37172 - 37689 | mfm G 7521 | View online |
Sangola II | 6 June 1908 | 37690 - 38258 | mfm G 7522 | View online |
Sangola III | 1 February 1909 | 38260 - 39140 | mfm G 7522 | View online |
Sangola III | 1 February 1909 | 39141 - 39409 | mfm G 7523 | View online |
Sangola IV | 21 April 1909 | 39410 - 40076 | mfm G 7523 | View online |
Sangola V | 7 March 1910 | 40077 - 40442 | mfm G 7523 | View online |
Sangola V | 7 March 1910 | 40443 - 41139 | mfm G 7524 | View online |
Sangola VI | 5 June 1910 | 42024 - 42891 | mfm G 7525 | View online |
Santhia I | 22 April 1910 | 41145 - 41894 | mfm G 7524 | View online |
Santhia I | 22 April 1910 | 41895 - 42023 | mfm G 7525 | View online |
Santhia II | 8 July 1910 | 42892 - 43408 | mfm G 7525 | View online |
Santhia II | 8 July 1910 | 43409 - 43923 | mfm G 7526 | View online |
Sutlej I | 25 June 1911 | 44757 - 45605 | mfm G 7563 | View online |
Sutlej II | 4 October 1911 | 47330 - 48140 | mfm G 7527 | View online |
Sutlej III | 27 April 1912 | 48141 - 48670 | mfm G 7527 | View online |
Sutlej III | 27 April 1912 | 48671 - 48997 | mfm G 7528 | View online |
Sutlej IV | 11 April 1913 | 52262 - 52900 | mfm G 7530 | View online |
Sutlej IV | 11 April 1913 | 52901 - 53069 | mfm G 7565 | View online |
Sutlej V | 11 November 1916 | 59666 - 60538 | mfm G 7535 | View online |
Syria | 14 May 1884 | 2355 - 2792 | mfm G 7503 | View online |
Vadala, SS | 26 March 1895 | 13366 - 13739 | mfm G 7510 | View online |
Vadala, SS | 26 March 1895 | 13740 - 14109 | mfm G 7511 | View online |
Virawa I, SS | 26 April 1895 | 14110 - 14786 | mfm G 7511 | View online |
Virawa II, SS | 26 April 1902 | 23446 - 24164 | mfm G 7559 | View online |
Virawa III | 17 July 1905 | 28797 - 29411 | mfm G 7562 | View online |
Virawa IV | 23 March 1907 | 34485 - 35075 | mfm G 7519 | View online |
Virawa IV | 23 March 1907 | 35076 - 35244 | mfm G 7520 | View online |
Wardha I | 28 July 1905 | 29412 - 30303 | mfm G 7516 | View online |
Wardha II | 28 June 1906 | 32776 - 33609 | mfm G 7518 | View 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 number | Ship name | Date of arrival in Fiji | Call number | Reel number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 - 463 | Leonidas | 15 May 1879 | mfm G 7502 | 1 | View online |
464 - 887 | Berar | 29 June 1882 | mfm G 7502 | 1 | View online |
888 - 1364 | Poonah I | 17 September 1882 | mfm G 7502 | 1 | View online |
1365 - 1860 | Poonah II | 19 June 1883 | mfm G 7503 | 2 | View online |
1861 - 2354 | Bayard | 20 August 1883 | mfm G 7503 | 2 | View online |
2355 - 2792 | Syria | 14 May 1884 | mfm G 7503 | 2 | View online |
2793 - 3287 | Howrah | 26 June 1884 | mfm G 7504 | 3 | View online |
3288 - 3748 | Pericles | 3 July 1884 | mfm G 7504 | 3 | View online |
3749 - 4323 | Newham, SS | 23 July 1884 | mfm G 7505 | 4 | View online |
4324 - 5048 | Main | 30 April 1885 | mfm G 7505 | 4 | View online |
5049 - 5329 | Ganges | 27 June 1885 | mfm G 7505 | 4 | View online |
5330 - 5571 | Ganges | 27 June 1885 | mfm G 7506 | 5 | View online |
5572 - 6108 | Boyne | 26 April 1886 | mfm G 7506 | 5 | View online |
6109 - 6566 | Bruce | 21 May 1886 | mfm G 7506 | 5 | View online |
6567 - 6839 | Hereford I | 24 April 1888 | mfm G 7506 | 5 | View online |
6840 - 7104 | Hereford I | 24 April 1888 | mfm G 7507 | 6 | View online |
7105 - 7782 | Moy I | 3 May 1889 | mfm G 7507 | 6 | View online |
7783 - 8367 | Rhone I | 15 May 1890 | mfm G 7507 | 6 | View online |
8368 - 8649 | Allanshaw | 17 June 1890 | mfm G 7507 | 6 | View online |
8650 - 8940 | Allanshaw | 17 June 1890 | mfm G 7508 | 7 | View online |
8941 - 9531 | Danube | 15 June 1891 | mfm G 7508 | 7 | View online |
9532 - 9978 | Jumna I | 27 June 1891 | mfm G 7508 | 7 | View online |
9979 - 10505 | British Peer | 23 April 1892 | mfm G 7509 | 8 | View online |
10506 - 11025 | Avon I | 5 May 1892 | mfm G 7509 | 8 | View online |
11026 - 11504 | Hereford II | 15 June 1892 | mfm G 7509 | 8 | View online |
11507 - 11971 | Moy II | 14 April 1893 | mfm G 7509 | 8 | View online |
11972 - 12281 | Jumna II | 23 May 1893 | mfm G 7510 | 9 | View online |
12286 - 12851 | Ems I | 20 April 1894 | mfm G 7510 | 9 | View online |
12855 - 13362 | Hereford III | 28 June 1894 | mfm G 7510 | 9 | View online |
13366 - 13739 | Vadala, SS | 26 March 1895 | mfm G 7510 | 9 | View online |
13740 - 14109 | Vadala, SS | 26 March 1895 | mfm G 7511 | 10 | View online |
Pass number | Ship name | Date of arrival in Fiji | Call number | Reel number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14110 - 14786 | Virawa I, SS | 26 April 1895 | mfm G 7511 | 10 | View online |
14787 - 15343 | Erne | 24 April 1896 | mfm G 7511 | 10 | View online |
15344 - 15958 | Elbe I | 13 June 1896 | mfm G 7512 | 11 | View online |
15959 - 16611 | Rhone II | 11 May 1897 | mfm G 7512 | 11 | View online |
16612 - 16953 | Clyde | 1 June 1897 | mfm G 7512 | 11 | View online |
16954 - 17281 | Clyde | 1 June 1897 | mfm G 7513 | 12 | View online |
17282 - 17849 | Moy III | 1 June 1898 | mfm G 7513 | 12 | View online |
17850 - 18316 | Avon II | 25 July 1899 | mfm G 7513 | 12 | View online |
18318 - 18551 | Ganges | 3 September 1899 | mfm G 7513 | 12 | View online |
18552 - 18780 | Ganges | 3 September 1899 | mfm G 7514 | 13 | View online |
18781 - 19334 | Ganges | 21 June 1900 | mfm G 7514 | 13 | View online |
19335 - 19938 | Elbe II | 14 July 1900 | mfm G 7514 | 13 | View online |
19939 - 20252 | Arno I | 23 July 1900 | mfm G 7514 | 13 | View online |
20253 - 20565 | Arno I | 23 July 1900 | mfm G 7515 | 14 | View online |
20566 - 21056 | Rhine | 30 August 1900 | mfm G 7515 | 14 | View online |
21057 - 21860 | Fazilka I, SS | 28 March 1901 | mfm G 7515 | 14 | View online |
21861 - 22669 | Fultala I, SS | 12 May 1901 | mfm G 7558 | 15 | View online |
22670 - 23445 | Fazilka II, SS | 18 June 1901 | mfm G 7558 | 15 | View online |
23446 - 24164 | Virawa II, SS | 26 April 1902 | mfm G 7559 | 16 | View online |
24165 - 25001 | Fazilka III, SS | 20 June 1902 | mfm G 7559 | 16 | View online |
25004 - 25588 | Mersey | 13 June 1903 | mfm G 7560 | 17 | View online |
25589 - 26178 | Elbe III | 5 August 1903 | mfm G 7560 | 17 | View online |
26179 - 26518 | Arno II | 4 September 1903 | mfm G 7560 | 17 | View online |
26519 - 26812 | Arno II | 4 September 1903 | mfm G 7561 | 18 | View online |
26813 - 27443 | Arno III | 3 May 1904 | mfm G 7561 | 18 | View online |
27444 - 27969 | Ems II | 30 July 1904 | mfm G 7561 | 18 | View online |
27970 - 28796 | Fultala II | 10 April 1905 | mfm G 7562 | 19 | View online |
28797 - 29411 | Virawa III | 17 July 1905 | mfm G 7562 | 19 | View online |
29412 - 30303 | Wardha I | 28 July 1905 | mfm G 7516 | 20 | View online |
Pass number | Ship name | Date of arrival in Fiji | Call number | Reel number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
30304 - 30904 | Fultala III | 17 August 1905 | mfm G 7516 | 20 | View online |
30905 - 31093 | Fultala III | 17 August 1905 | mfm G 7517 | 21 | View online |
31094 - 31974 | Fazilka IV | 17 April 1906 | mfm G 7517 | 21 | View online |
31975 - 32191 | Fultala IV | 28 April 1906 | mfm G 7517 | 21 | View online |
32192 - 32775 | Fultala IV | 28 April 1906 | mfm G 7518 | 22 | View online |
32776 - 33609 | Wardha II | 28 June 1906 | mfm G 7518 | 22 | View online |
33610 - 34484 | Fazilka V | 28 January 1907 | mfm G 7519 | 23 | View online |
34485 - 35075 | Virawa IV | 23 March 1907 | mfm G 7519 | 23 | View online |
35076 - 35244 | Virawa IV | 23 March 1907 | mfm G 7520 | 24 | View online |
35245 - 36039 | Fazilka VI | 25 April 1907 | mfm G 7520 | 24 | View online |
36040 - 36317 | Sangola I | 18 March 1908 | mfm G 7520 | 24 | View online |
36318 - 37171 | Sangola I | 18 March 1908 | mfm G 7521 | 25 | View online |
37172 - 37689 | Sangola II | 6 June 1908 | mfm G 7521 | 25 | View online |
37690 - 38258 | Sangola II | 6 June 1908 | mfm G 7522 | 26 | View online |
38260 - 39140 | Sangola III | 1 February 1909 | mfm G 7522 | 26 | View online |
39141 - 39409 | Sangola III | 1 February 1909 | mfm G 7523 | 27 | View online |
39410 - 40076 | Sangola IV | 21 April 1909 | mfm G 7523 | 27 | View online |
40077 - 40442 | Sangola V | 7 March 1910 | mfm G 7523 | 27 | View online |
40443 - 41139 | Sangola V | 7 March 1910 | mfm G 7524 | 28 | View online |
Pass number | Ship name | Date of arrival in Fiji | Call number | Reel number | View online |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
41145 - 41894 | Santhia I | 22 April 1910 | mfm G 7524 | 28 | View online |
41895 - 42023 | Santhia I | 22 April 1910 | mfm G 7525 | 29 | View online |
42024 - 42891 | Sangola VI | 5 June 1910 | mfm G 7525 | 29 | View online |
42892 - 43408 | Santhia II | 8 July 1910 | mfm G 7525 | 29 | View online |
43409 - 43923 | Santhia II | 8 July 1910 | mfm G 7526 | 30 | View online |
43924 - 44440 | Mutlah I | 22 May 1911 | mfm G 7526 | 30 | View online |
44441 - 44753 | Mutlah I | 22 May 1911 | mfm G 7563 | 31 | View online |
44757 - 45605 | Sutlej I | 25 June 1911 | mfm G 7563 | 31 | View online |
45607 - 45900 | Ganges I | 22 July 1911 | mfm G 7563 | 31 | View online |
45901 - 46466 | Ganges I | 22 July 1911 | mfm G 7564 | 33 | View online |
46467 - 47178 | Mutlah II | 18 August 1911 | mfm G 7564 | 33 | View online |
47179 - 47329 | Mutlah II | 18 August 1911 | mfm G 7527 | 32 | View online |
47330 - 48140 | Sutlej II | 4 October 1911 | mfm G 7527 | 32 | View online |
48141 - 48670 | Sutlej III | 27 April 1912 | mfm G 7527 | 32 | View online |
48671 - 48997 | Sutlej III | 27 April 1912 | mfm G 7528 | 34 | View online |
48998 - 49801 | Indus | 8 June 1912 | mfm G 7528 | 34 | View online |
49802 - 50378 | Ganges II | 18 July 1912 | mfm G 7528 | 34 | View online |
50379 - 50644 | Ganges II | 18 July 1912 | mfm G 7529 | 35 | View online |
50645 - 51490 | Ganges III | 8 November 1912 | mfm G 7529 | 35 | View online |
51491 - 52261 | Ganges IV | 21 February 1913 | mfm G 7530 | 36 | View online |
52262 - 52900 | Sutlej IV | 11 April 1913 | mfm G 7530 | 36 | View online |
52901 - 53069 | Sutlej IV | 11 April 1913 | mfm G 7565 | 37 | View online |
53070 - 53917 | Ganges V | 29 May 1913 | mfm G 7565 | 37 | View online |
53918 - 54300 | Ganges VI | 9 September 1913 | mfm G 7565 | 37 | View online |
54301 - 54701 | Ganges VI | 9 September 1913 | mfm G 7531 | 38 | View online |
54702 - 55556 | Chenab I | 24 March 1914 | mfm G 7531 | 38 | View online |
55557 - 55677 | Chenab II | 16 June 1914 | mfm G 7531 | 38 | View online |
55678 - 56273 | Chenab II | 16 June 1914 | mfm G 7532 | 39 | View online |
56274 - 56977 | Mutlah III | 7 May 1915 | mfm G 7532 | 39 | View online |
56978 - 57125 | Mutlah III | 7 May 1915 | mfm G 7533 | 40 | View online |
57126 - 57971 | Ganges VII | 21 June 1915 | mfm G 7533 | 40 | View online |
57972 - 58305 | Mutlah IV | 1 August 1915 | mfm G 7533 | 40 | View online |
58306 - 58783 | Mutlah IV | 1 August 1915 | mfm G 7534 | 41 | View online |
58784 - 59665 | Chenab III | 1 September 1916 | mfm G 7534 | 41 | View online |
59666 - 60538 | Sutlej V | 11 November 1916 | mfm G 7535 | 42 | View 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.
Buy copies
You can also buy a copy of an emigration pass for a known emigrant. Find out more about how to buy copies.
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.
- Birth registers of Indians in Fiji, 1895-1989
- Death register of Indians, 1917-1989
- Death registers of Fijians, 1877-1989
- Death registers, 1875-1989
- General birth records, 1875-1989
- Register of deaths of Indian immigration (by plantation), 1899-1922
- Register of Fijian births, 1876-1989
- Register of Fijian marriages, 1874-1989
- Register of general marriages, 1871-1989
- Register of Indian marriages, 1913-1989
- Registers of adoptions, 1945-1991
- Report on the census of the population of Fiji, 1881...(and vital records, 1876-1880)
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
Books
- Kenneth Lowell Oliver Gillion, Fiji's Indian migrants : a history to the end of indenture in 1920, 1962
- Ahmed Ali, Girmit: Indian indenture experience in Fiji, 2004
- Lance Brennan, John McDonald and Ralph Shlomowitz, The origins of south Indian Muslim indentured migration to Fiji, 1992
- Brij V Lal, Crossing the Kala Pani : a documentary history of Indian indenture in Fiji, 1998
- Brij V Lal, Girmitiyas : the origins of the Fiji Indians, 2004
Microform
- Register of indentured Indian immigrants repatriated to India 3 May, 1892-22 Jul., 1956
- Alphabetical list of indentured Indians repatriated to India, 1881-1892
- Register of indentured Indian immigrants repatriated to India 3 May, 1892-22 Jul., 1956
- Register of Fiji born Indians repatriated to India, 6 Sep., 1916-5 May, 1962
- General register of Indian immigrants, 1879-1916
- Plantation register of Indian immigrants, series 3, 1912-1916
Archived web pages
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.