With over 340,000 Italians having migrated to Australia, the Archives holds many records which document Italians and their relationship with the Commonwealth Government. Whether you are searching for a particular Italian person, or researching the general Italian experience in Australia, this fact sheet will help you identify relevant records held by the National Archives in Sydney.
Passenger lists are usually arranged by the date, name of the ship, and the port of arrival or departure. The office in Sydney holds passenger lists for the Port of Sydney from 1923 onwards in microfilm format for easy use. Records covering other ports, including Newcastle, Fremantle, and Sydney Airport, are also available. See Fact Sheet 64 – Passenger records held in Sydney, for details of holdings.
Many intending migrants applied for assisted passage to Australia during the post-World War II migration boom. The records associated with applications for assisted passage, known as 'migration selection documents', consist of a number of documents (including a completed application form), and often include a passport size photograph of the individual. The Sydney office holds a number of series of non-British European migration selection documents.
The record series C3939, a general correspondence series created by the New South Wales Branch of the Department of Immigration, contains valuable information about post-World War II migration schemes, and the general welfare and progress of migrants in Australia. The series is completely listed on the item level-database, part of RecordSearch, which is available on this website and online in all reading rooms of the Archives.
The office in Sydney holds a microfiche copy of the Department of Immigration Citizenship Index. This index is arranged alphabetically, listing all applicants for naturalisation Australia-wide since 1904. Information such as date of birth, date of arrival in Australia, and date of naturalisation is usually included in an entry. The index will also give a file number and location (by State) of the naturalisation file. Because the index contains information less than 30 years old it is not available for public access and our staff will need to consult it on your behalf.
The office in Sydney holds naturalisation files for persons naturalised in New South Wales after 1951. Naturalisation files for the years 1904–1951 are held by our office in Canberra.
Although the naturalisation files prior to 1951 are in Canberra, the Sydney office holds duplicate Naturalisation Certificates on microfiche for the years 1904–1937. These certificates are arranged in numerical order. The certificate number can be identified from the Citizenship Index.
There have been two distinct periods when the Commonwealth Government has required all 'aliens' living or entering Australia to register with local authorities. The first period of compulsory registration commenced in 1916 with World War I, the second period extended from 1939 to the 1960s. Registration forms were gathered by Customs or Immigration officials, or by local police in the case of resident aliens. Sometimes these forms include photographs and fingerprints. The documents for persons registered as aliens in New South Wales during both periods are held by the office in Sydney.
More Italians than any other nationality were interned in Australia during World War II. Italians in New South Wales were particularly watched due to the activities of the Fascist Party in Sydney. In addition Australia was responsible for more than 18,000 Italian prisoners of war transported from the European theatres of war.
The Sydney office holds many records relating to internees and internment in general. See Fact Sheet 101 – World War II internment records held in Sydney for additional details.
References to Italians and Australians of Italian descent will appear in many records held by the National Archives. These include post office records, naval correspondence regarding visiting ships, ASIO investigation files, and photographs of the Australian Overseas Information Service. Keyword searches on RecordSearch database using 'Ital*', a surname, or a particular subject, place name or event which involved Italians may also reveal relevant records.
You can also use RecordSearch to find out about the agencies that created the records and to locate more records on your subject. You might also explore PhotoSearch to find out if there are photos pertaining to your subject.
RecordSearch and PhotoSearch are available online or in all Archives reading rooms. Reference staff are available in the reading rooms to help you, or email ref@naa.gov.au.
See the following Fact Sheets for information about Italian migration to the states of Queensland and Western Australia:
The following Fact Sheets contain information on the holdings of other offices of the Archives that may be relevant to the study of Italians and Australians of Italian descent. Paper copies of these Fact Sheets are available on request from any office of the Archives.
Comments or other feedback can be sent to archives@naa.gov.au
updated December 2005