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Denmark Emigration and Immigration

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Resources

Online Resources

Offices to Contact

The Danish Emigration Archives
Udvandrearkivet
Arkivstræde 1
P.O. Box 1353
9100 Aalborg
Denmark
Email: emiarch@emiarch.dk
Website

Background

Emigration and immigration sources list the names of people leaving (emigrating) or coming into (immigrating) a country. Danish emigration records can be a useful source of genealogical information. They are usually found as passenger lists. The information in these records includes the emigrants' names, ages, occupations, and destinations and often the places of birth and last places of residence.

These sources can be very valuable in helping you determine where in Denmark your ancestor came from. They can also help in constructing family groups. If you do not find your ancestor, you may find emigration information about your ancestor's neighbors. People who lived near each other in Denmark sometimes settled together in the country they emigrated to.

Danish emigration first began in 1619 when reverend Rasmus Jensen sailed to America. However, until the 1850's it always occurred in very low numbers. From about 1820-1850 about 60 Danes emigrated to America every year. Others went to destinations such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Latin America, and the islands of the South Pacific. Most early emigrants settled in the United States in the Midwest and the prairie provinces of Canada. In the 1850s, large numbers of Danish converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints immigrated to the United States, and many settled in Utah. Emigration from Denmark gradually increased in the 1870s, peaking in the early 1880s.

Poles and Swedes

In areas with many foreign workers, you will be lucky to find special registration of foreigners. For example, in Lolland and Bornholm, there were many seasonal workers from Poland and Sweden. In most other areas, however, there are not specific registration protocols for immigrants. If you need to find Swedes, there is good resource available in the book titled Above the Sound, which can be purchased at the Provincial Archives for 125 kroner.

After 1914, the State Police in Copenhagen issued the residence books to immigrants. To find something in this archive - which can be found at the National Archives - you have to know the migrant foreigners' number, or use the name directory.

Immigration

  • 19th Century (Industrial Revolution): Immigration of workers (primarily German and Swedish) for large construction projects (railroads, dikes, Copenhagen fortification). Simultaneous mass emigration from Denmark to non-European nations.
  • Early 20th Century: Continued emigration, though likely impacted by the World Wars. Influx of refugees (Russian after 1917 Revolution, German 1933-1940, Hungarian after 1956 Revolution).
  • 1960s - Early 1970s: Increased immigration due to economic growth and labor demand. "Guest worker" programs brought many immigrants from Turkey, Yugoslavia, and Pakistan.[1]

Indvandrere
Before 1776 there were almost no immigration controls in Denmark. An exception was the Jews who, among others, had to pay a fee. To find applications for immigration permission, see the Danish Chancellery of the National Archives. Search immigrants online at Danish Demographic Database.

Immigrants in Copenhagen
There is very little material about immigrants in Copenhagen. See the Registry Copenhagen police and judicial authorities.

  • Jews and Catholics: Page 117-118 and 122 Covers the years 1780-1835, respectively. 1818.
  • Incoming foreigners: Page 126 and 159 Covers the years 1860-63, respectively. 1863-69.
  • Market traveler et al. Page 181. Covers the years 1911-47.

Information Recorded in the Records

  • Indfødsretstildelinger 1776-1960: name, occupation, birthplace, birth year, year of immigration, residence, serial number, etc.

Emigration

In the 19th century, many Danes emigrated to the United States, Canada, and Australia, driven by economic hardship. This trend continued into the early 20th century, although it slowed somewhat during WWI and WWII.

In the latter half of the 20th century, emigration from Denmark decreased significantly, and the country began to experience net immigration. This was due in part to Denmark's strong economy and welfare state, which attracted immigrants from other countries.

Information Recorded in the Records

Passenger lists of emigrants (udvanderer) were not recorded until 1868, with the increase of emigrants. Emigration records were the responsibility of the police and were kept with the other police records. The police records contain information such as:

  • name
  • age
  • Occupation
  • destination
  • relationships
  • last residence
  • birth place


The police records from 1869 - 1908 have been extracted and are available for free on http://www.emiarch.dk
These records are also available at the FamilySearch Library and at the different archives in Copenhagen.

In connection with the police records, there are also passport records. These records contain information about the emigrants, especially where they recieved the passport from. Unlike the police records, the passports run from 1788 to 1850. The records include information such as:

  • date
  • traveler's name
  • Where the passport was issued
  • Where going to
  • How many people are traveling together: paying passengers, and non-paying passengers(such as children under 15, and the poor)
  • How it was paid for (whether in silver or in notes)
  • other remarks

The passport records are a good way to find emigration information proior to the official police records.

Passenger Lists

The departure records from this port are called passenger lists. These lists begin in 1869. The information in them varies over time, but it usually includes the emigrants' names, ages, occupations, and destinations. Relationships and last residence or birthplace may also be given.

The original records of Copenhagen can be found at the national archive or the Provincial Archives of Zealand [Landsarkivet for Sjælland] in Copenhagen; copies are at the Danes Worldwide Archives in Ålborg.[2]

The Copenhagen emigration records are divided into direct and indirect emigration. If, after leaving Copenhagen, a ship travelled directly to its destination, the emigration was called direct emigration. If the ship stopped at least once at another port before arriving at its destination, the emigration was indirect emigration. The passenger lists are listed by year, and then alphabetically (almost) by surname.

Many emigrants from the counties of Schleswig-Holstein and Jylland emigrated through the port of Hamburg, Germany, or other European ports. The Hamburg records have been microfilmed and are available at the FamilySearch Library. These passenger lists and indexes are most fully described in Hamburg Passenger Lists.

Copenhagen Police Emigration Protocols

It covers only emigration from Denmark in the period 1869-1940, but only the period up to 1908 is yet in the database. Consequently emigration from that part of Denmark which was under German rule 1864-1920 is not covered, i.e. the counties Haderslev, Aabenraa, Sønderborg and Tønder north of today’s border. The register was written by the police in Copenhagen but covers all Denmark.

From the main page Copenhagen Police Emigration Protocols. it is possible to choose English among many other languages. Once here, you can search for person’s by filling in the form and choose “Start Search”. When writing a person’s name you write the family name first followed by one or more first names. Example “Madsen, Viggo”. Narrow your search by filling in as many boxes as possible, but be aware that you can also narrow too much to get a result. Remember that names of person’s and places are often spelled in different ways and use your imagination. Kristensen may be Christensen etc. If you know the year, but not a more precise date, you just write the year and nothing more.

There is an additional register with about 4000 people who emigrated in 1879-1887 via Hamburg, and are not covered by the ordinary register: Aalborg City Archives and Vejle City Archives. This register is only searchable in Danish (Name, Occupation, Parish, Year, ID-code)."

Destination Countries

United States

Passenger Lists. Most Danish immigrants to the United States arrived at the ports of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Quebec, and Montreal. The FamilySearch Library has microfilm copies of the records and indexes for many of these ports. See United States Emigration and Immigration for more information.

The following is a bibliography of over 2,500 published lists of emigrants and immigrants:

Filby, P. William. Passenger and Immigrations Lists Bibliography, 1538-1900. 2nd ed. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1988. (FS Library book 973 W33p 1988.)

More than 1,000 of these lists are indexed in:

P. William Filby, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 9 vols. (Detroit, Michigan: Gale Research, 1981-; FS Library book Ref 973 W33p). This does not index official U.S. arrival lists. Many of the names are from post-1820 published sources.

For researching Danish Latter-day Saint ancestors, see the Latter-day Saint Research page Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors for additional sources.

Internal Migration

Community and Police Registers of Arrivals and Removals (Tyendeprotokoller, Melderegister)

Research use: Between 1875, when churches ceased to record arrivals and removals, and 1923 when National Registration was established, it can be very difficult to follow ancestors who moved from community to community during their young, unsettled years. These arrival/removal records make it possible to determine the place of origin of an ancestor in order to find the birth information and continue research into earlier generations; they are also helpful in following unwed mothers and their children.

Record type: Local government registration of unsettled working class persons or domestics (tyendes) moving into or out of communities. These records were made to keep track of the young, generally unmarried, men and women who worked as domestic servants and farmhands until they settled down with a family in a community. In cities and town the local town bailiff (byfoged) recorded these arrivals and removals starting in 1854. In rural communities the parish bailiff (sognfoged) was responsible for recording farmhands after 1875. In the southern area of Jutland, formerly governed by Prussia from 1864 to 1920, a similar system of registration (Melderegister) was introduced in 1867. In 1923 the national government established the present system of National Registration.

Time period: Cities 1854-1923, Rural communities 1875-1923, Prussian area 1867-1923.

Contents: Names of servants, farmhands, and farm maidens; date of removal or arrival in the community, former residence, occupation, age; sometimes birth date, birthplace, etc.

Location: In provincial and city archives and local police stations. Population coverage: 20 to 30%.[2]

Information Recorded in the Records

Strategy

References

FamilySearch Library Staff. "Emigration," Denmark Research Aids. Salt Lake City: FamilySearch Library, March 2002.

Pasregnskaber for København, 1834. Salt Lake City: FS Library Microfilm no. 495471.

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Immigration to Denmark," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Denmark, accessed 3 Feb 2025.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Denmark,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1987-1998.
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